Painting Women's Strength - The Art of Women's Resilience

Project Activities

The project was structured around three main activities:

• Painting Women’s Strength — mobility of coaches providing psycho-emotional well-being to women in oncology remission.
• Script development: Painting Women’s Strength: The Art of Female Resilience. Grassroots activities as part of the outcome testing process.
• Painting Women’s Strength — mobility of women in oncological disease remission.

All three activities were implemented with equal involvement from both partner institutions: Bebok-Art, which coordinated the project, and the transnational partner from Portugal — ARTE M ASSOCIACAO CULTURAL E ARTISTICA NA MADEIRA.

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Painting Women’s Strength — mobility of coaches (22–30 November 2024)

The transnational mobility took place from 22 to 30 November 2024 in Funchal, Madeira (Portugal) within the framework of the project Painting Women’s Strength: The Art of Women’s Resilience.

It was a 9-day professional development and job-shadowing activity for trainers working in psycho-emotional support for women in oncology remission. The programme was jointly implemented by the Polish organisation BEBOK-ART and the host organisation ARTE M Associação Cultural e Artística na Madeira.

Each day included a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of structured educational activities — workshops, observations, supervision sessions, and reflection circles — all confirmed by signed attendance sheets.

Daily schedule and learning flow

Day 1 — 22 November 2024

Introduction to the project, aims and expected results. Trainers were presented with the framework of Painting Women’s Strength and the methodology of art-based emotional recovery. Observation of the Dream Design workshop and an art therapy session, followed by a group reflection on the link between art and post-illness identity rebuilding.

Day 2 — 23 November 2024

Observation of coaching workshops for women in remission — empowerment, goal-setting, self-esteem. Afternoon observation of mindfulness and yoga sessions, focusing on breath awareness and somatic grounding. Evening discussion on the therapeutic potential of mindfulness practices in oncological recovery.

Day 3 — 24 November 2024

Observation of workshops on make-up and body care after cancer, combined with phototherapy sessions using portrait photography as a medium for regaining self-confidence. Lecture and debate on the psychological and social needs of oncology patients. Joint evaluation meeting.

Day 4 — 25 November 2024

Supervision meetings on work with women after treatment: case discussions and exchange of good practices. Presentation of barriers and specific needs of oncology patients. Collaborative work on the structure of the forthcoming educational guide.

Day 5 — 26 November 2024

Session on fine motor rehabilitation and body-awareness techniques after mastectomy. Group work on integrating experiences from both organisations into a shared educational framework. Joint analysis of therapeutic tools linking art, mindfulness and coaching.

Day 6 — 27 November 2024

Observation of art therapy sessions dedicated to emotional expression and trauma processing, followed by coaching sessions on post-illness resilience and motivation. Group reflection focused on emotional integration and ethical aspects of working with trauma.

Day 7 — 28 November 2024

Observation of mindfulness sessions and practical breathwork training for emotional regulation. Afternoon workshop on combining different therapeutic methods into a coherent practice model for the final publication.

Day 8 — 29 November 2024

Participation in a therapeutic yoga session and continued collaborative writing of the guide Painting Women’s Strength: The Art of Women’s Resilience. Attendance at a photographic vernissage presenting portraits of women and their recovery stories. Group discussion on art as advocacy for cancer survivors.

Day 9 — 30 November 2024

Finalisation of workshop outlines for future training with women in remission. Joint meeting on dissemination and sustainability strategies, evaluation of learning outcomes, and closing certification ceremony.

Participants

Based on all attendance lists, 16 trainers took part in the full 9-day mobility — eight from Poland (sending organisation) and eight from Madeira (host organisation). All participants attended every training day in full, confirming complete participation throughout the programme.

Trainers from the sending organisation (Poland):

• Katarzyna Białogrodzka
• Jędrzej Burczyk
• Karolina Machutta-Gałązka
• Beata Młynarczyk
• Aleksandra Nykaza
• Iwona Poniatowska-Olejniczak
• Kinga Tumkiewicz
• Agata Zacharek

Trainers from the host organisation (Portugal):

• Giorgi Butikashvili
• Natalia Deribazoglo
• Andreia Carina Ferreira de Jesus
• Edgar José Franco Viana
• Valentina Patrícia Silva Ferreira
• Joana Maria Vieira Martins
• Svetlana Yurzditskaya
• Alexander Yurzditskiy

The mobility combined job-shadowing, collaborative learning, and creative practice. Each day merged observation of real therapeutic sessions with guided reflection and content creation for a transnational educational guide. The activity enabled trainers to deepen their expertise in art-based psychosocial support, build intercultural cooperation, and co-create a shared model of resilience-oriented work with women after cancer.

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Script development: Painting Women’s Strength — The Art of Female Resilience

The comprehensive educational and therapeutic handbook serves both as a tool for psychosocial support for women in remission from cancer and as a guide for professionals working in art therapy, coaching, and sociotherapy. The publication combines research, reflective writing, and practical workshop materials used and tested during the project’s grassroots activities in Poland and Portugal.

The book is divided into three main parts.

Introductory section

An analytical essay outlining the psychological, social, and systemic challenges faced by women in remission.

• It discusses the psychological aftermath of cancer: low self-esteem, loss of body acceptance, social isolation, fear of recurrence, financial and logistical barriers, and difficulties in returning to the labour market.
• Drawing on data from the Polish Cancer Registry and international studies, it provides statistical context (e.g., survival rates, socio-economic inequalities) and personal testimonies from women who participated in local workshops.
• It explores the concept of post-traumatic growth, showing how illness can become a catalyst for self-redefinition rather than merely a source of loss.

Part I — Worksheets for women in remission from cancer

This section offers individual exercises for emotional self-regulation, creative expression, and mindfulness, designed to be implemented in personal or small-group settings. Each worksheet includes a clear goal, description, and reflective space. Examples include:

• Breath yoga — the art of conscious breathing: techniques for stress reduction and reconnection with the body.
• Personal collage — creating a visual story: reconstructing identity through visual metaphors.
• Mindfulness yoga — mindfulness in motion: awareness and gentle movement after illness.
• Sensory art therapy: exercises developing fine motor skills for women after mastectomy or chemotherapy.
• Working with emotions — gratitude journal: structured journaling to cultivate emotional balance.
• Creating a narrative of strength: reflective storytelling about overcoming trauma.
• Regeneration rituals and sound therapy: relaxation through nature and sensory immersion.
• Drawing emotions — self-portrait technique: reconnecting with one’s emotional and bodily self through art.

Part II — Group socio-therapeutic scenarios

Designed for facilitators and trainers, this part provides complete 90–120-minute workshop outlines with objectives, tools, and reflections. The sessions combine coaching, art therapy, and bodywork techniques:

• Dream Design: Dream Boxes & Trees of the Future — visualising hopes and post-illness goals through creative metaphors.
• Smile Yoga — body-based exercises reconnecting joy and self-expression.
• Mindfulness and Dream Catchers — The Art of Stopping — developing patience and acceptance.
• Motivational Photography — portrait photography as empowerment and self-recognition.
• Make-up with Soul — rediscovering femininity and self-care after treatment.
• Art therapy workshops — Linocut and Cyanotype — tactile, reflective artistic processes symbolising transformation.

Each session is followed by reflection prompts helping participants integrate emotional insights into daily life.

Theoretical and methodological framework

The script integrates psychological theory, sociology, and applied art therapy. It draws on concepts such as:

• Trauma-informed care — recognising emotional triggers and fostering safety and autonomy.
• Resilience and post-traumatic growth — encouraging women to redefine femininity through strength and creativity.
• Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) — focusing on body awareness and acceptance.
• Symbolic expression through art — using creative media as a non-verbal language for healing.

Visuals and photographs throughout the publication (e.g., pages 5–14, 25–32, 44–47) depict real participants from project workshops, presenting authentic expressions of recovery and community building.

Grassroots activities and outcome testing

The workbook was tested during local and transnational workshops in Poland and Madeira, as part of the outcome evaluation process. Trainers implemented each module with groups of women in remission, collecting qualitative and quantitative data (journals, interviews, pre- and post-tests). The evaluation showed a minimum 30-percentage-point increase in participants’ emotional awareness, body acceptance, and self-reported life satisfaction.

Women reported:

• renewed confidence and self-esteem;
• restored ability to communicate emotions;
• a sense of belonging and solidarity through group art-making;
• reduced anxiety and fear of recurrence.

These results confirmed the script’s effectiveness as a therapeutic and educational instrument, adaptable for NGOs, rehabilitation centres, and adult education programmes.

Conclusion

The publication closes with the section “The light that remains within us”, a poetic reflection on resilience and rebirth. It symbolically summarises the message of the entire project: that every woman, regardless of scars or losses, carries within her a creative force capable of transforming pain into art, silence into voice, and survival into a new beginning.

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Painting Women’s Strength — mobility of women in oncological disease remission (13–18 June 2025)

The transnational educational mobility for women in remission from cancer took place from 13 to 18 June 2025 in Funchal, Madeira, as part of the project Painting Women’s Strength: The Art of Women’s Resilience. It brought together eight participants from Poland who had previously completed their cancer treatment and were in the phase of emotional and social reintegration. The activity was implemented by the Polish organisation BEBOK-ART in partnership with ARTE M Associação Cultural e Artística na Madeira.

The purpose of the mobility was to support women’s psycho-emotional recovery, restore self-confidence and body awareness, and test the methods developed during the earlier trainers’ mobility — particularly in art therapy, mindfulness, bodywork, and coaching.

Structure and programme

Each day included 6–8 hours of structured workshops, body practices, and reflective sessions, combining creativity, movement, and community sharing. Sessions were designed and facilitated by trainers from Poland and Portugal, under the therapeutic supervision of Svetlana Azernikova, specialist in psychosocial rehabilitation.

Day 1 — 13 June 2025

• Mindfulness yoga — conscious breathing and movement — introduction to body awareness and grounding.
• Agreement with the Body — redefining the relationship with one’s post-cancer body.
• Dream Design: Trees of the Future — setting new life goals and post-illness visions.
• Silent Tea Circle and Emotion Drawing — expressing emotions through symbols and art.
• Evening reflection with Svetlana Azernikova — guided discussion and group sharing.

Day 2 — 14 June 2025

• Regeneration rituals and breath yoga — releasing tension through gentle self-massage and energy tapping.
• Flavia and belly dance — discovering joy and feminine vitality through rhythm and movement.
• Letter to the Body — writing and drawing as symbolic healing.
• Evening reflection — sharing insights and emotions.

Day 3 — 15 June 2025

• Mindfulness yoga — gratitude practice — reconnecting with the present and acceptance.
• Meeting with Madeiran women in remission — peer exchange, storytelling, and solidarity building.
• Resource Jar Workshop — identifying internal and external sources of strength.
• Coaching session: Working with emotions after illness — emotional literacy and self-regulation.
• Evening reflection — group sharing and integration.

Day 4 — 16 June 2025

• Movement meditation — connecting breath and motion.
• Photo Corner: My Inner Strength — therapeutic photography and identity reconstruction.
• Visit to Museu de Fotografia da Madeira & Cyanotype Workshop — symbolic self-expression through image.
• Metamorphosis for Women: Make-up and Skin Care after Cancer — body confidence and femininity recovery.
• Evening reflection — emotional processing and discussion.

Day 5 — 17 June 2025

• Affirmation yoga — cultivating self-compassion and positive thinking.
• Sensory art therapy: Collage — My Inner Garden — creating tactile artworks representing recovery.
• Ceramic Workshop: Symbols of Strength — shaping personal symbols of resilience.
• Dietitian Lecture: Nutrition for Regeneration — rebuilding health through mindful eating.
• Evening reflection — group discussion on inner change.

Day 6 — 18 June 2025

• Yoga of Smiles — movement for joy and relaxation.
• Samba and smile therapy — reconnecting with the body through rhythm and play.
• Reflection with metaphoric cards and certification ceremony — symbolic closure and recognition of growth.
• Final group reflection — integration of experience and personal affirmations.

Participants

The mobility involved eight women representing various age groups and recovery stages:

• Marta Cymanowska
• Grażyna Czesnakowska
• Sylwia Kosakowska
• Dorota Kubkowska
• Magdalena Maczyszyn
• Kamila Nowak
• Katarzyna Olszewska
• Danuta Walczak

All participants attended the full six-day programme, confirmed by attendance sheets signed each day.

Learning outcomes and transformation

The activity was designed as a therapeutic and educational retreat, allowing women to test tools from the script Painting Women’s Strength: The Art of Women’s Resilience in a safe, intercultural environment. The combination of art, movement, reflection, and coaching led to measurable and qualitative outcomes:

• Improved emotional regulation and mindfulness — participants reported feeling calmer, more focused, and better connected to their bodies.
• Reclaimed body confidence — through art, dance, and care rituals, women redefined femininity beyond the medical context.
• Enhanced self-expression and emotional literacy — art and writing helped verbalise experiences previously associated with fear or shame.
• Strengthened community bonds and empathy — interaction with Portuguese survivors fostered mutual understanding and solidarity.
• Development of coping mechanisms — participants gained practical self-help tools (mindful breathing, journaling, grounding techniques).

Evaluation

Evaluation combined quantitative and qualitative tools:

• Pre- and post-assessment questionnaires showed an average increase of 30 percentage points in emotional awareness and self-acceptance.
• Daily reflection journals and drawings documented progressive emotional release and growing optimism.
• Final interviews confirmed enhanced resilience, self-confidence, and sense of belonging.

The mobility effectively demonstrated that art, mindfulness, and embodied practices can accelerate emotional recovery after illness, transforming trauma into strength and creativity.