Redefining Creativity –
The History of Project: Humanity

Cre-ate: verb, latin (to grow)

An act of creation is not necessarily artistic in nature.

By presenting an issue from a fresh perspective,
it is possible to create understanding.

By articulating a message that is accessible and engaging,
it is possible to create awareness.

By inspiring a community to work together,
it is possible to create solutions.

Create: to produce or bring about a course of action or behavior

The De-Shelter Project is our original and ongoing initiative that allows us to work directly with youth within the shelter system, and provide them with transferable life skills through arts faciliation. These workshops aim to bolster the youth’s confidence and communication skills while affording them an opportunity to create and play with members of their shelter family.  In tandem with this outreach, one commissioned artist is invited to create a work inspired by his or her interfacing with this community.   The aim is to share this creation with the specific community-of-origin as well as the community-at-large (people who may or may not be aware the shelter system and/or youth homelessness).  Playwright Andrew Kushnir was brought on for the inaugural run of this initiative.  His piece, The Middle Place is the first product of the De-Shelter Initiative.  

Create: to produce through imaginative skill

This year will see us bring to life our first theatrical production at 2 major Toronto Theatres. The Middle Place showed to packed houses at Theatre Passe Muraille during Summerworks 2009, and then toured to 24 schools across the GTA. After further workshopping elements of the play, playwright Andrew Kushnir and director Alan Dilworth, will again re-unite to further develop this candid look into the lives of Toronto's Homeless Youth.

We could not turn our imaginings into reality without your support. We look forward to continuing to work with you to better our community and redefine the scope of our creative potential.

Create: to bring into existence

Project: Humanity began as a group of artists who developed a theatre program for youth in Ontario prisons as a means of giving back to our community. We turned our attention to global causes by traveling to Jamaica to work with Father Ho Lung and the Friends of the Poor caring for children in orphanages and assisting with Jamaica's first musical. These experiences inspired us to start a non-profit organization that would harness the creative energy of our artistic community to make a difference. Project: Humanity was born.

Create: to invest with a new form

Our projects focus on using a local or global concern to inspire artistic creations that are presented at events designed to generate awareness and to raise funds. Each artist personalizes an issue that often seems remote in the media and each event transforms an overwhelming problem into a manageable challenge.