The Spark Organization for Innovation and Creativity (Spark Gaza) continues to implement the “Nafas” (Breath) Initiative activities in Deir Al-Balah, in partnership with the Youth Future Rescue Society and with the support and funding of UNFPA. This intervention focuses on supporting the mental health and psychosocial well-being of adolescent girls in the context of war and displacement.
The “Nafas” Initiative stems from a deep understanding of the accumulated psychological stress experienced by adolescent girls in Gaza. The challenges are not limited to immediate trauma but extend to a loss of the sense of safety, limited spaces, and the absence of secure opportunities for expression.
The initiative utilizes music, drama, and movement as low-intensity psychosocial tools, allowing the girls to process their emotions without direct retrieval of painful experiences.
The ongoing activities are conducted within a safe, trauma-informed space, combining vocal and rhythmic exercises, movement and breathing activities, and interactive drama applications inspired by real-life situations close to the adolescents’ reality. This approach is not aimed at producing performances or artistic outputs, but rather at supporting emotional regulation, fostering a sense of belonging, and building group trust.
Speaking about the importance of such activities, Executive Director Ms. Hiyam Al-Hayek pointed out that the Spark Organization for Innovation and Creativity has created a safe space for communication, debriefing, and mutual support through the interactive sessions of the “Nafas” Initiative, emphasizing the significance of such initiatives in supporting and empowering young women.
Field monitoring shows increasing interaction from participants with the activities, a gradual engagement in using voice and movement as means of expression, along with a noticeable development in mutual support dynamics among the girls. These indicators are read as initial signs of the importance of safe spaces based on creative expression, especially in displacement settings that lack appropriate psychological interventions for this age group.
The “Nafas” Initiative is part of a broader approach adopted by Spark, which is based on integrating psychosocial support with non-invasive creative tools, and in collaboration with its partners, with the aim of creating spaces that respect privacy, consider the cultural context, and place the needs of the girls at the core of the intervention.
The activities remain ongoing, with implementing agencies committed to developing the sessions according to the participants’ needs and ensuring safe referral pathways when specialized support is required.
سبارك تطلق أنشطة موسيقى ودراما لدعم المراهقات نفسيًا في دير البلح ضمن مبادرة “نَفَس”
