GBHS launches youth program

GUELPH – The Guelph Black Heritage Society (GBHS) continues its #ChangeStartsNow Anti-Racism Education Initiative with the launch of the Dream Makers Youth Program.

The GBHS desires to provide a safe haven for our young people – an area to develop friendships, to learn from their mentors and to allow them the opportunity to feed their souls by creating a space to have the freedom to be creative, the freedom to dream and the freedom to realize anything is possible, officials say.

The Dream Makers will present programming and activities geared towards students in Grade 7 to university and will launch in July 2021 with two initiatives – Code Black and Leaders of Today.

Code Black is a Black-centred program where participants will learn how to build a basic interactive website using HTML and Java.

There will be one session which will run online weekly on Wednesdays from July 7 to Aug. 11, from 10am to 3pm.

Leaders of Today is a program designed to give youth in our community of differing races, genders, and socio-economic backgrounds the tools to use their voice by telling their stories through the visual mediums of film and photography.

“We aim to foster a space that brings together a diverse group of young people where they can creatively practice community engagement and activism,” officials say.

The program will run as one week intensives for three cohorts from July 5 to July 22, with a final exhibition on July 30.

Each session will run Monday to Thursday from 10am to 3:30pm.

Both of these programs are open to all members of the community and there is no charge to register. Space is limited.

To register for these programs, please go to https://www.guelphblackheritage.ca/changestartsnow-dream-makers-youth-program.