The Lived Experience of Young Syrian Refugees With an Expressive Arts Workshop About Resilience (L’expérience vécue de jeunes réfugiés syriens dans un atelier d’arts expressifs sur la résilience)

Abstract

This phenomenological study explores the lived experience of nine young Syrian refugees ages 12 to 16 who participated in an expressive arts workshop about resilience in Aley, Lebanon. The findings were collected through an unstructured interview and corroborated by field notes and participants artistic outputs. The study revealed various resilience factors associated with positive outcomes for at-risk youth. These factors were mapped out on the ecological model and compared to participants’ personal conceptions of resilience. The results of this study suggest that expressive therapies may be a viable way to assess resilience while fostering it. More research is needed on the relationship between expressive therapies and resilience among young war refugees.