– Sample ‘Art for Peace’ collage

Over the past week, more than a million Ukrainian refugees crossed the borders to the neighboring countries, fleeing war. Most of them are women and children, like their husbands, fathers, and sons, —all men between the ages of 18-60 — had to stay back to defend their country, not knowing if they would ever see their loved ones again.

A traumatized, exhausted child in a school gym locker room that turned into a temporary shelter.

According to Gandharvika Prema Dasi, spokesperson of Food for Life Hungary, ISKCON’s charity organization that is in the front-line of the relief efforts, besides food and shelter, “one of the biggest needs these refugees, especially children have is for some sort of engagement and ongoing mental help to be able to cope and carry on. They travel for days, sit in shelters, train stations, in other people’s homes, not knowing what the future holds, not knowing what to do with themselves. They need meaningful activities while they wait for their mothers to gain some clarity about what their next steps would be.”

To address this problem, also to assist other concerned children around the globe to channel their own shock and anxieties over the war while also helping those in need, Bhaktivedanta Academy, Alachua, Florida Visual Arts teacher and documentary filmmaker Krishna Lila Dasi (Krisztina Danka, Ph.D.) is facilitating a series of ‘Art for Peace’ online classes for children of various age groups. Out of colored papers and torn-out magazine pieces, students will be creating peace-themed collages.

The tuition fees will be collected and sent to the Food for Life Foundation in Hungary, where devotees, besides serving refugees prasadam, will also provide children with crayons, coloring books, play dough, and various other art supplies to help them express themselves through drawing, painting and creating.

“Whether you create, or engage with it, art has proven healing powers,” Krishna Lila Dasi believes.

Anyone interested in taking an hour-long online class and making an ‘Art-for-Peace’ collage, may choose and book their session on the links below:

Weekends:

6-12 years:
Sunday March 6 & 13, 12PM EST: https://www.karunaproductions.com/book-online

13-18 years & adults:
Sunday March 6 & 13, 2 PM EST: https://www.karunaproductions.com/book-online

Weekdays:

8-12 years:
Monday March 14, 4-5PM EST: https://tinyurl.com/2hre252j

13-18 years:
Tuesday March 15th 4-5 EST PM: https://tinyurl.com/ycxe3nf2