Creatives are stereotyped for having to suffer in order to follow their passion. All students and professionals, regardless of their industry, struggle in their own way. Tackling personal obstacles effectively with this insight may not come naturally to everyone and may result in frustration, negative attitudes, and ultimately emerging talented young creatives give up. Every second year, GEM supports young people through its international Arts & Health Program, GEMAH. It engages with a different international community, mainly in South Asia. The goal with this program is to keep youth engaged in their passion

This process we refer to as Culture-As-Interaction, where Culture (arts, music and creativity) has a positive influence on youth wellbeing.

In collaboration with our partners, GEM provides psychosocial support to all kinds of young creatives through face-to-face training and post-training online support that gives a set of tools – including our own unique binaural beats music – to enable a healthy understanding and expression of emotions and to enhance confidence and resilience in their decision-making processes. For GEM, emotional engagement comes through an awareness of how our belief systems affect our wellbeing and sense of meaningful engagement in our day to day lives. GEM teaches that a person’s belief systems can be shifted through cultural and community engagement.

In 2018, GEM worked with young refugees and refugee workers in Belgrade, Serbia. In 2019, GEM with the support of Karachi Biennale Trust, we delivered GEMAH-KB19 in Karachi Pakistan. In 2021, GEM completed its Australian GEMAH-SYD, co-funded by the City of Sydney Council, and again in 2022, GEM returned to South Asia to deliver GEMAH-KB22.

This community Arts Health program has been well-supported by local service providers such as educational institutions, businesses, and civic centres. 

We wish to thank all of those that continue to support us supporting all of these incredible young people!