At the Intersection of Art, Education, and Mental Health

“What I liked most was that we could spend time together and show our true selves.”

“I learned many new games and I saw that in our class it’s possible to have a day without making fun of others, arguing, or name-calling!”

“I liked that everyone got their own chance to say something, and that we got to know each other through games.”

“I liked that the whole class took part. We played communication games and connected more.”

“I liked that we learned to cooperate as a class.”

These reflections come from primary school students who took part in workshops in three primary schools in Slovenia, where artistic practice, pedagogy, and mental-health perspectives meet. The laboratories in Slovenia were conceived as a testing ground for collaboration between different professional perspectives and approaches: impro group exercises and principles, creative movement, and a reflective module, all designed to support communication, connection, and cooperation in the classroom.

The workshops were co-designed and facilitated by three experts: an art educator working in the field of improvisational theatre, an art educator from the field of creative movement, and a mental-health professional (psychologist) who also integrates support through musical arts in their work. Together, they facilitated laboratory workshops in several primary schools across Slovenia. These included workshops for students (working with the whole class as a group), joint workshops for students and teachers, and reflection sessions with teachers only.

Through structured group exercises, movement, and creative collaboration, students were invited to experience communication as a lived, shared process. The art educators and mental health expert created a space in workshops where the whole class could participate, speak, and be seen and where safety and cooperation became the foundation for learning.

When students say that they were able to “show their true selves” or experience a day without ridicule or conflict, we understand this not as coincidence, but as the result of intentional work. The workshops were designed at the intersection of art, education, and mental health, using impro group exercises, movement, and group creativity to build trust and connection. In these moments, collaboration became more than a skill to be taught. It became a shared experience that allowed every participant to find their place within the group.

Based on these workshops, we are beginning to identify key observations about group dynamics, participation, and the conditions that support meaningful collaboration. These insights will inform the next phase of the project, as a new series of laboratory workshops begins in February.

While these workshops take place as time-limited interventions, their intention reaches beyond one-off experiences. A key direction of the project is to support teachers in recognizing, adapting, and integrating the methods they experience into their everyday school practice. Simple elements, such as structured group exercises, moments of collective reflection, or embodied ways of working with the whole class, can become part of regular classroom life. In this way, the laboratory format serves not as an end in itself, but as a space for testing approaches that can strengthen relationships, communication, and a sense of safety over time.

For this reason, the main goal of the final phase of the laboratories is to support teachers in using these approaches more regularly in their everyday work. This includes offering encouragement, additional tools where needed, and creating supportive structures within schools that can sustain the work over time. In doing so, the project seeks to support schools as places where students can meet, cooperate, and learn together in an atmosphere of safety and mutual respect — not just during special workshops, but every day.