National Youth Arts Week is about to begin: It happens the first week of May — this Wednesday to the following Tuesday.
The project was conceived by the Arts Network for Children and Youth, with the Michaëlle Jean Foundation as a lead partner.
Following the principle is that youth “should be involved in processes of decision-making whose outcomes will affect them,” young people aged 13 to 30 were involved in every stage of the planning and implementation of the event, which was held for the first time last year.
When I wrote about National Youth Arts Week back in January, my hope for the year ahead was that Waterloo Region would become part of this coast-to-coast-to-coast movement. I’m very happy to report that this has happened.
Next week Saturday and Sunday, the eyeGO to the Arts Youth Council will present Extra-Curricular: A Showcase and Celebration of Art and the Region’s Youth at The Courtyard, 141 Whitney Pl., Kitchener.
This event has three main components:
• Dare Night and Variety Show (Saturday, May 4 at 7 p.m.): Dares, picked at random, performed by volunteers from the audience; sketch comedy, music, dance, a short film, after-party with food, non-alcoholic beverages. Tickets are $5 at the door.
• Youth Trade Show Extravaganza (Sunday, May 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) Display tables, demonstrations, music, waffle station. Free admission. The invitation to exhibit is open to all kinds of organizations that “provide ways for youth to get involved and have an effect on the world they live in.”
• And a workshop: Teaching Social Justice Through the Arts, led by York University professor Kathleen Lundy (Sunday, May 5 from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.). Cost is $5. Space is limited, so registration is recommended.
To sign up for the workshop or the trade show, contact eyeGO Youth Council co-ordinator Sam Varteniuk at (samvarteniuk@gmail.com).
Varteniuk and the eyeGO Youth Council have led the way here. The K-W|AG Youth Council and the Kitchener Youth Action Committee were also involved in the planning process.
To find out what’s going on in other communities, use the search box at the top of any page on the youthartsweek.ca website.
It is Cambridge that really shines, with seven events throughout the week listed in the national registry.
Sandra Sydor, community outreach administrator at Cambridge Libraries Galleries, has been the prime moving force. Building on what already exists, and drawing on connections with city youth co-ordinators, school boards and various community organizations, she has been able to facilitate a very strong first time showing for National Youth Arts Week in this part of the region.
Highlights include:
• Connectivity, an exhibition of student art, on Wednesday, May 1, at Langs Community Center, starting at 6:30 p.m.
• ART Lunch Breaks hosted by the Clemens Mill Library featuring vignettes, dance and art work displays on May 1, 2, 6 and 7.
• Friday Night ART Live Teen Edition May 3 from 6 to 9 p.m., Center Court at the Cambridge Centre Mall, featuring youth from St. Benedict, Galt Little Theatre Youth Group, YMCA Newcomer Youth Theatre, plus Cambridge Libraries Poem-A-Day Winners and SPTA (Students Promoting The Arts) “Skateboards as ART.”
• Cambridge Comic Arts Festival May 4 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Queen’s Square Library Gallery and Clemens Mill Library.
• Cambridge Youth Awards on Saturday, May 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. at City Hall.
Sydor acknowledges Cambridge’s commitment to youth as a key factor in being able to build such an impressive roster of events. The city has recently been designated as a Youth Friendly Community by the Ontario Partnership for Active and Engaged Youth.
She’s proud of what has been accomplished, but emphasizes that this is just a start.
The primary aim at this point is to build awareness and demonstrate possibilities. She’s already beginning to look ahead to National Youth Arts Week 2014, and would like to meet with others involved with youth creativity across the region to share ideas and explore the potential for collaboration and cross-promotion.
Links
youthartsweek.ca
www.cambridgelibraries.ca/teens/ideas/NationalYouthArtsWeek
Martin DeGroot writes about local arts and culture each Saturday. You can reach him by email at mdg131@gmail.com