The Peace Class

The Peace Class is Epic's newest venture. During their work meeting people in the community, the COP team met 15 young people living in the local area with a range of intellectual disabilities, including Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Down Syndrome. There are no services in the region for these young people or their parents, and barely any across the entire country. In response to this discovery, Epic initiated The Peace Class in August 2009.

The Peace Class is divided into two groups, one for young children and another for youths and young adults. The classes include creative arts and play activities, providing opportunities to further all aspects of the students' learning and development, including self-esteem, social skills, communication, motor skills, creativity and independence.

The classes include art, music, dance, drama, and craft, as well as educational games. The Epic Arts social worker and the team provide educational classes in ADL, or 'Activities of Daily Living' to these students, with an emphasis on the arts and creative expression. Parents and family members join the classes and interact with the children, which allows parents to participate in the creative development of their children. In addition, parents can meet with other parents who may face similar challenges in caring for intellectually disabled children - in this way, the Peace Class also provides a 'Parent Support Group'.

Epic Arts has therefore become among the first organisations in Cambodia outside Phnom Penh to offer support to intellectually disabled people.