Newcomer Youth Theatre
CURA Demonstration Project:
Newcomer Youth Theatre
led by the by the Kitchener-Waterloo Cambridge YMCA
In collaboration with the YMCA and MT Space, an exciting CURA demonstration project took place in the 2008-2009 school year at a local high school. It all started when the YMCA Cross Cultural and Immigrant Services recognized the need for more youth-oriented settlement programs. They partnered with teachers from Waterloo Collegiate Institute (WCI) and MT Space to create the Newcomer Youth Theatre Project. The project is centred on building self-confidence, self-awareness and empowerment through theatre and creative expression for newcomer youth from diverse backgrounds.
The intended project goal is not only to encourage these students to voice their experiences and challenges through theatre, but also to build an atmosphere of understanding, support and openness to diversity within the high school community. One of the project strategies is to build reciprocal relationships between newcomer students and counsellors to learn from each other about how to best offer and access support when needed. Between November and May, twelve ESL students from WCI met 3 hours per week to work with the MT Space Theatre company. They do dramatic exercises based on topics that have been identified by the students as struggles they feel are important to convey, which include language barriers, struggling to fit in and develop friendships, food and clothing differences, cultural conflicts with parents, and dealing with a shift in the family’s economic status.
According to Tara Haworth, the YMCA Host Newcomer Youth Coordinator, the students involved in the project have displayed resilience and enthusiasm, and have developed a bond that has been a positive and empowering experience. The outcome of these rehearsals was performed for the school community at WCI in early May, with the possibility of performing at other high schools in the Waterloo Region or within the community. The program will run for one more year on its current funding schedule, and may stay at WCI for the second year or possibly move to a different high school in the Waterloo Region.
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