MGSC field experiences: a strong physical reaction and a game to help get over difficult feelings

In the framework of the WELL-U project, we held the MGSC training in Hungary and during the summer we conducted sessions for Ukrainian refugee children. We would like to share a field experience of our trained MGSC facilitator, Hanna Tillmann (TDH-Hungary), demonstrating how MGSC creative activities can contribute to psychosocial development. 

An MGSC game experience:   

“Sculptor game: The children played in pairs. One member of the pair was the ‘clay’ and the other was the sculptor. My colleague and I showed them how to touch the other, gently and slowly adjusting their hands, feet, etc. The sculptors began to sculpt the ‘clay’. Then they changed roles. 

After the game we spent some time to give feedbacks about which role was more difficult, being a clay or a sculptor: 

- Being a sculptor was difficult because the clay didn't know what I wanted to do.  

- It hurt me to have my head moved.  

- I could hardly stand the game. I was bored, I would have rather played football.  

- Being clay was good. 

- The sculptor wanted me to do a task that was not good for me. 

I talked about the gentle touch and how there are times when it is good to follow requests and times when it is better not to follow and say no to what we don't want to do with our bodies. When asked if any of them had to do something they didn't want to do, one of the boys started hitting the floor with his fist and didn’t want to stop or speak about it. It was obvious that he went throught some hard events in his life, but we didn’t have a possibility to go further with his problem during the feedback part. So I introduced the next game hoping to overcome the difficult feelings. 

Clay sculpture: make yourselfs as a brave, strong statue! 

Over the five weeks of summer program series my impression was that the most engaging activity for children was clay making. They were totally immersed in the creative process, even older kids. Some of two or three friends made a sculpture together - one pair made a mother hen in her nest with lots of little chicks. Without verbal reflection, we could see that this exercise helped to process the previous hard feelings. 

As MGSC trainees we had regular supervision sessions to discuss difficult situations and challenges that arise. Here are the reflexions on the game during supervision session:  

In previous sessions we talked about the touch which can open deep inner field of kids, and also experiences connected to abuse. Seemingly the boy could transform his physical reaction of punching on the ground to a different creative activity. Clay sculpture proved to be a perfect choice as game to work with his problem. It is worth conducting further workshops with them and go back to the boy mentioned and discover somehow what happened to him. It is important to check what he was created as sculpture even if he destroyed it and discover what was the reason. Where did he put it? What are his feelings about it, what is the meaning of it? The aggressive reaction could be a sign of past or a systematic abuse. This is the point when it is important to approach the family, find a professional, and encourage help seeking.”