CHAC | arts

Strengthening resilience and connection

CHAC|arts is on the frontlines, at scale, with crayons and paints meeting pandemic-driven mental health needs.

As our communities and schools continue to prioritize mental health and wellbeing, CHAC|arts is engaging with diverse organizations to deliver innovative process-oriented arts engagements that help to:

 

  • Increase resilience

  • Reduce anxieties

  • Strengthen social connections

  • Celebrate wellbeing

 

To discuss engagements and partnerships with CHAC|arts please contact: Carol Mellberg, LMFT, ATR, CHAC | arts Director at cmellberg@chacmv.org

CHAC|arts BackTogether! Schools Program Builds SEL Skills

The CHAC|arts flagship program, BackTogether!, has supported 5,000 local elementary, middle and high school students in the Los Altos, Sunnyvale and Mountain View school districts since its launch in 2021.

BackTogether! is a highly engaging curriculum, CASEL and evidence-informed, delivered by CHAC’s therapist team to a whole class and district.  It’s not an arts class, nor art therapy; through prompt-driven exercises students use arts materials to build social and emotional skills, reduce anxieties and connect to classmates.

The program was created in response to pandemic-related school re-entry challenges and the U.S. Surgeon General’s call to invest more in youth mental health prevention.

Student feedback has been very positive – In response to the question ‘would you like to do this program again?’ - over 90% of MVWSD student participants said, YES!

In response to the question ‘What did you like best?’ students said:

  • “All of it!”

  • “Using arts to express my feelings.”

  • “Drawing with my friends.”

  • “It was the highlight of my week…it made me more confident while doing watercolor.”

Teachers have seen high student engagement, with many commenting: “These children really need this…”

Read the article in the Mountain View Voice:

Read our press release about CHAC’s arts-based BackTogether! program.

The CHAC|arts Partner Program

We invite companies and their employees to join us in scaling CHAC|arts and the delivery of BackTogether! to more students and school districts. We offer two opportunities:

1) Join as a corporate sponsor of CHAC|arts school engagements;

2) Join the corporate volunteer program – be a part of the frontline, in class delivery team assisting CHAC staff and engaging with students.