Thursday, May 10, 2012

Things you didn't know about UCU members



Spot light on:

Roxolana Chwaluk


UCU member Roxolana (Rox) Chwaluk is using her passion for the arts to empower people in various communities all over the world. The Brock University Dramatic Arts and Sociology teaching assistant is a co-founder of Turn Around Projects of the Arts (TAP), a not-for-profit organization with a mission to create and maintain art programs that result in a reciprocal exchange among participants of the program, strengthen communities through the arts and provide participants the tools to become leaders in their communities.

Do you remember the huge chemical catastrophe that occurred in at a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal India in 1984? Much like in Chornobyl, the effects of this disaster continue to plague the victims almost 30 years later. Rox began a TAP project in Bhopal, India in December of 2011 at the Sambhavna Trust clinic. The TAP team offered arts programming (visual art, photography and crafts) to chemical spill survivors (clinic users), clinic staff, and local children.

“Whether we have one or 40 or 300 people participating, we want them to have that moment where they¹re taken away from the thought of why they’re at the clinic. If they can live in that moment with us to create a piece of art, we’ve been successful,” said Rox, before heading to Bhopal.

This is not an idle wish. The community continues to suffer from contaminated water sources and from persistent medical conditions brought on as a result of the accident. While art will not cure the underlying conditions, it helps people cope with the realities of life post-catastrophe.

After returning from India, Rox was nominated, and now currently sits on the International Advisory Board for the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal – North America (ICJB NA) as the Volunteer and Leadership Development Coordinator. Rox hopes that TAP will return every December to Bhopal, India.

Currently, TAP has 3 projects running. A Canadian project in St. Catharines, Ontario at The RAFT, a Jamaican project that is currently in its 6th year, and India. TAP has had many discussions about piloting a project in Ukraine. If you are interested in creating a TAP Project in Ukraine, please email Rox at rox@turnaroundproject.ca.

Rox, formerly of Toronto, is a regular visitor to our St. Catharines branch. We are all proud of her work.

You can read more about Rox’s work here: TAP heads to India and TAP changes the world through art.

You can read about TAP here: http://www.turnaroundproject.ca/

Thank you to The Brock News for information about Roxolana and the photo.

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