Get Ready, Get Set
The mission of family pre-mobilization programming is to strengthen family and individual resilience and readiness in advance of the disruption caused by a service member’s mobilization. Through the creative arts, children will have an opportunity to identify and express their feelings both verbally and nonverbally. Arts experiences are designed to help children anticipate difficult emotions surrounding a loved one’s departure and to strategize methods that may be of use to them throughout the deployment period. These strategies may include ways in which the family will remain connected during mobilization, and ways in which individual family members will communicate their concerns and experiences to one another.
During the summer of 2010, ITA served a pre-deployment event at Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County, IL. On that day three of our staff facilitated a Welcome and Engagement activity as well as nine creative arts therapy groups for approximately 40 children from Navy Reserve families. On June 11, 2011, ITA served a pre-deployment event for Marine Corps families. Seven children worked and played all day using art, music and drama to help them prepare for the deployment of their Marine. To read more about this event and to view a gallery of images, please visit the following links: