A SOCIO-EDUCATIONAL ARTISTIC PROJECT THAT PURSUES TO REDUCE THE SENSATION OF UNWANTED LONELINESS AMONG THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF FIGUERES

The socio-educational artistic project ‘M’ESTIMO’ seeks to reduce the feeling of unwanted loneliness among young people in Figueres from 12 to 18 years, after almost two years of pandemic and confinement, through the support of the artist Petra Vlasman.

Using photography and the written word as tools of expression, the young people from different groups work on their self-portrait for three months and conclude the workshops with an exhibition in which they carry out guided tours and workshops for visitors.

The aim is to encourage connection and approach to a positive self-concept and self-image in order to contribute to the personal development and self-esteem of the participants.

WHAT IS UNWANTED LONELINESS?

Unwanted loneliness = The subjective feeling of having less affection and closeness than you want.

This sentiment has increased in the current health emergency. The young population is one of the most affected by unwanted loneliness, they have reported suffering emotional exhaustion, anxiety, depression, stress, anxiety, apathy and discomfort.

In adolescence, there are some changes in social behavior: young people need to be accepted by their peers. The urge to escape from home leads them to the circle of friends, the gang.

Blockages and house arrest orders have caused physical and social distancing, and many young people experience social isolation.

SELF-PORTRAITS AS A TOOL FOR SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT

Most teenagers and young people have made a great effort to change their lifestyles, from the beginning of the pandemic, to their routines and how to meet their need for contact and social life.

Artistic expression helps young people to discover their skills and talents, and how they can put them at the service of society. With the format of this project, young people from different groups can interact through art.

Through photography and the word, young people work on different aspects of their identity. Self-portrait involves a creative process of self-representation in which the individual takes distance from his person in order to be able to explain and represent himself. Decisions of which aspects of your identity to select and how to select them reveal deeper security and concerns.

THE SELF-PORTRAIT EXHIBITION GIVES YOUNG PEOPLE A VOICE AND A FACE

The visual result of the workshops is an exhibition of self-portraits that gives voice and faces to the participants. It is a way of closing, settling and exposing everything that has been worked on, which is shared with the outside world.

The invisible result is the process of self-exploration and self-knowledge that each young person has experienced during the workshops. This process is more intimate.