In Fall 2005, my Junior year at UC-Santa Barbara, I attended Semester At Sea for my semester abroad. The people I went to school and around the world with for 3 months were some of the most intelligent and broad-minded people I’ve ever come into contact with.  Many Semester At Sea alumni go on to do really amazing things, one of note being Andrew Briggs, who attended the program in the Spring semester, 2002.  An avid traveler in his undergrad years, Briggs travelled to countries such as Bolivia and Kenya.  It was there that his notion of social responsibility grew into something he wanted to incorporate into his life.  In 2006 he resigned from teaching and moved to Uganda to do research, and then founded his organization, Freedom in Creation (FIC) in 2007.

Freedom in Creation artist, Nyeko Ben Ivan from Freedom in Creation on Vimeo.

Freedom in Creation, based in Uganda, has three major missions for war-affected or at-risk communities:  to provide Therapeutic Art Activities, International Education, and Fresh Water/Water & Hygiene Sanitation Training.  These three things empower such communities with the psychosocial care that FIC provides, and ultimately, FIC hopes, lead to peace.

The international education that FIC provides does not only go out to the less fortunate.  FIC also teaches people in the US about what they do and how they help, showcasing the artwork created in their Art Therapy sessions.  They’ve visited numerous Elementary and High Schools across the country, engaging American students in collaborative art projects with their Ugandan counterparts. (See picture below.)  By spreading awareness of the injustices around the world, the FIC, along with the people they have touched, can foster peace in a turbulent, conflict-ridden country.

Below are the dates and locations for future FIC Art Shows.  Comment if you have been to any or if you end up going!  Pictures are more than welcome, too.

MARCH 2010 
February-May 2: FIC exhibit “The Story of Freedom”  at the Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC

APRIL 2010
February-May 2: FIC exhibit “The Story of Freedom”  at the Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC
April 22: Lecture at Queen’s University, Charlotte, NC

For more information, please visit www.freedomincreation.org

Below are more videos from the FIC website.

Freedom in Creation Child Artist Komokech Richard from Freedom in Creation on Vimeo.

Freedom in Creation kids testimonies from Freedom in Creation on Vimeo.