Our Youth Engagement Program is an important community development tool for connectivity, personal growth, and empowerment of youth, as well as succession and capacity building within the arts community.
Opportunities for Youth
Youth Music Showcases
A fantastic opportunity to see and hear the rising young stars of the Comox Valley! We feature up and coming talent through presentation opportunities.
These events are hosted throughout the year in a variety of locations.
Skill Building Workshops
Each year we offer or facilitate a variety of professional development and capacity building training sessions, workshops and courses for makers, creators and arts administrators. These are presented by local professionals and the Youth Music Showcase components feature
skill building topics such as Sound Tech Assistant training, Mic Works, Theatre Production, and the Sound Station Exploratory Music Lab.
Outcomes that benefit youth and our community.
Programming focused on youth engages the general community in addressing issues and in turn helps to improve conditions for youth.
• Youth specific and integrated programming.
• Present workshops to support creation of original works and personal development.
• Host or partner in quarterly larger scale events, where youth artists and supporters can collaborate on a larger scale in an inter-disciplinary arts and cultural presentation.
• Document and produce resource material.
• Includes young people as meaningful contributors in the social and economic aspects of community building.
• Direct community-level programming that allows intergenerational collaboration & communication.
• Recognition of youth as valued creators and makers and contributors in our community.
• Community succession planning.
Each year:
- Over 150 youth participate
- 500+ volunteer hours contributed
Contributing Board, Staff & Volunteers
The Youth Music Showcases have created wonderful opportunities for young musicians of all ages, genres, and ability levels to perform in a variety of environments. They’ve been outside, in noisy pubs, and in quiet cafes. As a music educator, I thoroughly enjoy watching the youth shine on stage. I witness them navigating the endless variables such as sound issues, wind blowing sheet music, musical errors, different instruments and set-ups from what they’re used to. I’m proud of the resilience and perseverance they demonstrate in the face of some of these challenges and how they adjust to make sure that the “show goes on”. I love seeing the pride and joy on their faces as audience members congratulate them. Over the last 2 ½ years, we have seen repeatedly performing musicians develop and play at higher skill levels as well as create more complex original songs.
Dallas Stevenson, Executive Director:
April Dawn Brass, First Peoples’ Cultural Liaison & Outreach Coordinator