Step & Speak Youth Program
Antigonish, Nova Scotia
The Step & Speak: Return to the Black Body Youth Initiative fuses the art form of stepping with storytelling and spoken word. It is an intentional focus on the body to create, make noise, and call on the power of collective music! Woven into this artistic journey is an exploration of black history, movement, and an awareness of how black bodies instinctively resisted, thus creating revolutions for all.
This Free program is focused on black and racialized youth in rural Nova Scotian communities, specifically Antigonish. These youth will be students attending high school, college, and university, as well as community members under the age of 30. Our goal is to connect with 50-100 youths, using a train-the-trainer model to teach them new skills they can sustainably share with their communities. On March 5th, 6th, 7th, 26th and 27th, a total of five in-person workshops will be held. These workshops will then lead to a culminating event on March 28th, highlighting the outcomes of the initiative and presentations from the youth participants. Each workshop will include training in the art of step, writing, storytelling, and an exploration of how the steps highlight themes of identity, belonging, activism, anti-racism, anti-oppression, and resistance.