Humber hosted the free, two-day YOUTHINK Art & Creative Writing Retreat from March 12 and 13.
The program, aimed at senior high school students from under-resourced communities in the Greater Toronto Area fostered artistic expression and post-secondary exploration.
Students worked diligently on all the arranged workshops of the event. Photo credit: Akhil Dalvi
It was organized by Humber’s English department faculty in partnership with VIBE Arts, a charity dedicated to youth arts education.
The retreat offered a unique blend of workshops that focused on writing, identity expression, cover art creation and magazine making.
Eufemia Fantetti, a faculty member of Humber’s English department and co-organizer of the retreat said that the event was important for the students.
“It’s been wonderful to see these students engaging with art making as it looks wonderful and their writing is fantastic,” Fantetti said. It’s really lovely to see them connecting with each other because they didn’t come from one specific high school, they came from all over.”
The Arboretum tour involved sightseeing and observation to bring out the creative side of the students. Photo credit: Akhil Dalvi
Day one of the event included a tour of the Arboretum where students documented their thoughts by creating notes and drawing pictures.
The tour was led by Emelia Maceasik, a student and community engagement specialist at the Humber Arboretum and Drew Maxwell, a faculty member of liberal arts and sciences.
Maxwell said exploring the Arboretum and being outdoors are factors that enhance creativity.
“I think it’s good, especially for youth living in urban areas like this just to get out and think about the natural world, the space that we’re in and the space that we share with every other living being,” she said.
Emelia Maceasik was in charge of educating the students about the nature and wildlife present at the Arboretum. Photo credit: Akhil Dalvi
Maceasik said that the tour’s purpose was to get the students out into nature and talk about the plants and animals that we have to create something with that knowledge and share it with others.
Beyond honing artistic skills, the retreat also offered participants a glimpse into Humber College and its programs.
Leanne Milech, another co-organizer and a faculty member of the English department, said students got the opportunity to tour the campus, meet current students and learn about potential pathways for their future education.
The students got the chance to visit Cleo, the resident turtle in the Centre for Urban Ecology.
“It’s been really uplifting to see all of these youth who are taking time out of their March break when they don’t have to be in school to come to another school and do more school-like activities,” Milech said. I’m just so hopeful about the future knowing that there are young people like this who are committed to continuing to grow and learn in a more formal way.”
Sarah Feldbloom, the third co-organizer and professor in the Liberal Arts and Sciences expanded upon what this event could mean for the high school participants in the future.
The organizers of the event ensured to keep all the students engaged and coordinated. Photo credit: Akhil Dalvi
“One possible outcome is that they might find themselves feeling comfortable in a post-secondary environment, feeling a sense of connection to a career that has to do with creative work and being able to imagine a possible trajectory for themselves where they are able to have a professional life as creators,” Feldbloom said.
Led by VIBE Arts’ artist facilitators like Mirka Loiselle, participants got the chance to explore creative writing, the world of collating and the art of zine-making on day two.
Students created a magazine with all their creative work. Photo credit: Akhil Dalvi
“I was really impressed with everyone not only in the quality of their writing but also just their confidence in being able to put their words to page and then say those words out loud,” Loiselle said.
By providing a platform for artistic exploration and post-secondary exploration, the program acts as a stepping stone to empower young people and ignite their creative spark.