What is ResilienTOgether?
ResilienTOgether is a partnership between the City of Toronto, VIBE Arts, The Remix Project, RISE Edutainment, UrbanArts, ArtworksTO, ArtStarts and Toronto Arts Foundation’s Neighbourhood Arts Network, celebrating youth voices through the arts as part of Youth Week.
This year, ResilienTOgether is focused on the themes of TRANSFORMATION & TRANSCENDENCE and will highlight performances and interviews with several Toronto-based youth artists. ResilienTOgether also brings together youth vision with a curated social media campaign, #ResiliencyLooksLike, and a visual art exhibit featuring the collaborative work of youth photographers and visual artists titled Transformation & Transcendence.
featured artists:
Clairmont The Second
Dijah SB
Hannah Flores
Wiidaaseh
Benita
SRE
Who are our
Community Partners?
TYES — The Toronto Youth Equity Strategy was developed with contributions from Toronto youth and was adopted by City Council in February 2014. The Toronto Youth Equity Strategy is a City of Toronto action plan that identifies 28 key issues faced by youth most vulnerable to involvement in violence and crime that the City and its partners must address, and is geared towards building resiliency and supportive systems for youth vulnerable to these issues.
VIBE Arts — Established in 1995, VIBE Arts is an award-winning charitable organization committed to providing children and youth in under-resourced communities with high quality community and school-based arts education. With a 20-year trajectory, VIBE Arts has become one of the most celebrated community arts organizations in Toronto.
The Remix Project — The Remix Project was created in order to help level the playing field for young people from marginalized and under served communities. Our programs and services serve youth who are trying to enter into the creative industries or further their formal education. The Remix Project provides top-notch alternative, creative, educational programs, facilitators and facilities. Our mission is to help refine the raw talents of young people in order to help them find success as participants define it and on their own terms.
RISE Edutainment -RISE creates safe and inclusive spaces for youth and emerging artists to express themselves in a positive way. Through their Edutainment methodology, they empower performance artists to create meaningful art rooted in self knowledge and self expression. RISE believes art has the power to transform the lives of many youth we often see lost to the system and its streets. Their programs provide youth with platforms to perform, learn and develop leadership skills. Their model encourages youth to dive deep into their stories while using art as a cathartic practice to explore their vulnerability and create room to best deal with their mental health.
Neighbourhood Arts Network — Neighbourhood Arts Network was created by Toronto Arts Foundation (TAF) in 2010 following the release of a study regarding the challenges experienced by artists attempting to engage their local communities. Neighbourhood Arts Network is a unique and invaluable network that connects artists, arts organizations, arts workers, and community agencies throughout the City of Toronto.Neighbourhood Arts Network is a city-wide network including artists, arts organizations, cultural workers and community agencies working throughout the City of Toronto, from North York to the downtown core, and from Etobicoke to Scarborough.
Urban Arts — UrbanArts is a progressive, not-for-profit Community Arts Council (CAC) / Local Arts Service Organization (LASO) providing opportunities for diverse cultural expression, artistic development, training and employment to members of urban communities with a focus on youth in central west Toronto. UrbanArts is in the process of transitioning its delivery of programs and services to include the broader community.
Anti-Black Racism
By: Anthony Gebrehiwot
I do need to express that what has transpired during the week of May 24th has made it as clear as day that we have reached our limit.
The trauma, the response to the trauma, the information, the misinformation, the allyship and lack thereof. All of it means that we can’t continue to exist in a world where our bodies and minds are disenfranchised and being treated like inanimate objects.
When people try to give me career advice, one of the first things that always comes up is you need to diversify your portfolio and shoot people that don’t look like you. This is great advice and I probably should do that at some point in time. However, I’m not ready to go down that road because I feel and have felt a personal calling to uplift my people through my work. When I see someone that looks just like me getting lynched while on a run in 2020, I HAVE TO MAKE WORK THAT HOLDS OUR PEOPLE IN THE HIGHEST LIGHT POSSIBLE INCASE ANY OF US FORGET WHO WE REALLY ARE ON THIS PLANET.
I’m frustrated, I’m tired, I’m sad, I’m mourning with you all. But the work doesn’t end here. If anything it has intensified, it has become more urgent than ever. To my community and to my global family, I love you all. Keep pushing for us all.
Rest In power Ahmaud Arbery, Rest in Power George Floyd, Rest In Power Regis Korchinski- Paquet and every other black body that has been taken away too soon.