ABOUT US

---

Mission Statement

·  To bring presentations into classrooms featuring solutions to the Climate & Biodiversity Crises that are being used now across Canada and the world. (Free)

·  To encourage youth in our region to research and envision a realistic, sustainable,  more socially equitable future for all of us. 

·  To run this project & the festival as a non-profit with the help of the community, and show the community the ideas youth create through art and creative writing.

·  To allow youth to have a voice in our community regarding their concerns and ideas about the environment and social equity issues. 

·  To create community: to bring adults and youth together to see and listen to each other over these large issues of the Climate Crisis and social equity.

·   To help combat the rise of Climate Anxiety among our youth by encouraging them to look toward solutions and help us to get there.

·  To foster artistic individuality and innovation in the arts, and literacy among youth by hosting a festival of creative writing & art. 

The first Youth Imagine the Future—a Festival of Writing and Art was held in the fall of 2022. There were 3 people doing most of the work, 17 volunteers on the writing jury and 10 on the art jury.  Queen’s University Faculty of Education, 350 Kingston, and Providence Centre for Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation, and the very generous Kingston Community Credit Union were our first eager sponsors and supporters. We are very grateful. Several terrific local businesses donated gift certificates for awards.

Today Youth Imagine the Future- a Festival of Writing and Art is a non-profit association, partnered with Kingston School of the Arts, a registered charity. The project (free climate solutions' presentations & a fun arts festival) is, again, sponsored by the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, also The Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, the Kingston Community Credit Union, The Limestone District School Board, The Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board, 350Kingston, SCAN, & individuals.  Thanks to Pivot Green for the award for "Youth Climate Action" across Canada. We were then deeply honoured when  Kingston named our festival as the Sustainability Champion for 2024! Miigwech! Nya:wen!

We are governed by a community based volunteer Board of Directors and supported by donations and rather a lot of volunteer hours. 

This land we live, create, work and play on, is the traditional land of Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee people. European settlers forced them off their land. We understand this, and hope to steward the land now and in the future in a way that our Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee friends would approve of. We support land-back initiatives and hope to see Indigenous people in all levels of government. 

Executive Director: Jerri Jerreat, author, workshop instructor

Managing Director: Nikki Alward, (& Treasurer)

Walt Sepic, Outdoor Educator,  (Secretary, workshop instructor)

Directors at Large: 

 Michele Morningstar, Queen’s U. Professor , 350Kingston member

 Gemma Zelmanovits,  Educator with Brave Education 

Josh Cowan,  Little Forests Kingston member

Garrett Elliott,  LDSB Trustee, Photographer

Adan Jerreat-Poole, YA Author, U. of Waterloo Professor

Jenn Anderson, Environmentalist, artist, LDSB teacher

Mary Jane Philp, Environmentalist, Activist, 350.ca, (Honorary Director)

YIF Youth Ambassador:  Emily Booth 

& deep thanks, miigwech to Alice Rush-Rhodes for creating the YIF Toolkit 

                          & Alice R R & Elizabeth Hunt for improving this website!

YIF will hire someone for a short contract position (early Oct. to early Dec.) to be the FESTIVAL ADMINISTRATOR .  The person needs excellent computer and interpersonal skills for the position.  Hiring for this position will open in mid-August (send an email with  cover letter and résumé   to youthimaginefuture@gmail.com if interested) and will close this year August 30th, 2026. Must be 18 or older.    

YIF will also be hiring an EVENT COORDINATOR, for part-time work Oct- Nov. Hiring will also open mid-August!     Must be 18 or older.                                     

For a full description of these positions, scroll down the the bottom of this page.  (This is currently being edited!)

As a non-profit association, we welcome donations to be used for awards to honour young artists and writers, or to help with  administration and communication costs. 

At this point, we cannot give out tax receipts. Sorry! We are able to accept cash, cheques or etransfers. Please tell us if your donation is to help run the festival or if you'd like it earmarked for an award for a young writer or artist, perhaps in your name. Your group could donate an award annually, (eg. 1 or 2  $50 awards in your group's name!)   Awards are generally $25, $50, $100 or more. Cheques should be made out to "Youth Imagine the Future," or email us to e-transfer.  Miigwech! Nia:wen!

We are also always looking for volunteers. You could be inspired and help us to review the amazing entries on a jury, or help us give a presentation. Email youthimaginefuture@gmail.com to express interest  and tell us a bit about yourself as related to the goals of our project & festival.