After a busy and exciting summer at the youth center, we wanted to quickly recognize what has become a beloved tradition at Culturelink: The Summer Youth Theatre Program. For the 14th year in a row, with support from the Canadian Summer Jobs program, 15 youth were selected to participate in a collaborative Theatre Program. Staff member Isaac working with the youth to explore themes of migration, change, and identity. It was amazing to see the transformation from a shy group of individuals to a cohesive ensemble. Isaac led the first six weeks of the program and then Max from Youth in Arts stepped in, helping the youth finish the piece and introduce puppetry into two of the three pieces of group work. The show was a series of vignettes which highlighted newcomer youth experiences of being “newcomers” and settling in a new country. We had two performances, the first being to a large group of people at the Learning Enrichment Foundation’s ‘Multicultural Day’ and a second show at our very own CultureLink’ Children and Youth Center. Many of the participants are still involved with CultureLink and we are already counting the days until the program next summer.
Max Kelly, Youth Program Worker (Youth in Arts)