PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Roger Walker, Program Director of Samaritan Daytop Village Veterans Program
1:39:35
·
4 min
Roger Walker, Program Director of Samaritan Daytop Village Veterans Program, testifies about the importance of arts and culture in supporting and uplifting veterans. He emphasizes the effectiveness of art therapy in helping veterans process their experiences, build confidence, and envision brighter futures.
- Samaritan Daytop Village partners with organizations like Stella Adler Studio of Acting and ANI Arts Academies America to provide art therapy and acting programs for veterans.
- The Theater Development Fund's Veterans Theatergoing Program has been enriching veterans' lives since 2018 by providing access to Broadway and off-Broadway productions.
- Walker, a Navy veteran himself, stresses that art therapy helps reduce PTSD symptoms and encourages engagement in talk therapy, making it vital for veterans' recovery process.
Roger Walker
1:39:35
Good afternoon.
1:39:37
Good afternoon.
1:39:37
My name is Roger Walk.
1:39:39
I'm the program director at the Samaritan Daytop Village Veterans Program.
1:39:45
I'm here today on behalf of, president and CEO Mitchell Netburn.
1:39:50
And, so I'd like to speak about a couple of things.
1:39:54
First, I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to speak at today's hearing for your dedication to supporting our veterans through bills and resolutions aimed at creating stable job and housing opportunities.
1:40:06
I'm honored to highlight the crucial role that arts and culture play in our mission to support and uplift veterans at Samaritan Daytop Village.
1:40:15
At Samaritan Daytop Village, we believe that true healing encompasses the mind, body, and soul.
1:40:21
The arts have proven to be a vital tool in this journey, offering our veterans a means of expression, connection, and empowerment.
1:40:29
Our partnership with Stella Arler Studio of Acting is a cornerstone of this approach.
1:40:35
Their outside in program provides veterans with actor and playwright training alongside professional actors and others in recovery.
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These weekly sessions foster creativity and emotional growth, culminating in powerful performances like those recently shared at at with participants at our Ed Thompson veterans program.
1:40:57
We also collaborate with ANI, Arts Academies America, where veterans engage in art therapy sessions focused on pencil sketching and drawing.
1:41:07
These meditative activities provide a calming environment for self expression and resilience building.
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Each participant leaves with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
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Additionally, the theater development funds veterans theater going program has enriched our veterans lives by providing access to Broadway and off Broadway productions since 2018.
1:41:30
These shared cultural experiences offer moments of joy and connection, reinforcing the importance of community and recovery.
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These programs are more than creative outlets.
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They are lifelines that help our veterans process the experience, build confidence, and envision brighter futures.
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They reflect our commitment to a holistic approach to healing driven by compassion and community.
1:41:56
Thank you for recognizing these the the importance of these efforts and for supporting Samaritan Daytime Village.
1:42:04
Together, we continue to ensure that every veteran has the opportunity to heal and thrive.
1:42:11
And I'd like to say as a Navy veteran and, person that has worked with veterans for the last 19 years, art therapy works.
1:42:23
When I first got involved with Samaritan Daytime Village, there was a art therapist on staff at our 43rd Street program.
1:42:31
As one of the first, counselors at the Ed Thompson Veterans Program when they opened in 2006.
1:42:37
We had an art therapist on staff at the program.
1:42:42
We know that art therapy helps reduce the symptoms of PTSD.
1:42:49
We know that it helps people engage in talk therapy.
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The odds are vital to, veterans recovering.
1:42:59
So when veterans get to Samaritan Daytop Village, they're in crisis.
1:43:03
Right?
1:43:04
Many are, haven't been, you know, their mental health is unstable.
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They have substance use disorder, criminal justice involved.
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You know, they have a plethora of problems.
1:43:19
These outlets, Stella Adler, Theatre of War, I heard that mentioned earlier today.
1:43:26
I have seen folks engage in these art therapy type of projects and it begins to open a whole new door for them.
1:43:34
Plus, also, they're getting involved with a whole another community.
1:43:40
I really want, the committee to know that any funding around, the arts that, Samaritan Daytop Village will use that funding wisely and has a history of, working with, the arts as as well as our evidence based therapies around cognitive behavioral therapy and the like.
