Multicultural Arts for Schools and Communities, a program that encourages young people to get involved in the arts, is hosting its first ever Your Story conference for Ottawa high school students on Oct. 20.
The pilot project has participants interacting with local artists during the one-day workshops.
MASC, based at Fisher Park School on Holland Avenue, has held conferences for young writers before, but previous events catered to a younger crowd.
“In teenagers, there is a feeling of being disconnected and unsure,” says Sean Wilson, artistic co-ordinator for Ottawa’s Writers Festival, who will be moderating a panel discussion at the conference. “Self expression is hugely important at that age.”
Wilson’s panel will introduce participants to the four Ottawa-based MASC artists they will be working with: novelist Alan Cumyn, graphic novelist Jo Rioux, Denise Chong, a writer and economist; and Mehdi Hamdad, songwriter, musician, poet and actor.
Wendy Hartley, program director at MASC, says working with an established artist can help young people see writing as a potential career. The size of the conference (capped at 100) will also give participants time to get in depth with the artists.
Artists involved with MASC will often work with the organization at other conferences like Your Story.
Alan Cumyn regularly goes to schools in the Ottawa area to discuss the craft of writing with young students.
“This is (an age) when people are really starting to take up their own talents,” says Cumyn, who began writing as a young adult himself. “I want to encourage them to know the craft and develop their own practice.”
Hartley says that often the quieter kids are the ones attending at workshops, and they’ll have no idea of their own writing skills.
“I’ve seen it where you just spark some interest,” says Hartley. “That is so important.”
Of the four artists offering workshops at Your Story, participants have the option to choose two, allowing for some diversity in their experience.
Your Story received support from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and will take place at the Confederation Education Centre, located at West Hunt Club and Woodroffe.
Wilson says he co-ordinated a similar youth program for the Ottawa Valley Book Program in 1996 and that encouraging adolescents to write it extremely important.
“We want to support MASC’s work with young people,” says Wilson. “Their values are completely in line with Writers Fest.”
Hartley said Your Story will have a raffle at the end of the day, and some of the prizes available are tickets to Writers Festival.
“By highlighting the fest, we want to foster the connection and draw more youth there,” says Hartley.
Writers Festival also has youth events, such as its Write On! project. Write On! consists of a series of author events held in schools, and which are subsidized by public funding.
Wilson said he never thought being a writer was something he could do, but an introduction to a professional writer in high school changed his mind.
“It’s about making sure kids have opportunities,” says Wilson.
Rioux says she’s interested in young people being able to figure out their own language to tell stories.
“I would’ve loved to attend something like this,” she says.