Relational arts-based multimodal methodologies for Social Transformation, Emotional Expression and Leadership of young women in Nepal

Description

This presentation explores how relational, peer-led, arts-based multimodal methodologies create space for emotional empowerment, leadership, and social transformation among young women in conservative and patriarchal contexts. Drawing from the Youth Advocacy Advisory Research (YAAR) initiative under the Mobile Arts for Peace (MAP) project in Nepal, the presentation examines Image Theatre and other creative and relational methods as tools for expressing and interpreting socially sensitive issues often silenced in conventional school and community discourse. Data was captured through creative, relational methods with 390 participants from rural government schools including 222 girls and women, 14 educators, 34 policymakers, 25 local artists, and 1 female artist. Throughout the project, 39 girls (YAARs) supported the design, collection, and interpretation of data; thus, this presentation draws on experiences not only of participants but of the YAAR.

Findings highlight the significance of creative practices in promoting a body- positive, participatory, multi-layered platform for non-verbal expressions. Through Image Theatre, participants articulated layered meaning on stigma, gender-based violence, girls trafficking, and the dowry system through non-verbal language, enabling cross-gender and intergenerational understanding within culturally sensitive environments. The interactive format encouraged interpretive freedom for participants and audiences, enabling community dialogue, where participants choose how to express, and observers engage in layered interpretation to navigate sensitive topics. The integration of arts-based learning into school environments marked a shift in cultural pedagogy, allowing expression of complex social realities in safe, impactful, and transformative ways. Participants engaged in the project reported increased self-confidence, ownership over their narratives, and a heightened ability to lead advocacy initiatives in schools and communities. The study concludes that arts-based pedagogy, when combined with peer-led research, becomes a powerful vehicle for emotional empowerment and grassroots mobilisation. This model exemplifies how creative expression can transcend cultural silences and cultivate the next generation of female leaders in peacebuilding and education.

Period	5 Mar 2026 → 6 Mar 2026
Event title	Multimodal Research Methodologies with Children and Youth: Symposium
Event type	Conference
Degree of Recognition	International