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ArtReach grantee and creator of ShootForPeace, Yasin Osman, is an award-winning Toronto-based photographer and visual storyteller who specializes in capturing evocative images of the living world. When asked how it all started, Yasin shares, “I started learning photography in the creative arts program at the Remix Project in 2014. After the program, I started my Instagram page, yescene, but I didn’t have my own camera. I was using my mom’s cellphone to capture all the changes that were happening right outside my door. Regent Park is going through a ‘revitalization’, and my friends wanted me to document their homes before they were demolished. I sold 4 of my Jordan’s, and ended buying a used DSLR camera. As I roamed my neighborhood and the city with fellow photographers, I started to get a lot of love and followers. One day a young person from the neighborhood approached me and ask how to take photos. He was shy at first, and then every time he saw me, he would ask me for more tips on how he could make his photos look like mine. Finally, I said to him, ‘Listen, meet me on Sunday, and bring a bunch of your friends along and I’ll show you how to take photos. Bring anything they can that takes photos’. That Sunday, he brought along 10 of his friends and we walked to another neighborhood to do an assignment on symmetry. When we were done the class, we talked about their experiences, and chatted about the difficulties of the assignment (not having a fancy camera, or sharing a cell phone between 3 people, etc.)”. From that initial meeting, the group continued to meet on Sundays to practice their photography, and in 2015 at only 22 years old, Yasin formally founded ShootForPeace. The program was to be an ongoing photo mentorship program, blending his background in early childhood education and passions for youth empowerment and photography. In 2018, ArtReach had the privilege of funding ShootForPeace. Yasin tells us, “ArtReach was the only funding we received in 4 years of having ShootForPeace. It allowed for us to provide food, transportation and the opportunity to have an exhibition”. During the nine-month project, Yasin taught participants the fundamentals of photography, and how to build a photography brand, culminating in a community photo album that was exhibited in their home-base of Regent Park. The response to ShootForPeace has been amazing- Yasin shares that, “the community is really excited especially the parents and siblings of the participants. We have parents who drop by to join some of our sessions and during our exhibition we had many community members come by and congratulate our team on the good work”. He continues, “the biggest change I’ve seen the project make in the community is all the community partnerships ShootForPeace has made. Almost every event that happens in Regent Park, we have ShootForPeace photographers covering the event. ShootForPeace has become a movement bigger than photography. It’s amazing seeing the community so involved in the program”. When asked what’s next for the program, Yasin tells us, “I see the program getting bigger and providing art-based programming to more communities in Toronto and even abroad. I want to share the blessings that I’ve received on a younger generation of youth”. We wish Yasin all the best, and can’t wait to see the great photos to come out of ShootForPeace in the future. Follow their incredible work on their Instagram page: instagram.com/shootforpeace_/ Have a camera you don't need? Donate it to ShootForPeace by emailing yasin@yesscene.com!

“When I’m in art class, it’s structured and they tell us what to do rather than us just being allowed to make it. At Speech Project, we were able to explore all areas of art and create projects based on our own ideas. This was a place where we were able to create freely, it served as my support group.” This participant quote is a perfect illustration of the creativity and connections fostered through Speech Project, a zine-making program carried out in partnership with the Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Community Health Centre (DPNCHC). From August 2018 through May 2019, community artist Kendra Yee lead a group of 10 young womxn aged 14-18 through a workshop series on zine creation, identity exploration, and digital publication. Kendra started participating formally in the graphic novel and illustration about five years ago, but was first introduced to the art form in elementary school. Identifying as someone with a learning disability who found the traditional school structure difficult to engage with, she was drawn to graphic novels for their use of combining both words and images to compose narratives. From this discovery, Kendra began to find opportunities to incorporate alternative arts-based learning structures into her daily life. Wanting to share this with others, she began hosting workshops with organizations like the AGO, Toronto Public library, TIFF, and the Xpace Cultural Centre. This lead to her reaching out to DPNCHC and applying for ArtReach funding, making it possible to actualize her vision of creating a collaborative graphic novel with fellow community members that explored personal narratives. Kendra shares, “this program would not have been achievable without this support- it would still be a sentence scribbled in a notebook!” The workshops were intended to support skill development in creative writing, graphic design, and visual arts, but Kendra tells us that they also “became a place to debrief about our experiences of the week, both the highs and the lows. As a group, we used art as a tool to outlet frustrations- there was a transformation of negative feelings into connective artistic expressions. Participants were able to form stories, clothing, murals, illustrations and comics that represented their narratives”. She continues, “Speech Project was a place where friendships were formed. At the end of the workshops, we’ve all become a tight group of friends. In the final publication, we can see all the hidden jokes, vulnerable moments, and the beautiful memories that are wrapped up within the pages. A sense of collective knowledge has prospered”. And the success of the project wasn’t just felt within the participant group, but extended to the community as well. Kendra shares, “There has been an overwhelming response of support from the community. Local libraries and bookstores have really embraced the project. We are currently in contact with a variety of independent bookstores to display the final publications. DPNCHC even extended the program for an additional 10 weeks!” When asked what was next for the Speech Project, ArtReach was told, “We’d really like to connect this program beyond the comic book community and cross over into other art forms. There are so many alternative ways to deconstruct academic teachings through art and self-expression. I’d like to have other guest artists talk about the ways they incorporate art into the everyday, and explore all areas of the creative industries. I’d like to apply for additional funding and create another publication to document the program, and have it focused not on just comic narratives but, a variety of art forms”. ArtReach looks forward to seeing the amazing places the Speech Project will go. Learn more about Kendra and the Speech Project on Instagram: instagram.com/speech.project/

The BAR Institute is an arts-based not-for-profit music education organization, and an independent platform geared towards making elite education and mentorship accessible. The BAR Institute operates in a way that everyone learns together in a constructive community environment to develop a base foundation towards professional development. Through 2018, BAR Institute presented their ArtReach-funded project, Summer School, a 12-week music program for youth. This workshop series was designed to create opportunities to assist youth participants in their development as independent artists while maintaining accessibility through free programming. Being educators, the BAR Institute team organized a clear path for youth, focusing on slow, in-depth learning and artist development, and promoting present and mindful engagement. BAR Institute shared with us where the idea for the program came from, “The idea for this program originated from the frustrations of growing up without opportunities to develop skill sets in music performance and creation with high quality resources and educators. These elite opportunities were only offered to youth who could afford them or those with the means to take private lessons. I wanted to create an open platform for those with the time and desire to put into music to have access to quality resources”. The youth have responded really well to this program, and several youth in particular have been very successful since being an active participant of the program, “Half the youth have joined our regular drop-in programming, and one youth has now joined our full professional collective as an up-and-coming artist as well as a performing musician. Another participant who I’ve worked with for years just signed to Art & Crafts, a prominent indie music label in Canada”. ArtReach has been BAR Institute’s sole funder for their program, and they mentioned that, “ArtReach provided us with the funds to hold space in a professional recording studio, along with paying for professional facilitation and assistant facilitation for the young artists. ArtReach has also helped fund transit tokens for youth and being able to have food available”. With all the positive work that is being done with the program, we asked what the largest change they’ve seen this program make in the community; “The biggest change is that we’ve begun planting the seeds of professional excellence in music in younger participants than we have reached before”. The BAR Institute is eager to expand their program in the future with larger goals in mind, “We see this program expanding over the years, hopefully working with schools more to offer drop-in lunch-time programs or pop-up performances to promote our regular programming. We hope to be on an operating budget by 2021”. If you want to stay connected and keep up with all the great work with the BAR Institute, you can check out their Instagram page @barinstituteto or website barinstitute.ca!

Funded by ArtReach in 2018, Bright Lights in the Heights is a program presented by PUSH Elite that engages young emerging artists in the Lawrence Heights neighborhood in Toronto. It has provided artists with opportunities to grow their brand, build networks, and develop their craft through workshops focusing on song writing, performance training, studio etiquette, song structure, and understanding industry institutions. Bright Lights in the Heights’ 2018 programming concluded with a final mix tape that was professionally recorded, mixed, and mastered, and provided an intimate listening session for funders and community members with artists performing their songs live. We asked PUSH Elite where this awesome program idea came from and was told, “Bright Lights in the Heights originated through a group of artists from the same neighborhood, Lawrence Heights. We all made music individually, but we never collaborated together to do music or support one another as fellow artists from the same community. A lot of people and blogs were saying Lawrence Heights has a lot of good artists, but they never work with each other, so through that feedback, we decided to come together and build this program. We also wanted to shine a positive spotlight on our community that rarely gets that light due to other negative incidents that take place there”. Staff went on to explain, “It started out with one artist spreading the word on Instagram and made a group to discuss making a project together. We decided to all meet up, and started to vibe out listening to beats and writing. We then recorded one song, but the quality wasn’t the greatest, so we decided to sit down and look at places where we could get funding for our music. We finally found the ArtReach grant, and we applied and ended up getting funding to put together a project that would feature a couple of artists from the Lawrence Heights neighborhood which is now Bright Lights in the Heights”. ArtReach was the sole funder for the project, so PUSH Elite told us what getting the grant was able to make possible for the program: it gave “the program participants an opportunity to record high quality music in a safe space, which would be very hard to do without funding. Studio time for mixing and mastering, and finding a space to create and write all while getting quality mentoring from older artists is very expensive. Most up-and-coming artists can’t afford recording time and finding a mentorship or a support group is so hard, which is why it’s difficult to break into the music industry. ArtReach has provided us with a chance to build ourselves a platform through our musical artistic talent”. PUSH Elite explained the positives from the program that they’re seeing, “The youth and community have been responding great, and we say that because ever since the younger artists have been seeing the people they look up to collaborating together, they have also started to invest their time into their music. They’re also looking at music as an art form and a way for them to express themselves in what they go through as an individual as well as in their community”. With such great responses to the program, we asked them where they see their program going in the future: “Hopefully we can build a studio and have a consistent safe space where artists can come and record, do photoshoots, EPKs, write, and practice their performances. We will continue to support each other and get better as artist and producers!” When asked how this project supported their own individual skill as a leader, they answered with, “Working on a project with different artists which all have different personalities/ backgrounds allowed me to be more of a listener, rather than reacting. Coming from the Lawrence Heights area as a young man or woman you always have to persevere, and problem solve through different obstacles and turn negative circumstances into a positive outcome. I look forward to continuing to build my skills as an artist, mentor and a leader”. Check out the video made through the Bright Lights in the Heights project here:

From September 2017 to June 2018, Connie Tong ran Plate It Up, a 10-month mentorship program at the East Scarborough StoreFront serving youth aged 14 to 19 years in the Scarborough East community. The project fused culinary and ceramics arts together, and worked towards a culminating exhibition. Youth increased their food literacy and skills in order to formulate constructive dialogue on food-related issues affecting their community and using ceramics production as the artistic medium to respond to these challenges. Where did the idea for this unique program come from? Connie shares, “The idea originated when I was completing my thesis work at OCAD University in the Material Arts and Design program. I was investigating food sustainability and the implications of our western diet and used art making practices to illustrate our relationship with food. This research led me into the community arts sector where East Scarborough Storefront connected me to two local grassroots organizations, Healthy Living through Art and Seed to Table in Kingston-Galloway-Orton Park neighbourhood. I saw an opportunity to collaborate with these two organizations, and formed the collective, Plate It Up". Connie continues, “In Fall of 2014, we launched our program and was at full capacity thanks to the support from ArtReach and the East Scarborough Storefront. Our culinary lead from Seed to Table provided culinary instructions and skills, while the ceramic lead facilitated the creative clay portion of the workshops. We found that the beauty of these two artforms had very similar methodologies and processes, which helped youth enhance their understanding of key concepts. In 2017, we relaunched the program, thanks again to ArtReach. A few of the youth participants from the 2014 cohort were invited to facilitate and share their best practices, which was a rewarding experience for all. During the project's timeline, we collectively raised over $200 in artwork sales, organized five local community events, and fed approximately 300 people at our exhibition”. Connie told us that the program was very successful with not only the youth participants, but also with the community as a whole. Connie tells us, “The youth responded really well with the challenge of organizing community events to raise awareness and promote the program. Over the course of 10 months, youth dedicated their time to participate in experiences that put them out of their comfort zones. The youth gained many invaluable skills such as leadership, teamwork, and communication skills to orchestrate their own community food demonstration and interactive art exhibition. The community has provided tremendous support in helping the youth participants build capacity. We were able to form relationships with our local community members who became our adult allies in supporting and providing in kind donations and removing barriers for youth participation. The East Scarborough Storefront has been a tremendous supporter and incubator for further collaboration”. With ArtReach being the only funder for the program, we asked Connie what we were able to make possible with these funds. Connie shared, “ArtReach was the first ever grant that the Plate It Up Collective ever wrote together. We found that the process and objectives really catered to what we were trying to achieve in our community. We have tried to pitch our idea to various granting bodies, but due to the competitiveness and rigour, we felt we didn’t have the necessary tools nor confidence to succeed. We felt that ArtReach serves as an incubator for us to take risks and take a chance on seeing an idea through. ArtReach not only provided the funding and resources to help us carry out our idea, they also provided us with the intrinsic value to aspire to great things for our community by believing in us to begin with”. Connie also mentioned the personal success of the ArtReach workshops, “I have participated in many workshops which have helped with my personal and professional development. From budgeting 101, to evaluation, to branding, I valued each and every high-quality workshop delivered by industry professionals”. Moving forward, Connie has larger plans for the program, “We are currently developing a series of smaller, mobile community workshops in partnership with Morningside Library and The Clay Emporium to expand our reach to more youth in East Scarborough. The Clay Emporium has invited us to prepare an educational lesson plan to design a series of plates that explores personal understanding of the new Canadian Food Guide”. Learn more about the project on Instagram @plateitupkgo or their website plateitupkgo.wordpress.com

It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of Jordon Veira. Artreach had the privilege of working with Jordon when Spoke N’ Heard was funded in 2014, 2015, and 2017 for The K.N.O.W.N. Project and the Boom Bap program. Jordon founded the organization Spoke N’ Heard in 2010, a grassroots, youth-led collective of multi-disciplinary artists, entrepreneurs and youth workers, united by a passion for social change and community empowerment. Spoke N’ Heard provides youth with a safe space where they can share their stories and experiences through the arts, and addresses issues facing marginalized and racialized youth within various communities. Through this partnership, we came to know and love Jordon, and he quickly became an invaluable member of the ArtReach family. Jordon was a poet, musician, artist, activist, educator, leader, community changemaker, and friend like no other, and we will miss him tremendously. Our condolences to the Veira family, and to all that were touched by Jordon’s light. Donations can be made to his Go Fund Me memorial page here: https://www.gofundme.com/JVmemorialfund

Patrick Walters is an active member of the ArtReach family, a two-time grantee and a key member of our Grant Review Team. In 2018, Patrick ran an 8-week course called Under The Banyan Tree, Phase 2, a follow-up to his 2017 funded project, that was designed to immerse participants in Caribbean art-making and storytelling with a heavy focus on Caribbean literature. The program also touched on other Caribbean art forms, using various themes such as sustainability, community, and identity. Phase 2 culminated in September 2018 with an online platform where participants and the public are able to access course work and participant art. The community also was encouraged and welcomed to submit their own pieces, information, and events after the course was completed to create a platform that was sustainable and helpful to the community. When asked where the idea for the project came from, Patrick shares, “As a person who was raised in the Caribbean (but returning later to Canada, where I was born) my perspectives on migration and the evolution of culture are somewhat unique. I realized that while there were many Caribbean people (1st, 2nd and 3rd generation) here in Toronto, the evolution of Caribbean culture here had caused there to be a disconnect between the people here and the Caribbean cultural influencers that came before. Caribbean people here in Toronto have such a wide variety of artistic and community leaders that the Caribbean ones (particularly those who did not venture into the North American media sphere) can oftentimes be forgotten and have their contributions go unrecognized. That is why I felt there was a need for the re-introduction of Caribbean artistic leaders to the forefront of the conversation for diasporic people. I came up with a program that would invite the community to a central meeting space where we could learn about and celebrate in Caribbean artistic successes. I then needed to flesh out the logistics of the program and that is how I envisioned a workshop series that collects works as participants grow in their art form”. With a lot of passion for the program, Patrick mentioned how the youth and community have responded positively to his program, “The response by the young people has been rewarding. Not only has it been successful over the past 2 iterations of the program for the youth that have attended, but it has provided me with a curriculum and a platform to move forward with the program in different and impactful ways. I also believe that there has been a positive community response to our project. A Different Booklist was happy to have us back again for the second set of workshop sessions and we were also able to expand out into the community to local restaurants as well as reach out to community leaders. I look forward to continuing to grow these bonds within the community as our partnership grows”. Getting the opportunity to meet with Patrick, it’s easy to see that he’s a very forward thinker. When asked where he saw the program going in the future, he answered, “The next iteration of this program, I believe, is best done in schools across the GTA. After two successful iterations of this program, I realized that to operate it for as many young people as possible I would need to connect with folks in the education system who can put me in contact with Caribbean diasporic students who would benefit so much from this program in their classroom. To this end, I have taken some time from applying for funding to strengthen my networks within the school boards of the TDSB, YRDSB and PRDSB. Once I have widened my partnership base, I will be looking to run the 3rd iteration of this program”. Under the Banyan Tree has not only positively impacted the lives of young folks and the community, but it also has supported Patrick’s individual skills as a leader. He stated, “Seeing this program come to fruition now for a second time is motivation to continue to push myself to affect serious and sustainable change in my communities. It has challenged me to sharpen my skills in planning and preparation of workshops that focus specifically on Caribbean artistic culture. It also gave me the opportunity to coordinate with a small team of people that were instrumental in the success of this program. There were several times where the steps that needed to be taken were outside my scope of expertise and the other young professionals that I worked with were vital in delivering the best version of this project possible”. If you’d like to keep up and stay connected with Patrick's work, you can follow him on Instagram @patrickcwalters and check out his new album, The Offshore Account here!

Spread your wings to fly and you will take flight. Fly to the stage and express your story and the emotions that come with it. Let your wings be seen; no matter the span, size, colour, or feather, you will move the audience with your routine. I wanted to spread my wings, as I witnessed the dancers; feeling the emotion present in their dance moves, wanting to unleash my inner feelings. Spending time with the group sparked in me a deep sense of humility, friendship, support, connection, and love. During this time, we were all one. The Pretty Wings: STAGES Dance Mentorship Project has brought together a group of young women who self-identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ2A+, survivors of abuse, or as facing/faced mental health challenges. Participants have been individually coached from a trauma-informed perspective so that dance can be used as a mechanism to share one’s personal narrative. Repeatedly, this has shown to be healing in and of itself. One participant shared, “The Pretty Wings project help(ed) me a lot as a person ... to believe in myself. I have gained self-confidence; but, it has also helped me to discover different feelings (good ones and others that are not so easy to understand). It gives me the capacity to create and experiment with new movements with my body, so I will be able to express (myself) more naturally”. In meeting with Jena and Cassey, the co-directors of the project, they spoke to the importance of individuals being able to understand their physical bodies, and the many ways emotion, stress and trauma can manifest within them . They mentioned how dancers can best connect to their authentic movement by understanding and connecting to their bodies and narratives. A participant explains, “Pretty Wings was an even bigger life changer than I initially pictured it to be. Just the opportunity to work on my own dance piece and have a voice through it was enough for me to look forward to the healing that would come along with it. With Jena’s help and support, the group meet ups and time and effort on my part, I was not only capable of coming up with a piece but I was able to find a way to face a part of me that I didn’t know was there. The experience was beautiful in every way and I can honestly say it is one of the best experiences in my life. I will forever be thankful to everyone at Pretty Wings for their support and time.” And, this year, the support has extended. Beyond the one-on-one sessions, the collective piece is a new addition to this stage of the program. Within the group, participants are encouraged to share their personal narratives; and, from there, collective themes of experience and support organically emerge. These themes have been fused together in their choreographed piece. I was lucky enough to experience one of these rehearsals and the emotions and healing displayed through the facial and bodily expressions of the dancers were tangible. Certainly, many of them were clearly connected with their inner selves - something I realized early on from the sheer warm welcome I received upon my arrival. Thanks to Steps Dance Studio, Toronto Art Council, ArtReach’s contributions, Pretty Wings had the opportunity to help their flock to fly - and there is no doubt that you will, too! There will be many more birds and butterflies in the sky, dancing and soaring, thanks to Pretty Wings! Learn more about their amazing work and upcoming opportunities at facebook.com/PrettyWingsTO Join Pretty Wings for their showcase entitled “The Graduation” on Saturday June 15th, at the space of their community sponsor: Steps Dance Studio (819 Yonge St. - 3rd floor). See link here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1406034332867995/

Dear ArtReach Community Members, It’s with mixed feelings that we announce the departure of our Director Paulina O'Kieffe-Anthony, effective immediately. While we're sad to see her leave the ArtReach team, we're so proud to congratulate her on her new role as Grants Manager at SKETCH Working Arts. Joining the team in 2015, Paulina filled the role of Director, taking on work related to our granting program, workshop series, resource development, and community outreach efforts. Paulina has contributed so much to the success of this organization, and we thank her for the four years of unconditional commitment and dedication she gave us. On behalf of ArtReach, we would like to wish Paulina the best of success in all of her future endeavors. (Not ready to say goodbye? Stay in touch with Paulina on her website here!) That said, we would also like to announce that ArtReach will be going through a period of restructuring. We will not be holding our summer workshop series, and will be reducing our community engagement during this time. As such, we will be focusing on building the capacity of our organization so that we can continue to provide Toronto’s youth arts community with high-quality services in the future. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@artreach.org

ArtReach is pleased to announce the 30 groups that were awarded funding for their art-based projects for youth in our 2019 granting round. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE NEWLY FUNDED ARTISTS
! For project descriptions of previously funded groups, click here! Adornment Collective- Adornment Stories $15,000.00 Adornment Stories is a community grassroots facilitation and mental health training program using digital media and adornment as relevant tools for connecting with youth and building their capacity. We connect the intersections of arts, education, and wellness. This 24-week wellness space prioritizes Black women/femmes. We aim to build the capacities of a cohort of 7-10 participants by exploring digital arts, media, writing, mental health, wellness, facilitation and body adornment. Participants will capture their stories, edit content, host a digital seminar and exhibit, facilitate workshops for the community, eventually graduating the program with a tangible certificate of facilitation. Art Ignite- Youth Ignite $10,000.00 Youth Ignite will develop the visual arts skills of 15 low income, racialized, newcomer youth (15-19) living in Flemingdon and Thorncliffe Park. Over 42 weekly, 3 hr sessions, professional youth artists Tasneem Dairywala, Akshata Naik and Shehrbano Akhtar will use visual arts-based tools and one-on-one demonstrations to build participants arts skills in various drawing and paint media. The program will also mentor youth participants in developing and implementing their own workshops post-program. The project will run out of Flemingdon Health Centre beginning October 1, 2019, and ending with an exhibition in July 2020. BASHY Magazine- Uprising $5,000.00 BASHY Magazine's Uprising is a five-week program from September 28th to October 26th for Toronto creatives with Jamaican heritage who want to gain print and digital publishing experience. 12 chosen participants between the ages of 18-29 will have successfully pitched a story on their application that they will publish while in Uprising. Working individually and collaboratively, participant's contributions will produce our issue “Diaspora:Canada”. Participants not only leave with practical journalism skills, but ones that transcend Uprising, increasing digital and print literacy and allow them to gain insight into the publishing. Uprising will be capped with an issue launch party. Beautiful Minds- IDEA (Inspire, Design, Explore, Apply) $9,920.00 Our project IDEA (inspire, design, explore, apply) will take place in Scarborough for the summer and Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe in the fall, and winter. The project will focus on a program for youth between the ages of 13-29 developing painting skills. We plan on using yoga and mindfulness, to provide a self-care piece after painting. We are aiming to have 10-15 youth/session complete the 8 week program. This also includes an art night in the community and creating an online zine at the end of all the sessions featuring the work created by the youth. Bidhan Berma- Lost in Rotation $4,950.00 Lost in Rotation will be a weekly program that allows up and coming DJs and producers of all experience levels to have a space to learn and create amongst peers and mentors. The space will be inclusive and open to all styles of learning in order for talented youth and young artists to feel comfortable and safe showcasing and workshopping their work to create a project that they feel proud of. Camille Gordon- Speakers U $14,786.00 Speakers U is a 10 week program designed to help 10 young black males ages 13-29 living in Ward 3 Etobicoke-Lakeshore learn the art of oration. Participants will use the art forms of creative writing, spoken word, poetry and monologues to create their own allegorical story. Workshops will have a personal direct impact on the black experience and will address racial profiling by police. Through weekly communication & public speaking training, personal development workshops & mentorship from alumni of the program, participants will speak before a live audience at our finale showcase event. Chris Ambanza- Take Everything With It $10,000.00 The “Take Everything With It” Project is a 14 month media project which will engage 10 youth in learning skills in media production including research, storyboarding, shooting and post production editing. Youth from Alexandra Park, one of the most marginalized neighbourhoods in the downtown core, will work together to create multimedia pieces that will shift the way we look at the community and represent the best parts of the neighbourhood. Youth will design and shoot one video and engage in the post production work. A final screening will take place at the end of the 18 months program for community. CUE- CUE Art Project Program 2020 This grant would enable the creation of 25 - 35 individual art projects in multiple disciplines by new generation artists who live and work on the margins, and who face systemic barriers that preclude their artistic contributions to culture. CUE outreaches across the city to ensure artists can access the funding process. We conduct group info sessions, drop-in mentorship sessions, and individual grant-writing support to ensure the anticipated 60 art project proposals submitted are strong and viable. CUE provides a variety of supports for artists during their production process, and exhibits all work at their newly opened Margin of Eras Gallery. Dynesti Williams- Tough Act to Follow $10,000.00 Tough Act To Follow is a live performance mastery program for music and spoken-word artists aged 18-29 who have limited access to professional live performance training. This intensive 12-week program will focus on what Dynesti calls the “three elements of live performance”: Self Care (knowing you, and taking care of you before you present yourself to others), Personal Presence (off-stage confidence through character building), and Stage Presence (transforming aspects of yourself into an authentic world class performance). This program will end with a showcase that will prove each participant to be a tough act to follow.” Emmanuel Obuobi Jr- Community Film Project $5,000.00 The Community Film project will work with young people 16-18 over 12-workshop sessions to develop their skills in film productions. These films will focus on fundamental and quality productions. This project is about introducing participants to the aspects of film production such as creating a script, technical skills around shooting, lighting a scene, editing as well as learning about the various roles on set. Participant’s work will be showcased at a final film screening and will be made available on multiple online platforms or film festivals if they choose to go that route. Enchanted- The Writer’s Room $10,000.00 The Writers Room is a 10 week writing program that teaches youth the fundamentals of screenwriting and story development. The purpose of this program is to give youth the real life experience of being a writer. Participants will learn from facilitators on how to write a script and a film treatment while having one on one support throughout the process. Participants will then work together on writing a group film project such as a pilot for a web series, short film or PSA. Participants will lead and work with a production team to shoot the project (pre-production to post production). Faduma Gure- Not All Heroes Wear Capes $5,000.00 Faduma Gure will run Not All Heroes Wear Capes, a weekly comic book workshop series where black youth learn to create a comic book illustrating their experience on racism and microaggressions they face. The program will run from June 2019 to February 2020 at the Black Canary Espresso Bar in the Silver Snail comic book store. Igho Diana- Stay Whole 2019 $10,000.00 A workshop series for Black/ Latina/ Indigenous women (18-29) to cultivate a personal writing practice as a form of artistic expression, self-care and creating community. This project will explore the use of oral and written storytelling, and other literary techniques: as tools for reflection, empowerment, and community building. Over 4 sessions, participants will develop skills through prompts, activities, and games; as well as practice the art of performance. The series will culminate with a weekend retreat; to pause, reflect and evaluate the ways in which we actively care for ourselves, and how that reflects on our respective communities. Illumine Media Project- Illumine Media Lab $15,000.00 The Illumine Media Lab brings together a group of youth from the St. James Town neighbourhood to work with artists on both media analysis and creation work. Building on learning from last years’ Scarborough workshops, this iteration will give participants in our own neighbourhood the opportunity to both analyze themes in Illumine Media Projects’ web series, How We Grow, as well as to create and develop their own films. Illumine Media Project also will offer training as well as two paid positions to youth interested in working as part-time screening facilitators throughout the 2019-2020 school year. Jessica De Vittoris- Music Spirit $5,000.00 Music Spirit is an interdisciplinary community art project based in Toronto. As a co-facilitator to this project, I aim to bring together four emerging visual artists with four emerging musicians. Through a series of outdoor workshops, each pair (one musician and one visual artist) will explore a creative process in which they will work together to design an instrument (ukulele, guitar or bass) that reflects core interests and essentially tells a story. The provided instruments will be chosen by the musicians. The collaborative approach will explore art as a tool for empowerment and community-building for youth living on the margins. Learning Is For Everyone Foundation- Artistic Rise Collaboration (ARC) Program $9,999.00 The ARC program is a new initiative designed to connect talented young black artists ages 14-18 living in low-income communities with professional working artist (mentors). Over the span of 4 months ARC participants work alongside mentors to learn media arts techniques in a safe environment with their peers. During these months youth attend weekly workshops where they work closely with mentors who help them create professional bodies of work. The workshops are designed to teach youth how to plan, create, and market their own video productions. Every youth will leave the class with a professional credit and a working portfolio. Lolita Richards- Wee Bake 2019 $12,999.00 Wee Bake 2019 is a 9 week summer program serving youth in the West Hill area. The program allows 30 young aspiring bakers, ages 14-17 to learn basic baking and pastry art skills. Wee Bake will combine baking and basic financial education into fun activities. This program is constructed on a registration basis and will run from Monday to Wednesday 12-4pm. Youth that participate will receive $50.00 in baking supplies upon completion of the program. I will utilize the Scarborough East StoreFront community Centre, which offers a free commercial kitchen space in Scarborough. LOVE (Leave Out Violence)- Louder Than a Bomb (LTAB) Cares $10,000.00 Louder Than A Bomb (LTAB) Cares is a spoken word program bringing together Toronto’s top performance poets with 6 groups of vulnerable youth ages 13-19 who experience exclusion and barriers to arts-participation. The artists and youth explore storytelling, the written word and performance. Artists mentor youth to write and perform poetry, form teams and perform/compete at Louder Than A Bomb. LTABCares focuses exclusively on youth who need extra support when excavating personal narratives, applying a trauma-informed, multi-disciplinary approach by incorporating the skills of our artists and youth/social workers. LTABCares works within a youth's plan of care, creating life-changing art. Mandy Lam- Parkour Camp $15,000.00 Parkour Camp is a 10-week project for a group of female and non-binary identified youth in the Toronto Parkour community to become the best version of themselves through personal parkour mentorship and weekly group sessions for the improvement of their physical and mental well-being, guided by professionals. There will also be 5 beginner parkour meet-ups for marginalized groups facilitated by the core group. Monica Fernandes- SOLEiloquy $5,000.00 SOLEiloquy is a 12 week program consisting of 12 workshops focused on character and skill development in young women ages 16-29. The goal is to encourage individuality through sneakers and krump by learning the foundation of the style that will then allow each dancer to create their own character. After identifying with their character, each individual will then customize their shoe to reflect their character and ultimately perform what they've learned in them. Neetika Sharma- Katha-Ras Youth Dance Lab $5,000.00 Katha-Ras Youth Dance Lab is a dynamic youth empowering initiative that will bring together four Toronto based young female dancers of colour that practice a traditional dance form to work on a five day facilitated choreography lab with the intention of exploring lines, movements and grammar of Kathak dance under the context of personal experiences. The lab will culminate into a congruence of four different creative sensibilities into one dance narrative to be documented in the presence of a select audience. Project 40 Collective- Diasporasian Futures $10,000.00 Diasporasian Futures is a month-long incubator interested in radical and speculative possibilities for the pan-Asian arts community. It features two streams: art-making (text, film, image, tactile) and space-making (arts management). Each stream will take 5 participants (10 total for the incubator) and offer breakout sessions, mentorship, designated studio time, and guest speakers. The incubator will culminate in an art exhibition, featuring the work of participants, allowing them to work tangibly toward an end goal over the duration of the incubator. Samantha John- Reclaiming Herstory $5,000.00 Reclaiming Herstory gathers young women and femmes of diverse genders together to reclaim space through literary, performative and digital storytelling. This 10-week program will train 8-10 youth who identify as women or femmes of colour along the LGBTQ2SIA+ spectrum, in the art of storytelling through different literary techniques which they will then transfer to a digital space through the development of a podcast or personal journal. At the end of the workshops, the project will host a listening party where the community can gather to listen to participants stories either digitally or through live performance. Shafia Shaikh- Turbulence $9,997.00 The E.W.o.C. (Equity for Women of Colour) Project is facilitating Turbulence II, a mixed-media storytelling workshop series for emerging artists, who identify as Muslim women of colour. The 11 week (22 hours) series will guide 15 youth artists to create a collection of pieces through the interdisciplinary practice of: illustration, poetry, and painting, and will incorporate re-purposing materials (such as wood panels, cloth, plates, pottery). The series will conclude with a gallery exhibition, showcasing the stories of the diaspora experience and disrupting harmful narratives. Sydanie Nichol- The MOCHA Project $10,000.00 Sydanie Nichol will run The MOCHA Project, a community-led healing arts program for black, brown and indigenous mothers and caregivers ages 16 and up, committed to fostering safer creative spaces and alternative healing and learning environments for mothers and their families. The Broke Gallery- RE:Telling $10,000.00 A 12 week zine-making workshop series, offering collaboration and a publishing opportunity for young, emerging artists who live and work on various margins of existence. The zine will feature stories and artwork by the participants, based around themes related to mythology, folklore and sci-fi (including subgenres/ culturally informed artistic philosophies, such as Afrofuturism). Each week will be lead by a facilitator teaching a specific artistic medium, while leading socially aware discussion around that weeks creative idea/issue/process. Participants will learn artistic skills, discuss issues in media, and walk away with the final, printed collection of their works. The Brown Girl Diary- Brown Girl Diaries $10,000.00 Brown Girl Diaries is a program designed to help young South Asian and Indo Caribbean women explore their identities through spoken word and creative writing in order to develop a voice for their community, and self love through understanding the stigmas and challenges they, as brown women, face. The Cyborg Circus Project- Our Bodies, Our Voices $22,976.00 Our Bodies, Our Voices is a storytelling and zine-making workshop series for 10-12 trans disabled youth aged 16-30. These youth will be engaged in a series of 10 workshops where they will identify stories related to their experiences and their imaginings for the future. These stories will be developed into contributions to a zine which the participants will produce, as well as curate additional submissions from trans disabled youth across Canada. The project will end with a zine launch which will be planned by the youth and include artwork display, performance, and celebration of the project as determined by them. The Next Edition- At Dem Songwriting/ Song Development Workshop Series $10,000.00 A culturally driven songwriting and song development 10 week, 2-hour workshop series, that occurs weekly, for 10 participants 13-18 years old. The workshop series is grounded in personal growth, self-expression and fun. The workshop series will, encourage, guide and provide a safe space for participants to be comfortable enough to expand and express their creativity. The curriculum includes songwriting, storytelling, creating melodies and flows, self expression exercises, introduction to pre- and post- production and basic music theory and rhythm. Throughout the workshop series participants will also gain knowledge on the music industry and how to become an independent artist. Yessica Rostan- Creadores: Communications Media Mentorship Project $10,000.00 The Creadores: Communications Media Mentorship Project is designed to foster youth engagement in art forms of writing, graphic media design, and communications project coordination. Nine (9) self-identified Latinx, Afro-Latinx, and Indigenous youth in Toronto, ages 13-29, will work collaboratively to create a Journal or Magazine (their choice). The finished product will artistically highlight the voices and experiences of the participants and other Latinx, Afro-Latinx, and Indigenous-to-Abya-Yala youth in Toronto schooling spaces and provide information for community about resources. This project also provides opportunities for participants to build employable creative skills in art and communications project planning, and arts workshop facilitation. This $300,000 in funding is available thanks to ArtReach's partnership with the Toronto Arts Council.

From June to September 2018 The Kamalayan Konsciousness Kollective ran the Youth Midya Project, a media training program for youth from Philippine descent that sough to empower emerging artists with the skills to create new and original radio and television content. This project was in the context of Filipino history and current events, both in the Canadian diaspora and their relationship to the Philippines. Participants engaged in meaningful workshops that concluded with writing, planning, and executing original episodes independently at the end of the program. The Youth Midya Project prioritized newcomer and under-resourced Filipino youth for this training, who otherwise would face barriers accessing this type of programming. The Kamalayan team mentioned to us where the idea for the program originated from, “It’s been awhile since the Kamalayan collective has been actively pursuing bigger projects. At the same time, members and folks new to the network of the Kamalayan Kollective continuously supports Radyo Migrante and the newly launched TV Migrante (a Toronto-based weekly news and talk show about Filipino issues) while doing their own advocacy and activist work. We heard about ArtReach from one of our new members and thought we would check out what the organization offers and realized that this is something we wanted to try out. So the initial idea was to design a program that would introduce more youth to Filipino news media programs in Toronto. The City has decades’ worth of history in progressive Filipino broadcasting and print media that is often not known to many, especially to newcomer Filipino youth”. Youth have responded really well to program, Kamalayan shared that, “There was a lot of interest and inquiries on the details of what this project entails. Filipino youth who were already engaged in media and content-making online through social media apps were interested to learn what a Filipino program of this kind can offer to them. They were particularly interested in post-production and other behind-the-scenes details of working in radio and TV. For those who applied and met up with us for interviews, they were excited in the workshop on Philippine history. We called this ‘Philippine History and Personal Migration workshop’, which resonated with many youths because it is hard to find a Filipino history workshop that bridges roots of Filipino migration to Canada and the life of Filipinos here in Canada”. With youth responding so positively and with more folks reaching out about the program, Kamalayan has high hopes for the program in the future, “I believe the program has a lot of potential, just going back from lessons learned, seeing what worked, and which parts needed to be adjusted and improved. I believe the program can really grow, taking in more participants and having it run longer as a program that supports our media partners. This, I believe, can help Filipino youth in realizing the possibilities for career opportunities as well finding their own voice in how they can positively impact society through community engagement”. ArtReach was the only funder for this program, and with a grant from ArtReach, “It has allowed us to be able to spread the word about the importance of progressive ethnic media in Toronto. We thought our plan for the project was ambitious, especially as it’s the first grant we applied for. Having access to the resources ArtReach offers allowed us to make our ideas come to life. Our goal was to engage more young people in the Filipino community and show them that youth can be in the forefront of community awareness through the media, through content creation. ArtReach allowed us to do this and we hope to grow from our initial program to reach more youth in future projects” Kamalayan shared. When we asked Kamalayan how this project has supported their own individual skills as a leader, the team told us, “It was a big step for me in taking the initiative of getting people together and working on a plan, something to which I have done before but in a smaller scale. I found that throughout the duration of the project I was challenged in finding the balance of making sure to keep on track of what is currently happening as well as how this will affect the future workshop or the project in the end. In addition, I have grown in setting up as an example to the youth I work and the other people we work with and making sure that I provide the necessary materials and information for them to succeed”. To see more of the great work from this program, make sure to check out their Instagram page @kamalayanmedia!

Speakers U is a program facilitated by Lance Constantine and designed to help young black males 18-29 years old living in the Ward 6: Etobicoke-Lakeshore area learn the art of storytelling. Youth learn storytelling through the framework of public speaking training and communication techniques, using the art forms of creative writing, spoken word, poetry, and monologues. For the 2018 ArtReach-funded round of programming, workshops ran from August to December 2018, serving creative expressions of allegory, and had a direct, personal and emotional impact on participants’ self-identity. Through the experience gained through workshop activities and ongoing weekly training, participants were able to coordinate a showcase event to present their works to a live audience. When asked where he got the idea to put on Speakers U came from, Lance tells us, “The idea of the Speakers U program originated from the desire to help people learn the art of speaking and overcome their fear. Statistics say that 41% of people rank public speaking as their #1 fear, nearly double the 19% who said death! On a whole, our mission is to ensure every speaker is trained and empowered to speak with confidence”. In 2018, ArtReach became the first funder for the Speakers U program, which had been running since 2012. Funding allowed the program to hire youth, and Lance shares that it has also provided more credibility with external stakeholders such as Humber College, Black Owned Unity & CBC News.This has allowed the program to gain traction and expand into the successful organization it is today. Lance has big goals for the Speakers U, “I see the Speakers U program expanding into new satellite locations around the world: Canada, America, Asia, Africa & Europe”. Lance was able to provide us with insight on how youth participants have reacted to the program, mentioning that, “The youth have responded with great appreciation and gratitude to the Speakers U project. In February we hosted a follow up brunch meeting with the men from the program to see how everyone has been doing since completion. One highlight of that meeting was from Prince, a Speaker's U 2018 Alumni, who mentioned that since being a part of the program, his confidence has improved and his delivery in poetry has got a lot stronger. As a result, he is now enrolled into a National Slam Poetry competition to represent poets in Canada!” The Speakers U program has made an instrumental difference in the lives of the young men it serves, but also has been making change more broadly in the community. Lance shared, “The biggest change I have seen this project make in the community is through the dialogue on The National & CBC News with the Speakers U 2018 program participants about racial profiling. The black men in the program got an opportunity to exercise the public speaking skills and techniques they learned through the program on a national level”. Through being the facilitator of the Speakers U, Lance has also able to build and develop new skills. He mentioned that, “This project supported my own individual skills as a leader, and one of those skills is the power of leverage. I learned how to systemically leverage support from other leaders in the community who believed in my project by allowing them to provide input in the decision-making process for the program on a whole”. Follow the amazing work Speakers U does at www.speakersyou.com, and stay connected with Lance on Instagram @lanceconstantine

On April 4th, ArtReach presented ‘Sounds from the 6ix’, as part of Platform A's A Talks, a series of roaming salons that gather artists, art educators, writers and creatives of all types who are innovating how e make, see and engage in the arts. The event took place at one Toronto's epicentres for creativity, Nia Centre for the Arts. This highly anticipated 3-hour event gave Toronto youth the opportunity to hear from well-known Toronto producers Eestbound and Frederick “Free” Brobbey as they discussed the art of production, engineering and how Toronto is building its own sound. Audience members also got a chance to engage with the producers with a Q&A and were able to network with them and other youth in the space. The talk was moderated by Mustafa El Amin, the Founder and Executive Director of Mystand Mentorship and NorthBlock Entertainment.  MPP Robin Martin, who represents the riding of Eglinton – Lawrence, opened up the event with a congratulatory presentation to Platform A on receiving the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant which supported the A Talks series. Bryan Van Mierlo, better known professionally as Eestbound, is a Toronto based music producer who is best known for his impressive production work on hip hop artist Travis Scott’s multi-platinum song “Antidote”. Eestbound has collaborated with various artists and producers in Toronto and internationally including Toronto producer Wondagurl, artist Young Thug, Sean Leon, and Tre Capital. Eestbound is the co-founder and co-facilitator of In Studio Collective, an ArtReach-funded program that works with youth to develop skills in production and audio engineering for music, podcasts, and radio. Frederick “Free” Brobbey is the Creative Director of JustOverMusic: MusicLinks and the lead coordinator of Grassroots Music, another ArtReach-funded program that engages youth in artist development and music training. Free’s reach is not just local, but his networks include international artists, musicians, and music labels. He continues to create spaces for young and emerging artists to safely explore and express their creativity with and among mentors, and to work to achieve their music objectives. With accredited names in attendance, engaged youth audience members were eager to get in as many questions as they could! One youth asked Eestbound, “Do you have any tips for someone on how to stay eager in this music game if their work is constantly being overlooked and being kept underground?” Eestbound answered confidently, “One important point is that the guy who made Thriller for Michael Jackson was 47 years-old when he did. Everyone has their own time, don’t be worried about someone surpassing you- you have to take your own path to get to where you want to be. Just focus on you more and enjoy the ride, because if you don’t enjoy the ride, then this probably isn’t for you”. Free added, “Just stay true to what you’re doing, you’ll always find your place, and that is what we’re all looking for. The second you see something that looks cool and you start doing it, that’s where you’ll start losing yourself. And it’s hard because we all want to get in, we all want to be accepted in whatever way. It’s just taking the time to recognize what you’re competing against and where you are”. A lot of youth were curious to hear more about Eestbound’s work on the hit song Antidote by Travis Scott. He shared, “Let’s say someone comes to you and says I want you to make the best beat you’ve ever made and I want you to finish it in a week. You’re not going to. The pressure becomes too much and you’re going to force yourself into something that usually only happens organically. So, I try to not focus on that at all, so I can just do whatever and just have that mentality of F’it and make whatever I feel like and hopefully it clicks. With Antidote, that was not a beat where I made it thinking to myself, ‘yeah I’m going make a hit record right now!’ It was just another project to me”. Sounds From the 6ix was a huge success, as youth in the space were left with an eagerness to create great content and a drive from the belief in knowing that they have what it takes to carry their work to the next level! If you would like to stay connected with the producers who were at the event, you can follow their pages on Instagram @eestbound @goncept_ @justovermusic and of course our own Instagram page @artreachto to stay up to date with awesome events like these!

ArtReach is a Toronto-based non-profit organization that engages youth from a variety of underserved populations who have experienced exclusion, and lack access to accessible and high-quality arts-based opportunities. ArtReach delivers capacity and skill-building workshops, and provides mentorship and resources, such as granting funds for community-based arts projects, for the youth arts community. ArtReach is a project on the shared platform of SKETCH Working Arts. POSITION OVERVIEW The Program Manager will be responsible for managing ArtReach’s granting program, and coordinating our annual GOAL workshop series. QUALIFICATIONS: An ideal candidate would have: Education or relevant work experience in community arts programming and administration; Strong oral, written, and public speaking communication skills; Excellent organization, planning, and project management skills; The ability to thrive in an independent, self-directed work environment; A thorough understanding of Google Suite; Competency in both frontline and behind-the-scenes capacities; Practices rooted in anti-oppression and equity. *Must be available some evenings and weekends *Must be willing to travel within the City of Toronto, Scarborough, Etobicoke, North York *This position will require a police check (vulnerable sector screening) RESPONSIBILITIES: Administration, HR, Evaluation ● Meeting participation and coordination ● Internship and Volunteer supervision, as required ● Annual review of collective evaluation materials Workshops (GOAL Workshop Series, runs June - December) ● Coordination and execution of annual 6-session workshop series Granting Program (runs November - April) ● Grant callout coordination and promotion management ● Planning of Grant Writing Clinics and Workshops ● Management of the Grant Review Team ● Ongoing Grantee Support and Mentorship Partnerships ● Platform A- Attendance at meetings and coordination of annual “A Talk” artist talk ● Participation in community events, tabling opportunities, advocacy panels, conferences ● Strategic planning, as related to partnership building ACCOMMODATION: Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process, including alternate format materials, accessible meeting rooms or other. Please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs. STATEMENT OF INCLUSION: ArtReach is committed to ensuring that members of traditionally marginalized and equity- seeking groups apply for positions within the organization. ArtReach is dedicated to taking proactive steps to overcome historical patterns of discrimination in our society which have created barriers of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, language, class, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression resulting in the denial of full participation in society. We prioritize qualified applications from those who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color, persons with disabilities, women, queer, trans or non-binary persons, or any combination of these intersections. Lived experience and/ or strong working knowledge of these realities are an asset to this position. We encourage you to self-identify in your application. To put forward your candidacy, please submit a cover letter and resume to: HIRING COMMITTEE at info@artreach.org, with the subject line “Program Manager”, by 11:59pm, Friday, May 10th, 2019. We thank all candidates for their application, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

During the 2019 March Break, a fantastic program happened in the Black Creek Community- the Rebellevations Project, coordinated and facilitated by two very passionate individuals, Melisa Prieto and Valerie Chavez. The Rebellevations Project offered free programming for youth ages 13-17 in arts mentorship and youth leadership development. The focus of the program was for youth to gain a deeper understanding of their personal creative process through self-reflection pieces and collaboratively create a community mural. This peer-to-peer learning and multi-level mentorship process helped to strengthen the leadership skills of participants and created a closer dialogue between children and youth within the community. Melisa and Valerie commented on where they came up with this amazing program, “We knew there was a need for this in the community, as this used to be a kids’ camp, but we got the idea from lived experiences. We wanted to have an arts-based kids program that could be free with food to help out parents as well, and wanted to make a change in the community. We did this first without hardly any funding at all, just a little bit of money through a GoFundMe page. When we ran the camp last year, older siblings of the kids came, and we wanted to be able to accommodate for them, so when we saw that ArtReach funds youth programs, that’s how this really came to be!” Zvi, one of the ArtReach team members, got the opportunity to visit and meet with Melisa and Valerie and the youth involved in the program during one of their sessions. He noted that the youth were having an amazing time participating in games and projects that build personal skills without making it seem like they’re in school. The young folks get to joke around and enjoy their March break, but also take away strong leadership skills and tools to help positively grow as individuals. Zvi also got the chance to have a quick chat with one of the youth participating in the program, “I’ve been having a lot of fun here! I’ve learned a lot and it’s nice hanging out with my friends and new people. My favourite thing I’ve done so far is learning about water colouring and actually doing it was really cool” When Melisa and Valerie spoke to the many things ArtReach was able to help make possible through this grant, they noted, “We were able to offer a completely free program, everyone was always asking how much it was but ours was free and the community really liked that. We were also able to offer great food that isn’t just take out but a catered lunch which was all from local business from the community. Most importantly we were able to purchase a variety of high-quality art supplies so they had more options and were able to create professional looking pieces. We were also able to pay ourselves as artists, which was a big help, as we used to run this program for free and it takes a lot of work. And being able to give an honorarium, transit money, journals, and little gifts to the youth was an amazing bonus!” Melisa and Valerie are two very motivated and talented individuals who are very optimistic about the future of the Rebellevations Project!