ABOUT US
OUR MISSION:
To encourage youth in our region to research and envision solutions to the Climate Crisis and a more socially equitable future.
To allow our youth to have a voice in our community regarding their concerns 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 and Climate Depression among our youth by encouraging them to look toward solutions and help us to get there.
To run a festival as a non-profit with the help of the community, offering solarpunk/hopepunk workshops and showing the community the ideas youth create both in art and in writing short stories.
To foster artistic individuality and innovation in the arts, and literacy among youth.
OUR ROOTS
The first Youth Imagine the Future—a Festival of Writing and Art was held in the fall of 2022. There were 3 people doing the majority 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, as well as the Kingston Community Credit Union were our first eager sponsors and supporters. We are very grateful. Terrific local businesses donated 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 festival is, again, sponsored by the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, also The Community Foundation for Kingston & Area, Providence Centre for Justice,Peace & Integrity of Creation, the Kingston Community Credit Union, Trailhead Kingston Eco-Grant and 350Kingston. Miigwetch! Nya:wen!
We are governed by a community based volunteer Board of Directors and supported by donations and a lot of volunteer hours.
LAND
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.
Board of directors
Executive Director: Jerri Jerreat, author, workshop instructor
Managing Director: Nikki Alward, (& Treasurer)
Walt Sepic, Outdoor Educator, (Secretary)
Directors at Large:
Mary Jane Philp, 350Kingston member
Michele Morningstar, Queen’s U. Professor
Gemma Zelmanovits, Principal, LDSB
Josh Cowan, Little Forests Kingston member
Garrett Elliott, LDSB Trustee, Photographer
Adan Jerreat-Poole, YA Author, U. of Waterloo Professor
Donations
So Far...
As a non-profit association, we welcome donations to be used for awards for young artists and writers, or to help with the 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. Cheques should be made out to "Youth Imagine the Future." Miigwetch! Nya:weh!
We always need a friendly voice to pass the information along to youth or to teachers. Remind them that we offer a free 1-hour workshop to a group or class, this September. Email to book a Sept. workshop at youthimaginefuture@gmail.com . Teachers won't likely have their class schedules yet so just pick a day, not the hour and minute. :)
Aug. news: half of September is already booked with 2 workshops per day. Sign your class up asap.
WE ARE HIRING: -- This is closed now.
YIF is hiring someone for a one-month contract position (November, 2023) to be the Submissions Coordinator. The person needs excellent computer and interpersonal skills and applications for the position are now open (email to youthimaginefuture@gmail.com) but will close on Wednesday, October 11th. Must be 18 or older. A description of the position is posted under the page "Media about YIF". (Er, excuse errors. We are figuring this out.)