Integrating arts-based tools in group work with Indigenous Bedouin youth in home detention: insights from social work practice

Arts-based methods have increasingly been integrated into social work practice over the past decade. This article examines the use of arts-based tools in group work with Indigenous Arab Bedouin youth under home detention in Israel. The article explores how arts-based methods provide a culturally relevant platform for at-risk youth to engage in self-expression, reflection and emotional processing. A total of 12 Bedouin adolescents participated in a 12-session arts-based group intervention within a social work framework. They were subsequently interviewed to co-produce knowledge about their experiences and how the methods could be adapted to better meet their needs. Arts-based methods were found to hold significant value in social work practice, especially with marginalised groups. The interventions facilitated indirect emotional expression, strengthened connections to cultural identity and heritage, and enabled the containment of difficult emotions in empowering ways. Findings suggest that arts-based methods are particularly effective when direct verbal expression is limited by cultural norms or marginalisation. Creative tools can enhance engagement, resilience and identity exploration, offering culturally sensitive pathways for empowerment and resilience building among Indigenous youth at risk.