Young artists find inspiration in tragedy to help fund trauma kit for Syrian refugees

Steps away from where his lifeless body washed ashore is a version of a life that could have been for little Aylan Kurdi.

The plumes of smoke from a nearby blast transform into flying doves as a backpack-wearing Kurdi finds his feet. Next to that is Kurdi, an adult now, a doctor peering down into the face of a baby in his arms.

It's a timeline that looks almost normal. But it will never be for the three-year-old, whose name became synonymous with tragedy after he was photographed face-down on a Turkish beach after his family fled the northern Syrian city of Kobani amid the years-long conflict in the country.

But a world away in Toronto, for young artists Aisha Hyder and Nouran Alabdeh, the little boy represents something more.

Hyder and Alabdeh are two of eight artists with Young Artists for Syria, a project with MYVoice Canada,whose work is being auctioned off in an effort to raise funds for an Arabic-languagemental wellnessproject by the Syrian Canadian Foundation and the Al-Qazzaz Foundation for Education and Development (QED).

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"In our painting, he's also the symbol of the Syrian children who will hopefully one day rise. They will grow, they will educate, they will love and they will hopefully rebuild and reclaim their land," Hyder, 19, told CBC Toronto.

Their painting is called "A hope from the deep of darkness," and through it,says Hyder, "We're showing what his journey could have been."

Language a key barrier to help

QED is the brainchild of former political prisoner Khaled Al-Qazzaz, who was detained in Egypt for nearly two yearsafter its former leader Mohammed Morsi was ousted by military forces in 2013.

If he ever made it out alive, Al-Qazzaz resolved inside his insect-infested cell, he would put his energies toward the betterment of children. After his return home to Mississauga, Ont., the 39-year-old launched his foundationaimed at helping refugees build new lives in Canada and finding a way to address their trauma.

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Psychiatrist Dr. Samer Al Dandashi has seen that kind of trauma firsthand.

The Edmonton-based doctor works closely with Syrian refugees grappling with depression, adjustment and post-traumatic stress disorders. Language, he says, is one of thekey barriers in accessing mental health help.

"A significant number of those refugees do not speak English." But, forexample, if someone requiredcognitive behavioural therapy to treat their PTSD, there are a limited number of mental health professionals who can speak Arabic.

Concept began in bread bags

That's why the "mental wellness first aid kits" that Hyder and Alabdeh are fundraising for are Arabic-based. The project is made up of a series of videos that contain self-care tips for Syrian refugees and also offers in-person therapy workshops.

It's a concept based on research out of the University of Manchester, where a research team distributed similar tips in the form of pamphlets inside bread bags to Syrian refugees in Turkey.

"The idea is that mental wellness resources especially for vulnerable populations are often stretched thin," said Hyder.

"It can take many months to get an appointment with a psychiatrist and then therapists can cost hundreds of dollars per visit. So this makes mental wellness resources inaccessible."

Al Dandashi has found that symptoms associated with PTSD can subside within two or three years of refugees being in Canada, but points out that a successful treatment requires a formal psychological assessment and in many cases, a combination of therapy and medication.

But with resources like that often out of reach for newcomers, QED hopes its project will be a valuable starting point for refugees looking for help.

'Memories that were held there'

Sereen Azizshares that hope.

The 17-year-old, whose parents are from Syria, is another one of the artists contributing to the project but she's never been to the country herself.

Still, she sees her painting of the bustling Souq al-Hamadiyyamarket in the old city of Damascus as a chance to deepen her connection with her country of origin.

"Syria is a beautiful place although these landmarks may be destroyed," said Aziz.

"It'll never be the same again, but there's still the memories that were held there."