Spring Program Celebration
Our recent Spring Program Celebration was more than just an event; it was a kaleidoscope of talent, a symphony of stories, and a testament to the transformative power of art. The turnout from our community on June 4, 2024, at Christ Church Upper Hall filled our hearts.
We heard from Keke Beatz, who facilitated our Music Video Program this past term and worked with dedicated youths to create a music video! Keke said during the event that even though none of the youth wanted to be in the spotlight, they managed to find their collective strength and create something amazing!
Emma Paulson, who ran our Photography program, shared:
“The time I got to spend with the youth over the last 8 weeks was truly wonderful. Getting to see them was the highlight of my week—they always have the ability to turn my day around. Seeing each of their beautiful, creative minds work and produce art together was something I feel lucky to be a part of.”
Diana, our Program Director and the Painting and Colour facilitator this past term, shared a heartfelt speech:
“This term in colour theory, many of the youth were quite specific with what they wanted to learn – these are all direct quotes;
- ‘How to paint different skin colours.’
- ‘How to use complimentary colours to create dynamism in a piece.’
- ‘How to choose colours to create my own palette when developing characters, so I don’t have to go to a colour generator.’
- ‘Psychedelic colours’ (which I did research, and we had a shortened term and didn’t get to it… So I’ll see how I can put that in our screen-printing program next term)
- ‘Get back in touch and more understanding of colours.’
- ‘Colour theory – just anything colour theory, or how does a colour taste or smell?’
- Or the youth who didn’t even sign up for the class, who walked in and said, ‘Ok, I have another idea for a new painting, can you get me another 30 x 30 canvas?’
Being a MacPhee facilitator means trying to be as flexible and creative as the youth who show up in your program. It means being vulnerable and learning together, co-creating our classes together, and challenging each other to learn something new or try something different. It also means getting to see youth thrive in a way they didn’t realize they could.”
We recognized all our facilitators from this past term and all our volunteers. We are endlessly grateful for their hard work, adaptability, and creativity. The success of each program is a direct result of the dedication of each facilitator, volunteer, and staff member. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
To close out the event, we celebrated our graduating youth. We see the hard work each individual puts into graduating grade 12, and it’s so important that we celebrate their achievements beyond our centre’s walls. We are so proud of all the graduates, and we called all those who were at our event to come up on stage and be celebrated.
We ensure that we take the time to celebrate everything our youth achieve each term. We gather with youth, parents, facilitators, volunteers, staff, and other community members to share artwork, stories and appreciation!
Thank you to everyone who helps make our centre a hub for joy and creativity, learning and laughter, friendship and belonging. We are so grateful to you.
A big thank you to our funders who support our programs.
