ABOUT US

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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.

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. Many local businesses, including Sustainable Kingston, 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, Providence Centre for Justice,Peace & Integrity of Creation, the Kingston Community Credit Union, and 350Kingston. Miigwetch! Nia:wen!

We are governed by a community based volunteer Board of Directors and supported by donations and 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, former local business owner 

Festival & Social Media Administrator: TBA

                       Directors at Large: 

Mary Jane Philp, 350Kingston member

 Michele Morningstar, Queen’s U. Professor 

 Gemma Zelmanovits,  Principal, LDSB

Josh Cowan,  Little Forests Kingston member

Walt Sepic, Outdoor Educator, Environmental Advocate

Garrett Elliott,  LDSB Trustee, Photographer

As a non-profit association, we would 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 still sorting this out. Check in in April!  :) 

We always need a friendly voice to pass the information along to a youth or a teacher. Remind them that we offer a free workshop to a group or class, this September. Email to book a Sept. workshop  at   youthfuturefest@gmail.com  .