Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect in China, depriving children of a healthy start in life and often impacting their physical well-being throughout their lives. Recognizing the critical need to address this disparity, we, as Millennium Fellows, are dedicated to fostering health equity, ensuring equal access to healthcare, and providing every child with a fair opportunity for a long, healthy life. To achieve this, we partnered with a Shanghai-based non-profit community outreach organization called Heart to Heart Shanghai, which offers support and financial assistance to underprivileged Chinese children in need of heart surgery. We launched our project, “I He(art).”
I He(art) is a project that aims to assist children with congenital heart disease while encouraging community connection and mental health well-being in our own university through the exchange of art and therapy. We collected paintings themed on mental health from our university community to showcase in an art exhibition dedicated to raising awareness and support for children who need life-saving heart surgery. Through art therapy workshops, students were given a chance to draw a house, a tree, and a person on an A5 piece of paper, deriving from a psychological test of the same name used to assess an individual's personality, emotions, and attitudes. These workshops provided the space for students to destress while learning about themselves during a stressful time in which they juggle many types of challenges, from coursework, relationships, finance, and adjustment to campus life. Participants then had the opportunity to showcase their artwork at the fund-raising exhibition. As a result, both an artwork and the purchase of an artwork were regarded as meaningful contributions to I He(art). Thus, we welcomed everyone in the university, irrespective of their financial circumstances, to actively participate and donate to our initiative. We believe community engagement is an essential part of creating any change. We held the art exhibition on November 21, and through the multifaceted approaches of the project, we put meaningful effort into helping the bigger community!
I he(art) health equity.
I he(art) my community.
I he(art) good mental health.
I he(art) drawing.
I he(art) the Millennium Fellowship.
I he(art) helping others.