With support from the California Arts Council, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant will facilitate a series of trauma-informed arts workshops for low-income immigrants, using diverse artistic mediums (film, dance, spoken word, and visual arts) to promote healing, artistic expression, and broader narrative change. Our workshops offer a safe and brave space for our priority populations—Maya Mam Indigenous immigrants, climate refugees, unaccompanied minors, new citizens, and LGBTQ+ asylum seekers—to receive mentorship from teaching artists from local arts partners and grow their artistic voice and expression. Participant-artists will then have the opportunity to share their original artwork in community events including art installations, film screenings, classroom presentations, virtual exhibits, and a final art show. Events celebrate the artists and their creative work while increasing empathy and engagement around immigrant justice among the broader public.
EBSC helps immigrants and asylum seekers achieve legal status, citizenship, and well-being as they overcome extraordinary obstacles and achieve their dreams for themselves and society. Our Refugee Rights Program provides free and low-cost legal services for people escaping all forms of violence and persecution. To date, we have helped over 5,000 people achieve asylum with a 97.6 percent success rate. Our Community Development and Education (CDE) program provides educational and leadership development, social service referrals, ESL tutoring, and citizenship classes. Our Amplifying Sanctuary Voices (ASV) program collaborates with artists and partners to 1) bring arts and storytelling workshops to low-income refugees and asylum seekers as well as educators working with these populations and 2) promote empathy and facilitate community engagement through digital communications, community workshops, podcasts, and art installations.

