SHEBOYGAN COUNTY

General Dialogues: Peer Support Through Artful Connections for Hmong Families

Project Resiliency is excited to partner with JMKAC to offer this five-session workshop to create a safe and inclusive environment for HMong families to engage in peer support by using art activities to spark meaningful conversations and strengthen intergenerational bonds. The goal of this program is to reduce the stigma of mental health by promoting collective healing through conversations about cultural issues, sharing arts and crafts skills, and engaging with art that reflects HMong culture.

By providing a safe space away from home, this program encourages the Hmong community to visit free and inclusive public spaces that they may not normally visit. Participants will have the opportunity to view the current HMong art exhibit, Cloth as Land: HMong Indigeneity. Viewing art that represents the HMong people promotes a sense of belonging and reduces isolation, both of which are important aspects of mental health. Participants will also have a Zoom meeting with Ger Xiong to learn about his artwork and how his HMong American experience has shaped it. His work seeks to connect the past with the present and is essential in showing how he balances these cultures while maintaining the importance of his HMong identity within a dominant American society.

Through peer support, storytelling, and art activities, participants can begin to heal and learn from each other. The artwork created by participants will be on display at the JMKAC symposium in April 2024 to continue to inspire meaningful conversations, cultivate a sense of belonging, and promote collective healing.

 

Fee: This program is FREE of charge to participants.

Pre-Registration Required:

This single registration is for all five sessions. You must include all members of your intergenerational family who wish to participate in this support group. All family registrants are not required to attend all sessions together. However, attendance at all five sessions is highly encouraged for the full experience. Please note that pre-registration is required, and no drop-ins to sessions will be accepted as this is a facilitated program designed to provide a safe space for participants.

Location:

John Michael Kohler Arts Center

608 New York Ave, Sheboygan, WI 53081

Duration:

This five-session program meets weekly on Thursday from 5:30PM - 7:00PM starting February 29th through March 28th, 2024.

Participant Capacity:

A max capacity of 7 family groups up to 25 participants.

Age Group:

This is an intergenerational support group for families with children 8 years of age and older. Therefore, an adult must attend with minor children. The adult can be an adult sibling, parent, or grandparent registered as part of the family registration.

Liability waiver form must be signed on or before the first day of attendance

Supplies, materials, and light snacks will be provided.

 

Workshop Session Descriptions

  • Thursday, February 29th

    This first session promotes group discussions that encourage family members to talk about their experiences openly and honestly in a space safe. We’ll discuss support group guidelines, check in on everyone’s mental health, and participate in a guided icebreaker discussion through an animal art activity that aims to encourage participants to explore their thoughts and emotions in a fun and easy way.

  • Thursday, March 7th

    We’ll be visiting the Cloth as Land: HMong Indigeneity Exhibition, which offers a pure connection to culture and human emotions. Through the artwork, participants can explore their own identity, assimilation, resilience, and witness how artists how their experiences and emotions to create healing messages.

  • Thursday, March 14th

    We will have a Zoom meeting with Ger Xiong to learn about his artwork and how his HMong American experience shaped it. Ger’s work examines the navigation and negotiation of cultural identity through the lens of assimilation, migration, and colonization, reflecting loss, commodification, and the resilience of being Hmong.

    His work seeks to connect the past to the present and is essential to show how he balances between these cultures while holding to the importance of his Hmong identity within a dominant American society. Through sharing Ger’s personal experience and creative process, participants can engage in meaningful discussions on how Ge channels his emotions into healing messages. The session will be followed by an art activity using Coins of Positivity to encourage self-reflection by prompting individuals to explore their personal experiences, feelings, and coping strategies.

  • Thursday, March 21st

    We will participate in a discussion using art activities to strengthen family bonds and explore how our HMong American experience can shape and guide us through life. During the session, participants will engage in an art activity that encourages them to identify their identity through their strengths, accomplishments, and goals. They will create Coins of Positivity and Coins of Gratitude to help them focus on recognizing and acknowledging the good things they experience in life and connect with positive emotions. Expressing gratitude through a vision coin or paper disc can serve as a great reminder of all the positive people, please, and things in our lives.

  • Thursday, March 28th

    In our final session, we will explore tools and resources for building stronger bonds across generations. We will use the Coins of Affirmation exercise to build trust and provide families with a card game for meaningful conversations at home. Participants will also receive information about Project Resiliency’s Warm Line (1-800-293-7080), and we will collect Coins of Positivity to display at the April Symposium to foster a sense of community, encourage meaningful conversations, cultivate a sense of belonging, and promote collective healing.

Project Resiliency Sheboygan County Dance Program performed at Sheboygan New Year 2023-24.

Meet our Sheboygan Coordinator:

My name is Houa Yang, and I am the Mental Health Project Coordinator for Sheboygan County with Project Resiliency at WUCMAA. I have over 14 years of experience working as a Hmong Bilingual Specialist with the Sheboygan Area School District and have been a part of the WUCMAA team since July 2023.  Outside of work, I enjoy arts and crafts, cooking, sewing, gardening, and pottery. I am also a passionate dance instructor and love spending time outdoors with my family.

I believe that through discussion of cultural issues, sharing of experiences, and peer support, we can begin to foster collective healing in the hopes of reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and encouraging individuals to heal and learn from each other. I aim to create safe spaces for Hmong and underserved families to have open conversations about mental health and increase their understanding.

My goal is to design and implement mental health projects that address the specific needs of the community. I recognize that many people do not know where to turn for mental health support and services, and I am committed to changing that. Through mental health workshops, peer support, resources, education, and safe spaces for dialogue, I hope to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage individuals to seek help and support.

Email Houa Yang for more information: houa@wucmaa.org