Listen to Echoes of a Quiet Storm

Hosted By: Anu M.

Project for Ages: 20 to 29 Years Old

Project Categories:

• Youth Empowerment
• Political Education
• Creative Arts

Project Summary:

We aim to create an interactive event that incorporates the power of personal poetry under the theme of seasonal grief. The transition from summer to fall to winter is a rather jarring one in southern Ontario and those of us who have migrated to “Canada” often are left emotionally and mentally destabilized by the transition of the seasons. Using scrapbooking, mindfulness techniques such as meditations and breathwork, poetry readings, poetry workshops, and panel discussions, we are hoping that this event will cater to the needs of Black diasporic youth in the GTA. Giving them something to hold on to in the colder months of the year. This orientation is a metaphor for how Black youth are often excluded from the social and political changes that occur in the city, province, and country at large and the program aims to collaborate on building wellness strategies that double as political and arts education through creative problem-solving.

Contributing To An Inclusive Canada

As Canadian society moves towards a more inclusive and acknowledging mindset by recognizing the colonial history of Canada on Indigenous land and the effects of years of slavery, displacement, discrimination, and injustices “ Listen to Echoes of Quiet Storm” highlights the continuous work of decolonization as we aim to work and focus on the mindfulness of these effects. Creating this third space will allow attendees to be honest with such feelings and experiences by allowing them to let go safely.