Art therapy gallery addressing children with special needs

An initiative carried out by the Albert and Smilles Association

Ion Puican, 25.05.2024, 14:00

Over May 24-26, the city of Brașov (central Romania) hosted the third edition of the event “The art therapy gallery: an inspiration for children with special needs”. The event is organized by the “Albert and Smiles” Association, seeking to create a space where families and specialists, therapists and motivational speakers can communicate, exchange ideas and connect for a better and more inclusive future for children with special needs.

We spoke to the organizer of the event, the chairman of the “Albert and Smiles” Association, Endre Csato:

“The Art Therapy Gallery is an event addressing families with children with special needs and therapists, education experts with concerns in this area. It’s an informational, networking event, with a lot of positive energy and somehow pure emotion. We seek to reassure this community that it’s worth investing in these kids, that they deserve to reach their potential, and that’s why we’re all somehow here to help them”.

Where will the event be held and how can the public interested in this topic participate?

“The Art Therapy Gallery will take place in Brașov over May 24-26, within the Coresi community. People can register for this event, both for physical or online attendance, on galeriaterapiilor.ro”.

We asked Endre Csato how the first two editions of the Art Therapy Gallery were received by the public.

“The feedback we got from participants and speakers in the previous editions encouraged us to continue this approach, because everyone felt that, in addition to information, in addition to connecting with families and specialists , in addition to many other experiences related to our activities, the event also offers a lot of positive energy, a lot of confidence that it is worth making an effort for these children, to help them become better versions of themselves, to get as close as possible to their maximum potential and to enjoy this journey towards this goal, which is, of course, helping them integrate into society and tap into their full potential”.

What does Romanian society need with regard to children with special needs and their families? Endre Csato, chairman of the association “Albert and Smiles”, told us her view, especially since she herself is the mother of a son with special needs.

“The problem that we feel in society, in this field, is that these diagnoses that a child gets at birth or later is such a blocking point, it is an element that somehow makes families feel overwhelmed, feel that their life is over, that there is nothing positive from here on, that there is a lot of uncertainty. We would like families to get over this moment and feel that there is a beautiful life and much, much joy in the life of a family that has such a child with special needs. I think that at the moment, Romanian society is going through a period of transition, moving, I would say, from denial, from exclusion, to a moment when these things seem to be changing, to become recurrent, more acceptable, and it feels that society becomes a little more prepared. It’s a long way, but I think the first steps have been taken and better things are happening in this regard. Of course, with the challenges and downsides that are inherent in any journey. But I think what’s important is that there is some improvement. This is what life with Albert, our child diagnosed with Down syndrome, has taught us, that it is worth being happy for every small step forward. And that’s what we do”.

What do the organizers expect from this year’s edition of the Art Therapy Gallery?

“After the event, we really want the participants, both those attending the event as such, but also everybody from the online environment, to feel as if they have more hope, as if they have more confidence and certainly more information to help their children and help families with children with special needs”.

Finally, Endre Csato told us how the project would continue in everyday life:

“Moving forward, we will develop an online platform where all this information and more will become accessible to the entire community. We are currently talking about 100 thousand families who have a child with special needs in Romania”. (VP & MI)