THE SHELTER YOUTH INITIATIVE - PROGRAMS
Drama Drop-In
Drama Drop-In or DDI is a 75 minute weekly drama based session led by Project: Humanity’s team of highly skilled professional artist facilitators brought directly to your shelter. Since DDI’s inception in 2007, the program has reached over 1,500 youth in shelters across the GTA.
“This program is good for my mental health” - DDI participant
Through accessible games, exercises and discussions, DDI offers youth a safe space for expression and connection to the arts. The goals of DDI include:
Increasing participants' confidence in themselves
Breaking down social barriers in the shelter
Supporting youths’ overall mood & mental health through creative play
Youth participate in a drama game, led by Executive Director Daniel Chapman-Smith
By showing up at the shelter itself, PH connects and engages with residents who may be unsure of the program. Because we are in the space and it is designed for maximum participation - no commitment, any level of skill welcome, etc - we find that youth are willing to try what we do and often return easily from there.
“I see them opening up, you get them talking - it’s like therapy for them!” - Shelter Staff
The impact of this work has been studied and documented in academic publications, which have observed that “improvisation became a way to extend the positive relationships that were being forged in the room, a way to lift the personal into the communal.” (Dr. Kathleen Galagher, Why Theatre Matters). Artist facilitators quickly become positive role models who let the residents be silly and joyful, which encourages expression.
“It was a big step further, you know, socializing with someone you never talked to before…that I never, never, ever said hi to.” - DDI Participant
PH 1:1
PH 1:1 pairs youth-on-the-margins with professional artists for 12 weeks of free mentorship in any artistic discipline of the youth’s choosing. PH 1:1 helps youth overcome isolation and social exclusion by building confidence, equipping them with hard and soft skills, and connecting them to new communities.
Since May 2020, PH 1:1 (formerly the COVID-19 Artist Partnership Program) has been working with 9 community partners to deliver this program. PH 1:1 is a fully customizable experience prioritizing the access and needs of our youth. Youth not only choose the medium they want to explore, but customize their own learning goals, if they want the work to be online, in person, or in a hybrid model and they even have a say in the identity of their mentors.
Especially for youth with marginalized identities, the opportunity to learn from someone with a similar experience builds trust in meaningful ways. Giving youth the opportunity to voice their identity preferences in a mentor empowers them to take ownership of this experience and contributes to the success rate of our work.
In November 2021, Joy and Mikaela embarked on a mentorship through our PH 1:1 artist mentorship program in order to help Joy cultivate her creative writing skills. Watch the journey of how that mentorship blossomed into a beautiful lasting partnership.
““Before the mentorship, I was always trying to steer myself toward a “practical” career path because it felt like the responsible thing to do. But this experience helped me reconnect with the idea of dreaming—not in a naive or unrealistic way, but with more clarity and information. It gave me a sense of where I can focus my effort to build a life that feels both fulfilling and possible.””
Monthly Art Hang
Once a month we invite participants, facilitators and mentors to gather for a casual day of art and community.
This initiative came out of participants expressing a desire to meet face to face and spend time together once Covid restrictions were lifted. Quickly a group of regulars formed, reinforcing that this is more than a program but a chosen community.
Open to current participants and program alumni, our Monthly Art Hangs consist of food, community building exercises, and some kind of art making/appreciation. From time to time we also go on field trips to local shows and exhibitions to deepen the group's connection to artistic experiences they can access in Toronto.
Like all of our programs, the Monthly Hang has no fee to participate and relies heavily on donations to provide food, experiences, and support the transportation needs of our youth since access is a frequently discussed barrier. We hope to find sustainable ways of further growing and supporting these events.
THE SHELTER YOUTH INITIATIVE IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH SUPPORT FROM:
S.M. Blair Family Foundation
Paolo Cini and William Lefler Fund at the Toronto Foundation
The Hal Jackman Foundation
