Girls On Country
Transformational Arts Practice For Young First Nations Women in Australia
Facilitator, Founder & Creator:
Lydia Cohen
MFA Visual Arts, Goldsmiths, University College of London
BA(Hons) Fine Art, University of the Arts, London
TEDx Speaker
100 HR Cert in Yoga, Trauma and The Energy Body.
Accredited in the Tracy Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist for Youth (WASC-Y) for Youth aged 13-17 and the Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist for Adults (WASC-A)
Accredited in the Acculturation Scale for Aboriginal Australians (Westerman)
Accredited in the Acculturative Stress Scale for Aboriginal Australians (Westerman)
MISSION:
Since 2016, I have worked with First Nations youth organisations and art centers in Central Australia, where I observed a significant gap in addressing emotional well-being and trauma. This insight inspired me to develop a program that uses art-making as a means to explore and engage the emotional self, providing a culturally sensitive and creative approach to supporting young people in their evolution.
After completing my Master of Fine Arts in London, I worked as an artist, exhibiting internationally and being featured in The Guardian, Wonderland Magazine, and Hysteria Magazine. My work was shortlisted for the Catlin Art Prize and the University of the Arts’ Future Maps award, and I was later honored with the KALA Art Institute Fellowship Award in Berkeley, CA.
I am accredited in The Dr. Tracy Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist (Youth and Adult), Indigenous Mental Health, Complex Racial Trauma, Attachment, and Suicide Prevention. This checklist is utilised in measuring the outcomes of Girls on Country.
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GOALS
- Reconcile emotional conflict
- Increase sense of self empowerment
- Foster self-regulation
- Increase self-esteem and awareness
- Build resilience
- Facilitate post traumatic growth
- Process loss and grief
- Improve mental and physical symptoms
- Manage emotional pain, anxiety, stress and depression
The 3 Step Process:
Step 1: Connecting with your mob.
Step 2: Location. Identifying a safe space where you feel supported to create.
Step 3: Talk, sharing, discussion and creation.
The Benefits:
Creating art in nature offers profound benefits for nervous system regulation. Here's why:
1. Immersion in Nature Calms the Nervous System
Spending time in natural environments reduces stress and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and recovery. Adding a creative activity, like painting or sculpting, enhances this calming effect by engaging the mind in focused, meditative states.
2. Creativity Encourages Mindfulness
Art-making in nature fosters mindfulness by grounding our attention in the present. The sensory input from our surroundings—the sound of rustling leaves, the smell of earth, the feel of sunlight—stimulates the vagus nerve, which regulates emotional balance and physical well- being.
3. Connection to Nature and Self
Creating art in natural settings deepens our connection to the environment and your inner world. This connection can soothe emotional turbulence and provide a sense of harmony, reducing the fight-or-flight response often triggered by urban or high-stress environment.
4. Increased Flow State
Art and nature together create ideal conditions for entering a "flow state," where we lose track of time and become absorbed in the process. This state is associated with decreased cortisol levels and increased dopamine, both of which contribute to a well-regulated nervous system.
CREATING CHANGE
As we know, creating long lasting change happens over time.
Girls on Country is designed to be implemented over time through regular visits to communities throughout the year.
4 Steps to fostering enduring transformation:
1. Relational - connecting with self and others
2. Safety - Feeling safe in your surroundings.
3. Creation. Exploring inner world using materials.
4. Time. Implemented through ongoing collaboration.
Recognising that each First Nations community is unique with its own needs and protocols, Girls on Country engages in respectful consultation to ensure its approach aligns with the specific requirements and aspirations of each community it works with.
Cultural Mentorship
Girls on Country follows the guidance and consults with cultural mentor and advisor Marlene Rubuntja, a phenomenal Central Arrernte woman from Amoonguna Community, just outside Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Marlene's artwork was projected onto the Sydney Opera House in 2022 as part of Badu Gilli: Wonder Women. In addition to being an award-winning artist, Marlene is an activist, mother, and grandmother. She is also a member of the artist group Yarrenyty Arltere.
