19th Annual TAPTA Trip
Jan. 30–Feb. 14, 2027 in Kenya
Jan. 30–Feb. 16 with optional safari
APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN!
Applicants will be reviewed & notified on a rolling basis. Apply early to secure lower airfare.
This trip consists of seven days of collaboratively facilitated workshops and trainings, followed by three nights on Lake Victoria for visitor participants. An optional two-day safari is available.
Please email any questions to Linda Stolz, Lstolz@caaln.org.
Therapeutic Arts Paraprofessional Training in Africa
The Therapeutic Arts Paraprofessional Training in Africa (TAPTA) offers creative arts therapists (drama, music, visual, dance/movement, poetry/creative writing, and expressive arts) and related professionals (counselors, social workers, etc.) an opportunity to participate in an exchange of skills and knowledge with their counterparts in East Africa.
Because there are no formal educational paths for the creative arts therapies in East Africa, participants from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and other countries in East Africa have educational and professional backgrounds as counselors, artists, teachers, social workers, and other types of cultural workers.
Everyone Is a Teacher, Everyone Is a Learner
The training is based on the idea that everyone is a teacher and everyone is a learner. The education of most visiting professionals has been centered in ideas about therapy and art that are individualistic and Eurocentric in nature. Thus, learning alongside East African participants provides exposure to deeply embedded arts and cultural practices that integrate social, psychological, physical, and spiritual wellbeing within a collectivist understanding of health and wellbeing.
The learning experience can be challenging, exciting, perspective-shifting, joyous, exhausting, and enriching.
In addition to the formal TAPTA program, we also have some time off from the training to engage with our East African colleagues in exploring local sites, cultural resources, and restaurants. We also do a post-TAPTA excursion with visiting professionals to reflect on our experiences and to prepare for the journeys back to our homes. For those interested, an additional two-day safari is an option.