ArtReach Toronto Showcase
Tonight I watched a year-end “graduation” showcase of fashion, singing, dancing, spoken word and expression.
ArtReach Toronto is a program designed to support arts initiatives that engage youth who have experienced exclusion in under-served areas of Toronto.
I think it is a great opportunity for youth to get a chance to experience what art and creativity can do for them. I really enjoyed the spoken word pieces. One was a man’s poem entitled “Mr. Immigration Officer” he very passionately expressed the power an immigration officer has over a new immigrant and the kind of racism they experience. The second one was one side of a conversation of a catholic school girl’s experience identifying her sexuality, it was both eye opening and humorous. Another man read excerpts from his book in progress about his experiences as a fourth generation Japanese Canadian. All pieces were well prepared and thoughtful.
It was all amazing and inspiring.
Camp Magic
I am a city girl through and through, a statement I am reminded of when we took a walk down memory lane around my brother’s summer camp. As I carefully find my footing as we walk from rock to rock, I watch my brother move swiftly as if he were there yesterday as he points out all his favourite spots. From age 11-16, my brother went away every summer for 1 month to an all boys away camp. From my point of view, he would disappear and I assumed he would spend his time staying up late, not showering and doing “boy” things. Little did I know that his time there would prove to be much more valuable than even he knew.
As we walk from cabin to cabin, he tells us stories of different activities and campers; I become curious about what hidden learning occurred while he was at camp. I slowly start asking about different lessons learned and he says it is hard to put it into words. He takes us on a journey through his memories, he hunts for a bunk that he scribed his name in BIG letters, the anticipation and nostalgia was palpable, as he does so I begin to observe a few key learnings;
- time to grow – away from parental supervision, imagination takes over
- value for tradition
- appreciation of nature
- opportunity to ignite passion – skill development for massive fire building
- a place to overcome fears – obstacle course in the trees particularly
- peers to experiment with – “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” – Ellen Parr
- learning to trust yourself
- work as a team
He describes it as magic… a lot must have happened over those summers, because the excitement and emotions I witnessed was a pleasure.
Ripple Effect
Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter is hosting Ripple Effect, a 4 month Civic Leadership Training Program for Chinese Youth. “CCNC Toronto Chapter is an organization of Chinese Canadians in the City of Toronto that promotes equity, social justice, inclusive civic participation, and respect for diversity.”
I am lucky to be a member of the 2010 Ripple Effect youth group. It is an opportunity for me to connect with my Chinese heritage, learn about civic issues that are facing the Chinese community and come together with Chinese Youth (who god bless them, call me wise!!)
Over the first 2 day introduction weekend I walked away feeling motivated!!!
Motivated to learn more about Chinese Canadian history, to get involved, to connect with the culture, and most importantly to start planning that Asia getaway that I have been thinking about going on. Admittedly, I grew up and thought of being Chinese only when I missed out on sleepovers because of Saturday morning Chinese School or when my friends would ask “is Chinatown in China??” I didn’t really think about it when we celebrated Lunar New Year or when I would listen to my parents talk in Cantonese. More recently, I wish that I hadn’t thought about being Chinese so lightly, it is a part of me and I am now eager to soak in as much as I can.
I also came up with a few questions that I am curious to answer over the 4 month time period:
1. What does it mean to me to be Chinese AND Canadian?
2. How can we celebrate our traditions and move them into the future?
3. How to share multi-culture heritage with all Canadians?
World Creativity and Innovation Week April 15-21 2009
This year I attended the 9th annual signature World Creativity and Innovation Week event in Toronto, called “Admit it. You’re Creative!” World Creativity and Innovation Week falls on the anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s Birthday – April 15 every year. My curiosity sparked from the time I heard the words creativity and innovation and upon further investigation I read the intentions of the week.
“Imagine the world united through it’s creativity. Where everyone takes a moment, a day, or the week to generate new ideas to create a brighter future wherever they are.” – a mission dear to my heart.
I went to 2 workshops, one about how Walt Disney thinks and the other on writing the Hero’s story.
Walt Disney used a very specific process when he worked, he had 3 stages of development with 3 different spaces for the activities. Disney animators would never know which Walt was coming to a meeting, the dreamer, the realist or the critic. Each Walt played a very important role in the process of developing a Disney production.
1. The Dreamer – The dreamer wished, imagined and created glorious scenarios and the animators were always excited by him.
2. The Realist – The realist animated each character with voices, personality traits and allowing the animators to get in his head and share his vision.
3. The Critic – The critic would come and seemingly ruin all the fun. He would dissect the pieces until he was happy, this was not fun for the animators.
I certainly value the ability to transform your mind and I would love to be able to have 3 different workspaces to take advantages of spatial triggers.
Secondly, I went to a storytelling workshop focusing on the Hero’s story template. This template is used throughout history in mythology and in Hollywood movies – most famously “Star Wars”. The plot is developed around a Hero’s journey, from original life, to facing challenges, finding a mentor and coming to new perspectives. It is not the first time I had heard of the Hero’s storytelling process, but it was a good exercise in looking closer at changes made before and after projects.
Overall, I wish everyone would embrace creativity and innovation for more than just a week a year.
YSEC Spotlight
Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada is a nonprofit, support youth organizers and youth-led groups in creating social enterprises. They are a group of charismatic and energetic individuals who are making it easier to understand how to have a social missions as well as have business.
I was featured in their April Newsletter, which I thought would be a good idea to share:
1. What are you working on and why does it matter?
I am the founder of Exhibit Change. Exhibit Change is a social enterprise, encouraging impact through design thinking and playful curiosity. Exhibit Change designs programming to understand landscapes and culture by partnering with community organizations in design driven strategies and creative thinking facilitation. Exhibit Change is a catalyst for stronger communities, healthier neighbourhoods and empowered people. Through this work, all community members will learn the process of design thinking and playful curiosity to see how their actions make an impact on their community and ultimately on themselves.
2. What motivates you?
Motivation is part of our physical make-up; it is what makes us hungry – biologically and mentally. I am motivated by the sheer thrill of seeing people learn and discover new experiences. I love to watch people uncover autonomy to propel themselves forward. I get excited when someone tells me a story full of passion and engagement. I am motivated by people who want to learn.
3. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned recently?
The biggest lesson I have learned is a lesson of perseverance. I am known for helping people to reach for their dreams, experience the moments and love what they do. And I have finally come to a place where I think I can do all those things through Exhibit Change, but I notice myself second guessing and making my own barriers. I have to get out of my own way!
4. If you could organize a dinner with five dinner guests, dead or alive, who would you invite and why?
After much thought I would invite, Daniel Pink, Maria Montessori, Sir Ken Robinson, Ole Kirk Christiansen, Bill Strickland. Each of these people have inspired me and I would love to bombard them with questions and for them to challenge each other in their own way. Daniel Pink promotes an emergence of the whole mind, Maria Montessori based learning on research and experience, Sir Ken Robinson talks of creativity in schools, Ole Kirk Christiansen and his son invented Lego, which is formed from the Danish words “LEgGOdt” (“play well”) and Bill Strickland inspires through creativity and genuine amazing spaces. I would cook lasagna and garlic bread and of course dessert. I would ask them all “How do you Exhibit Change?”
5. What the best resource out there that people don’t know about?
The best resource that people don’t know about or maybe they do; is community centers. Community Centers are local gems. I grew up spending Saturday afternoons swimming with my brother, going skating with my friends, trying to play tennis in the summers and more recently playing pick-up volleyball every week. It is a place to step away from your day, to focus on being part of a community and to chat about nothing if you want.
Activism vs. Slacktivism
One day, I open up my email to find these 3 Questions:
1. Do you think that online activism is actually that, or is it just a passive action?
2. Do online resources for social engagement actually get people to go out and get involved or do they just satisfy a vague need?
3. Do you have anything else to say about internet activism?
So Miss Emily Carson, who is super amazing and inspiring through her work for Global Youth Coalition for HIV/AIDS and going to school at Guelph Humber all at the same time. Emily took my few comments and wrote this great article called Activism vs. Slacktivism
Here is an excerpt:
“I think any kind of activism, whether it be passive or aggressive, is activism,” says Jennifer Chan, of Toronto-based Exhibit Change…[] “Whatever way people want to participate in being more aware, expressing their feelings, researching, and getting involved at a level they are comfortable with is valid. Then if something sparks action, they are much closer to understanding viewpoints and perspectives.”
Dan Pink!
Dear Dan,
About a month ago, I was super excited to see that you were coming to speak at Rotman Business School of “Management” (the quotations put there by you). I have been following you for a few months now on twitter and now I am reading your book “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers will rule the world”, a book that I am loving.
So today, after much anticipation, it was finally Dan Pink day!
Thank you for teaching me:
“Are you Hungry?”, as you pointed out motivation is biological. It is deep rooted in our physical make-up, it is what makes us eat. Though I love the double meaning of the question, our motivation is both biological in survival and in our personal missions to propel ourselves further.
I was not surprised to hear, as long as people are properly compensated, monetary incentives can distract from achieving personal purpose. You spoke about experiments performed by economists that reported cash incentives only worked when tasks were mechanical. And alternatively noted that punishment often results in the opposite behaviour changes than hoped. Management is for teaching people to comply and it was invented a long time ago. So why is it that management thinks that people would do nothing without punishment or cash incentives? That is something I have long thought about…
Ultimately, here is my message to you: Dear Dan, I promise to let my motivation lead me. Thank you for letting me know it is ok!
To learn?
Sometime ago, I was at an old house converted into offices. In the boardroom in the basement there is a button on the light switch face plate indicating “learn”…I immediately pressed it to see what it did.
Nothing.
The button didn’t do anything in the room. That made me think, what a “learn” button would be for. It is probably for something very simple, but it was thought provoking to me. Would pressing a button mean you could learn, were ready to learn, had I learned something by pushing the button?
Is the point that it is just not that easy to learn?
Experiment of Curiosity
Exhibit Change is conducting an experiment of curiosity to learn the process and magic of WordPress.