Heart beats stronger
Released: Monday 8th October 2012 at 16:10
A venture which aims to use animation to tackle emotional, mental and educational issues is celebrating creating its first board – and hoping to further enhance its life changing work.
Heart (Healing Education Animation Research Therapy) is based at the University of Sunderland and brings together experienced award-winning practitioners, students and researchers who use animation to tackle a variety of physical, mental, emotional, educational issues locally, nationally and internationally.
Now Heart has appointed its first Board which combines both academic expertise, charitable practitioners and local businesses. Heart celebrated the founding of the new Board with a cake in the shape of the Heart’s logo, a hummingbird.
“The hummingbird represents harmony, peace, love and joy,” says Melanie Hani, founder and Director of Heart. “It also symbolizes tireless energy. We believe this is a reflection of our Heart members, and hopefully show what we can pass onto participants.”
Heart’s board is Dr Tim Brennan, Associate Dean at the University of Sunderland, Carol Butler, Manager of Barnardo’s, Alex Smiles, Director of Alex Smiles Ltd, Elaine Drainville, Co Founder of RuMAD, and Chair of Equality and Diversity, Senior Lecturer John Tyrrell, Caroline Worsfold, Chaplain at St Benedict’s Hospice, Martin Anderson, Reverend of Sunderland Minster, retired civil servant Pam Howe, and Dr Manny Ling, Senior Lecture in Design at the University of Sunderland.
Heart’s founder and Director Melanie Hani is head of Post Graduate studies in animation at the University of Sunderland, and an award-winning animation therapist. Her lifelong work in the field of animation therapy has led to many awards, not least for her work using animation to help children who are excluded from mainstream education, and the bereaved.
“What has happened to these people is not what they are,” says Melanie. “We have to divorce the problems they face from the people they are, and animation therapy helps get to the heart of who and what these people are.”
Heart aims to use animation therapeutically, working with clients such as Northern Rock, Barnardos, NSPCC, Circles, National Science Board, Minister of Education, and the Police Federation.
You can find out more about the work of Heart at: www.facebook.com/HeartAnimation, Twitter: @heart_animation, or email: contactheart@animationtherapy.info