Buckets of Hope is a practical framework that helps people carry their emotions with clarity, compassion, and strength.

A ritual for resilience.

This method was born from my own survival. What began as a way for me to name my feelings as a child—using colour, memory, and imagination—has become a daily practice for healing, growth, and emotional understanding. It’s visual, it’s gentle, and it works.

Name it – What emotion are you carrying?
Place it – Assign it to a bucket: Yellow, Green, Red, Black, or Blue.
Practice it – Through journaling, storytelling, drawing, breathing, sharing.

Abang Othow speaking at a podium at Parliament, wearing a black blazer and red polka dot scarf, with an ID badge and microphone.

Abang at the Australian Parliament

This isn’t just storytelling— each bucket comes with powerful activities for emotional growth, designed to be practiced daily, weekly, or as needed.

Person carrying a yellow container on their head, smiling, outdoors in a rural setting.

Yellow bucket:
Joy and Gratitude.

The light that reminds us we’ve known joy—and we will again. The practices around this bucket help us gather and hold onto moments of beauty, connection, and gratitude, even during difficult times.

Woman in colorful attire balancing green bucket on head, outdoor rural setting, tree in background.

Green bucket:
Growth and Generosity.

Where pain becomes wisdom, and wisdom becomes something we give. The activities in this bucket are designed to transform setbacks into learning, and to help us give meaningfully to others through reflection and mentorship.

Person carrying a blue bucket on their head, wearing a yellow patterned outfit, outdoors.

Blue bucket:
Adaptability and Flow.

The reminder that we are rivers—we can move, bend, and keep going.
This bucket supports letting go, adjusting to change, and building emotional flexibility through mindfulness, breathwork, and movement.

Woman in colorful clothing holding a red bucket on her head outdoors

Red bucket:
Growth and Intuition.

The deep knowing that kept you safe, and still lives inside you. This bucket strengthens our connection to instinct and inner knowing—through practices that honour boundaries, sharpen awareness, and build self-trust.

Woman smiling, carrying a large black basin on her head outdoors, wearing a black crop top and colorful patterned skirt.

Black bucket:
Resilience and Resolve.

Inspired by the black soil of Sudan, it evokes the quiet power that rises after every fall. The rituals in this bucket help us map out what we’ve overcome, draw strength from it, and ground ourselves in personal truth and self-belief.

Who its for

Buckets of Hope works because it speaks to something we all share: the need to understand and express what we carry inside. It offers a simple, visual way to organise emotions—without judgment, without pressure. It doesn’t require therapy credentials or advanced degrees. Just honesty. Willingness. And time.

The method is grounded in lived experience, shaped by trauma-informed teaching practice, and refined through real-world use from classrooms to community centres, to refugee camps, boardrooms, and mentoring programs. Its strength lies in its flexibility. It can be adapted for children, educators, leaders, parents, therapists, and survivors.

Abang Othow speaks at a podium in the Australian Parliament with people seated listening. Some attendees are taking notes and one person is capturing the scene with a smartphone. The room is equipped with microphones and papers on the table.

Abang at the Australian Parliament

Three women standing in a room with Australian, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander flags in the background. The women are smiling, wearing colorful and patterned attire, with warm lighting in the setting. Abang Othow

Companies and organisations

Build emotionally intelligent teams and resilient workplace culture through accessible, story-driven wellbeing tools.

Smiling Abang Othow in colorful outfit leaning forward in a library with books on shelves, surrounded by children.

Schools and institutions

Empower students and educators with a shared emotional language that supports learning, connection, and growth.

Abang Othow speaking to an audience of diverse individuals during Refugee Week City of Sydney

Communities and charities

Bring healing, hope, and practical emotional support to those navigating trauma, displacement, and change.

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Looking to use the framework at home?
Get in touch- we have something in the works.

You’ve met the buckets. Now let’s fill them.

The Buckets of Hope framework comes to life through workshops, speaking events, educational tools, and resources tailored to your needs.

Whether you're working with children, leading a team, supporting a community, or simply seeking a new way to hold space for emotion—there’s a way to make it yours.