The Aurora Program is entering an exciting new chapter with a partnership designed to help scholars express themselves through creative therapeutic approaches. Dr. Jennifer Baudy, who has led Aurora for the past year, recently shed some light on how this collaboration will work to support students in developing both emotional skills and academic confidence.
Aurora serves students in grades K-8 who need a smaller, more personalized environment with individualized social, emotional, and behavioral support systems. With capacity for up to 40 scholars, the program has grown to accept students from schools across New Orleans, not just within the Crescent City Schools network.
“This year we have even more schools from outside of our network that we are collaborating with. It is always exciting to be able to serve more students in our city who have greater needs than our traditional school settings can allow for,” Baudy explained.
The new partnership with Whole Village Art Therapy, led by Holly Wherry, offers scholars an alternative to traditional talk therapy. The program recognizes that students have different ways of expressing themselves and processing their experiences. “We have students who are so talented and creative,” noted Baudy. The art therapy sessions will initially serve a small group of students who can benefit from expressing themselves through creative outlets while still receiving therapeutic support.
The program launch involved an important step: asking the scholars directly if they wanted to participate. This approach aligns with Aurora’s philosophy of empowering students rather than simply making decisions on their behalf. “Because this is something they’re opting into, there’s more buy-in, there’s more investment,” Baudy explained. “There’s something about being a part of the choice and the decision making that really is important for [our scholars].”
Baudy looks forward to seeing how the partnership helps participants develop greater confidence that extends beyond the art therapy sessions themselves. “I’m looking forward to seeing the artwork that students produce and the confidence that hopefully comes along with that,” she said. Aurora staff will also participate in art therapy experiences to better understand what scholars are working on and how it feels first-hand, so that they can more effectively support and understand the participants’ journeys.
For Baudy, this partnership represents just the beginning of Aurora’s community collaborations. After a year of growth, team expansion, and fine-tuning systems, she’s excited about what this means for the program’s future. “I think this [represents] just a new level of partnership for us,” Baudy reflected. “As we’re expanding and growing, we’re also thinking about ways that we can partner with people beyond our walls, beyond our network.”
With plans to identify more creative outlets and nurture student interests through additional community partnerships, Aurora continues pursuing its mission of helping scholars develop the skills they need to succeed academically while building emotional and self-regulatory capabilities in a supportive environment.
Interested in learning more about Aurora? Please visit our website: https://crescentcityschools.org/aurora-program/
