“Rita Project provided Oregon State University with an experience that deepened our understanding of suicide and mental illness and a vehicle through which community members could express feelings that were previously not accessible through words. The Rita Project is sensitively delivered, thoughtfully facilitated, and powerfully effective.”

-Larry D. Roper

http://oregonstate.edu/studentaffairs/YouAreNotAlone/index.html

Rita Creative Arts Curriculum for Mental Health
©Rita Project, Inc. 2006

Our goal is to develop awareness and to educate about mental health. With the ultimate goal of suicide prevention, Rita Creative Arts Curriculum for Mental Health educates about the risks, behaviors, and attitudes that can be harmful, providing tools to process and communicate emotions. In accordance with our mission, we hope to raise awareness about suicide prevention through the broad education in mental health. We use the creative arts to help our audience recognize, express, and process emotions, identify means to make health-enhancing choices, appreciate diversity in personal expression, and communicate in a positive way with self and others.

The focus of the curriculum is on health promotion and risk prevention. Rita Creative Arts Curriculum for Mental Health is based on the National Health Education Standards and designed to meet the needs of diverse learners. The curriculum supports the mission of Rita Project to stop suicide and celebrate life through use of the arts to foster healing, assist with suicide prevention education, and raise public awareness of the importance of the arts to mental health.

Rita Creative Arts Curriculum for Mental Health is accessible to agencies, community centers, hospitals, institutions and schools: grades K-12 and college. Our curriculum can be adapted to coordinate within each educational community.

Rita Project has also served:

Fordham University, NYC

LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts, NYC

MS 131, NYC