Inter‑Generation Creation: An Expressive Arts Workshop for Gay Men in Metro Vancouver

In the spring, I had the privilege of facilitating Inter‑Generation Creation, an eight‑week expressive arts group workshop offered in partnership with Health Initiative for Men (HiM). Each week, eight gay men from across Metro Vancouver came together to explore creativity, connection, and personal expression through a range of expressive arts modalities.

What Was the Workshop Format?

Each session followed a familiar rhythm to help participants feel grounded and comfortable:

• We began in a circle with a weekly check‑in question.
• A gentle warm‑up activity introduced the art modality we would be exploring that day.
• Participants moved into the main creative task, followed by small‑group discussions.
• We closed by sharing any artwork created and reflecting on the experience with a final question.

This consistent structure helped build trust, safety, and a sense of group cohesion — essential elements in expressive arts therapy.

What Types of Activities Did We Explore?

Creating a welcoming, low‑pressure environment is central to my facilitation style. For the first two weeks, we focused on orienting the group to one another through simple storytelling, personal interests, and short writing prompts.

From there, activities gradually became more layered and expressive:

• Solo explorations through movement, writing, or drawing
• Small‑group collaborations to expand on individual work
• Large‑group sharing to witness and be witnessed
• A collaborative collage created for HiM’s lobby
• A curated mini‑publication, revisiting earlier creations and shaping them into a cohesive piece that HiM will begin distributing later this month

This scaffolded approach allowed participants to move at their own pace while still engaging deeply with the creative process.

How Did Participants Feel?

By the end of the eight weeks, participants shared meaningful reflections about their experience:

• Some described personal growth and emotional shifts that emerged through the creative process.
• Others expressed a joyful reconnection with play, imagination, and creativity — aspects of themselves they hadn’t accessed in years.

These responses highlight the profound impact that expressive arts therapy can have, especially within a supportive queer community space.