CHLOE KOWALYK
News Editor
Since second grade, Valerie Walawender has held a vision: one day, she would help others. She drove through less-fortunate neighborhoods with her parents and went to school where she and her siblings were practically the only white students in the school. She was constantly surrounded by various cultures, traditions and art.
A few years ago, Walawender’s dream became a reality when she founded a non-profit organization called the “CREATE project.” CREATE stands for Child-Responsive Empowering Art Through Everyone, and seeks to support children dealing with sexual abuse and trauma.
“The dream of dreams is to help communities become free of childt traumachild t, abuse and neglect.. the ultimate goal, locally, is to become the world’s first community that’s free of those problems,” said Walawender. The CREATE program combines art, tradition and culture to help inspire and educate communities about childhood trauma, and ways they can make a positive impact.
According to their website, “the CREATE Project is based on the idea that child trauma, abuse and neglect are family and culture–based problems, and require family and culture based solutions.” Walawender asserts that these issues can impact everyone.
“The arts and tradition of practice in a loving, caring, nurturing environment can really help sustain a family and a community, and be very healing for individuals and children,” she explained.
Walawender herself is an artist and a folklorist. She’s also a senior recreation therapist for the state of New York for developmentally disabled adults. Her studies in graduate school were “focusing on developing art–based tools for people who have experienced trauma.”
Prior to the pandemic, the CREATE Project held many events and activities within the community. Some of these events included creative sewing, tai chi, wood craft, African American gospel singing, Puerto Rican folk song and even African drumming. They also offered youth after-school and summer programs.
However, the pandemic didn’t slow Walawender down. At the very start of the pandemic, in Jan. 2020, the CREATE Project started a new library program in the Dunkirk Public Library. “Each month, we were set up to have a local bunch of local tradition bearers from different cultures talk about their culture… and demonstrate their different cultural traditions in music, the arts, [and] storytelling…” she said.
Walawender explained that while healing is different for every individual, it is important to heal because someone dealing with childhood abuse “may not even recognize how it’s affecting them… [their] decisions and parts of their life.”
Currently, the CREATE Project has several initiatives happening, including a public sculpture and a public art program. In addition, a new “tell your story” program has been created with the CREATE Project online. Through the program, people can submit their own stories and photos dealing with topics such as child abuse.
On top of this, the CREATE Project has just launched their “Traveling Trunk Program,” which will feature trunks filled with cultural-specific items, art, music, writings, toys and artifacts, to name a few.
According to Walawender, “Individuals, community groups, institutions, businesses, and organizations that serve local families and children, are invited to help design, donate and suggest items and ideas for each trunk.” These trunks will allow people to educate themselves as well as share their cultural traditions with one another.
Recently, the CREATE Project found out that they have received a small grant from Art Services, which will enable them to produce a documentary titled “Tradition, Trauma and Tenderness.” The documentary will feature a diverse group of people including psychologists, neurologists and people from varying backgrounds.
“Tradition, Trauma and Tenderness” will explore trauma from multiple perspectives such as cultural, historical, psychological, neurological and personal.
To learn more about the CREATE Project, you can visit their website at: https://create-project.com/ and their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CREATEProjectNY/