Art et contes en famille

With Art and Storytelling for Families, the Parc-Extension Youth Organization (P.E.Y.O.) offers a community-based arts intervention service to families of immigrant background. Through a series of workshops based on storytelling and free artistic creation, this program aims to reduce parental stress and improve family dynamics to prevent violence. A second component of the project will focus on the dissemination of knowledge, notably through the creation of an intervention guide and information capsules.   

Website: https://www.peyo.org/ 

Community of Practice member:

Samantha Petrella

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I am an art therapist from Montreal. I completed my Master’s in Art Therapy at Concordia University in 2016, having focused my research project on attachment trauma, meaning-making and the use of art therapy as a way to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma. I’ve worked in school settings (elementary and high school), community settings (youth mental health, early childhood). 

 I currently supervise to first year art therapy students and have an on-going private practice (with adults and adolescents).  

Recently, I joined the team at Parc Extension Youth Organization(PEYO) in the Art & Contes department, as I was drawn to an approach that highlighted the use of play, stories and art to foster meaning & resilience in children and their community. 

 Here, I started working with families in the community, using art & storytelling to explore themes of displacement, home, trauma and self-expression & identity.  

In the last couple of months, I took on the role of Coordinator of Art & Contes. Though I am relatively new to PEYO and to the Art & Contes en Famille project, I aim to carry on the efforts, creativity and passion that my team and the initial creators of the project so clearly put into practice.