By Elise Martinoski
This past weekend I was fortunate enough to attend Canada Bridges annual A Youth Explosion event, also known as AYE. AYE is more than just a showcase of creativity, although let me tell you, there were some amazing inspiring acts of creativity! The ‘more’ part to this event is that it’s a chance for Indigenous youth to show up, stand up, and be heard. This starts well before the day of the event, as youth are the lead organizers and hosts of the event, with guidance and assistance from Canada Bridges staff.
DYNAMIC STORYTELLING
The youth organizing the event are tasked with creating an evening that reflects the exploration of their personal wisdom and potential. The main component to AYE is youth sharing their story through whatever way, form or media, they would like to. For example, I saw someone give an inspiring motivational speech, I witnessed a standing ovation piano performance, and I was drawn into beautiful art pieces that left me breathless! There were many more forms of expression, but I’ll leave you to attend next year’s event to find out what they were! Although you can find a highlight video from AYE 2018 here to get an idea of the dynamic forms of storytelling presented at AYE.
Artwork by Danii Kehler. Banner image artwork also by Danii Kehler.
Piano played by Tyrese.
IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS
Beyond the programmed schedule of story telling and sharing, there were many other elements that the organizing committee thought of as a way to connect the presenters with the audience. For example, upon entering the venue we were greeted with artwork displayed gallery style, the opportunity to experience virtual reality, as well as ways to provide words of encouragement to the presenters. We were given a small stack of post-it notes and were encouraged to write words of encouragement and the feelings we got from the presenters as they were sharing their stories. At the end of the night we dropped these pieces of encouragement in corresponding bins for each of the presenters. This was done as a way for the presenters to hear about how their presentations impacted the audience and, hopefully, to encourage them to continue pursuing their creative endeavours and storytelling.
THE IMPACT
The majority of youth presenting their stories at AYE have participated in Canada Bridges’ Unveiling Youth Potential programs. These programs aim at empowering youth to realize their potential through leadership roles in building strong, resilient communities.
One of Canada Bridges’ core goals is to unveil youth potential. Through AYE they not only unveiled youth’s potential, but gave them space and a chance to show truly how strong, resilient, and passionate they are.
Canada Bridges “focuses on Unveiling Human Potential in youth ages 16-30 by providing support and capacity building with those who may not have the same access to resources and opportunities that others might have”. Find more information on how Canada Bridges supports and unveils youth potential here.