HomeImpact Strategic Initiatives ArtReach Toronto Recipients: 2015

Strategic Partnership

 

Toronto Arts Council partnered with ArtReach Toronto to increase access and opportunities for cultural participation for youth across the City. ArtReach brings its signature high-engagement approach to grant making, which combines mentoring and capacity building assistance for the grant recipients, as well as funding for their projects. Through its established networks that reach youth, it has enabled TAC to streamline the process by which we engage and invest in Toronto’s emerging artists, youth and under-served communities.

 

ArtReach Toronto Recipients (2015):

 

  • Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) will conduct the Writing Our Own Story project, engaging 10 East and Southeast LGBTQ+ Asian youth (age 18-29) in creative writing mentorships with LGBTQ+ Asian writers. The project will take place at ACAS's Spadina Avenue location from November 1, 2015 to July 31, 2016. An experienced LGBTQ+ Asian writer will be invited to give 4 workshops to 10 Queer Asian Youth. The main goal of the workshops is to introduce youth to the creative possibilities of writing and the use of writing guides or tools to help them select, organize, and express their life story. The writer and up to 2 additional writers will mentor the youth through all stages of the writing process.
  • Baby Steps Parenting will conduct the Turn the Page project from November 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016. The project will provide young marginalized parents from priority neighbourhoods with tools to support their child's healthy development through the creation of a storybook with their child, contributing to a collective children’s book of stories. Participants will showcase their books for one month at Barbara Frum Library, host an intimate book reading event with family and friends, and launch the collective book during Word on the Street Toronto.
  • Broken Heals will lead a multidisciplinary arts development program for up to 10 youth participants, taking place at the YMCA and Daniel's Spectrum from November 1, 2015 to May 27, 2016. During the project, participants will receive artistic mentorship from visual artist Just Georgia, Spoke 'N Heard and vocalist Coco Larain, and present their work through a final showcase and citywide tour.
  • Bucc N Flvr Dance Company will provide a collaborative dance program with Toronto's Krump and Hip-Hop dance professionals. 14 marginalized youth from the Kennedy and Eglinton community will undergo dance and leadership training at the Don Montgomery Recreation Center, perform at community events, and host a night of performances between November 1, 2015 and April 8, 2016. The project will be video-documented to articulate the inter-generational experience between teacher, student and community.
  • Canadian Roots Exchange will conduct Project Tkaronto: Stories of Home, a reconciliation-based project for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous youth aged 13 to 29, most of whom are newcomers and/or racialized, to express their understanding of land, culture, history, and healing through creative art forms. From November 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016, participants will receive training in traditional arts and craft forms, as well as videography and video editing and performing arts. The project will take place at various Toronto locations, including the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, Humber College Aboriginal Resource Centre and Native Child and Family Services.
  • CANVAS Programs will run Speak On, a spoken word poetry program for 20 youth ages 12-18, taking place at the Antibes Community Centre from November 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016, The participants will explore gender, sexuality, consent and body image, sharing their ideas through spoken word. The program culminates with a community showcase where youth will perform their original poetry.
  • Demal Graham will conduct the New Track Project, engaging youth from the Malvern community to be positive leaders. The project will take place at the Canadian Training Institute from November 1, 2015 to March 24, 2016. Participating youth will learn ways to express their feelings and emotions using music, and develop teamwork and leadership skills.
  • Emerging Young Artists Inc. will conduct the Toronto Chinese Indie Voices project, a 6-week intensive workshop series for 12 newcomer Chinese youth in the Trinity-Spadina neighbourhood to develop their music composition and instrumental skills. From November 1, 2015 to March 9, 2016, participants will engage collaboratively to create original pieces and perform at the final production: A World Away: A Cross-Cultural Concert. Rehearsals will take place at the Rehearsal Factory and the final performance will take place at the Jam Factory.
  • F-You: The Forgiveness Project will produce the SAD CIT project from November 1, 2015 to January 15, 2016. Themed on the statistic that Toronto is the second saddest city in Canada due to depression, the project will enable young people to use art forms such as letter writing, drawing, painting, graffiti, public speaking, hip hop and rap in order to explore the concept of Toronto as the Sad City. Project planning and creation activities will take place at The Forgiveness Project office, with art installations exhibited throughout the city.
  • FCJ Youth Network will conduct The Shadowed Stories Project, taking place at the FCJ Refugee Centre from November 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016.  The project aims to raise the visibility of the experiences of precarious migrant and non-status youth living in Toronto. Participating youth will be engaged in different artistic processes to share their unique and diverse stories, and ultimately create a publication for widespread distribution.
  • Fiona Clarke will lead the Intergeneracial project, a community-engaged oral history and theatre creation project conducted in partnership with Jumblies Theatre and involving 10 Black youth attending 27 weekly workshops on post-racialism. The project will take place at Jumblies Theatre from November 1, 2015 to April 19. 2016.  Participating youth will learn theatre creation processes, train to interview a community leader, decision-maker, or elder and create a verbatim performance script.
  • Hopeton LaTouche will conduct The 5th Wheel project, involving youth in the construction and conversion of a production trailer into a studio and stage. The project will take place from November 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015, with filming and training focused in the Lawrence Heights community. Participating youth will be trained in construction as they build the trailer, and also receive training in film production, architectural design, music, and concert production. The project will be video-documented, and will further involve the studio, stage, and artists in a concert tour.
  • I-Insight will run the Critical Conversation Through the Arts project from November 1 to December 31, 2015. The project aims to strengthen and amplify the voices of marginalized young creatives, with a focus given to African diasporic youth in the Scarborough area, and to sharpen their artistic voice by engaging them in critical socio-political literacy.
  • Ismailova Theatre of Dance will run the Stories project from April 30 to June 19, 2016. The project will provide a series of skill building workshops involving the creation and composition of dance theatre pieces, for 15 newcomer youth and youth with financial need, culminating in a final showcase choreographed by participants. The project will contribute to the integration of newcomer youth into the city. Final performances will take place at the ScotiaBank Studio Theatre and Yorkwoods Library.
  • IVI MAGAZINE will conduct the IVI LEAGUE project, taking place at Women’s Mecca from November 1, 2015 to April 16, 2016. The project will give 5 creative yet disadvantaged young women living in priority neighbourhoods an opportunity to  develop their skills in writing, graphic design, photography and/or videography, and to work as a team to publish their work in an online publication.
  • Lost Lyrics will conduct their Artistic Development Program, taking place at the Lost Lyrics space from November 1, 2015 to May 15, 2016. The program is being adapted to the need of young girls and women of colour, and introduces participants to various artistic channels through which they can creatively express their stories, struggles and fears. This year the program also includes plans for new curriculum materials regarding Rape and Consent.
  • The Mashed Collective will offer a Comedy Youth Program to train youth in improvisational comedy free of cost to participants, taking place at SOCAP Social Capital Theatre from December 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016. Youth participants will take part in weekly classes with their peers, and led by professional comedians. Additionally youth will be paired with a mentor and work closely with their mentor to create a comedy set to be performed on stage as the finale for the program.
  • Mandy Lam will run Parkour Camp, taking place at the Monkey Vault from May 1 to June 10, 2016. The project uses the art of parkour to build leadership and skills in young women facing barriers in and surrounding the Rockcliffe-Symthe neighbourhood. The five day camp held at the parkour facility will involve workshops and discussions on overcoming barriers young women face in society.
  • Muslimah Making Media will conduct a digital content creation project that will provide access to skilsl training for young Muslim women. Taking place at The SPOT from November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2016, the project aims to create a safer space for young Muslim women to learn how to utilize digital tools to tell our own unique stories.
  • My Body is My Canvas will conduct a self -discovery/actualization project for young black women exploring the connection between bodies as art forms and using bodies to create art. The project reconnects participants' with their roots, culture and heritage through the creation of jewelry, natural hair care and makeup art. This program will run from March 1 to July 31, 2016 at Toronto Community Housing's Parkwoods-Rayoak Community Recreation Room.
  • Newcomer Girls Action Committee will conduct the ReShaped & ReImagined project, taking place  at Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto from November 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016. The project serves newcomer and racialized young women (12 -19) who wish to express their creativity, and develop and refine their skills through fashion entrepreneurship. Fifty newcomer and/or racialized girls will engage in intensive group work and skills based training to modify vintage clothing.
  • Patrick de Belen will run the Poetry Is Our Second Language proejct, a 5-week youth-led workshop program that fosters poetry writing and spoken word performance among young Filipino Canadians. The workshop aims to establish a spoken word/poetry scene in Toronto’s Filipino Community and build bridges toward the broader art community. The workshops will run from April 1 to June 30, 2016 at Kapisanan Phillipine Centre for the Arts.
  • Piece of Mine Festival will present the Living Black Genius project, taking place at 918 Bathurst Space from January 12 to March 15, 2016.  Led by professional artists, the project involves mentorship of participants in storytelling, theatre performance, film and photography, as well as field trips for young people of colour, with a focus on black youth aged 14-18. The 8-week program will coincide with Black History Month.
  • R.I.S.E Edutainment will facilitate 10 peer to peer artist development workshops for 10 registered emerging youth artists from the Malvern and East Scarborough community. R.I.S.E aims to empower these emerging artists to develop professional skills and connect them to mentors and new opportunities in spoken word and music. This project will take place at Burrows Hall from November 1, 2015 to June 15, 2016.
  • Rinchen Lama will lead the Made in Exile theatre project, taking place in South Parkdale  from November 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016. Throughout the project Rinchen will work with 5-8 Tibetan youth,enabling participants to explore their identities and stories of being born and living in exile. The project will culminate with a community performance.
  • SpeakSudan will conduct the Kandake, of Sword and Pen- Black Women's Art Week (KOSAP) project from November 1 to December 5, 2015.  KOSAP involves a multidisciplinary artist exploration of black women’s art as resistance and documentation of their lives. The project encompasses mentoring, facilitation/learning and exhibiting/performance in a safe space which draws on the lived experiences of black women in Toronto, particularly in priority neighborhoods with high concentrations of young black women.
  • Spoke N’ Heard will conduct the The K.N.O.W.N. Project, a creative arts and life-skills program that provides training for youth ages 14–25.  From November 1, 2015 to April 1, 2016, participants will share their experiences artistically, shedding light on youth culture, and confronting issues like homelessness, mental health and poverty. The project will take place at the Albion Boys and Girls Club with showcases throughout the city.
  • Street Voices will conduct a series of 12 writing and media skills-building workshops for street-involved youth from Toronto’s downtown core, taking place at SKETCH from November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2016. The project provides a media platform that aims to increase the visibility of street-involved youth through the publication of their stories, narratives and artworks.
  • Visions of Science Network for Learning will run The STEM Design Project, an 8-month cyber-arts training project. From November 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 the project will engage and train 8 youth from 4 different TCH communities within Visions of Science Network for Learning's science club programs. Youth will design video games to be showcased at a culminating community event.
  • VOID Incubator will conduct a youth-led arts program for 16-20 at-risk youth ages 16-29, taking place at SKETCH from November 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. The project will provide workspace for visual arts and writing, workshops on entrepreneurship, as well as peer-to-peer mentorship. Void artists will create diverse revenue generating streams and share opportunities to support each other’s work.