All across the country, youth aged 17 or under are being asked to share their ideas on their future, and their dreams for the future of their country.

The Dream Catchers is an initiative of Confederation Centre of the Arts, supported by Canada 150. The project has a number of stages:

  1. Gathering the hopes for the future from young Canadians, and giving them a means of expression through our website.
  2. Exploring these hopes through workshops for young Canadians that connect them to their dreams and use art and drama to discuss big and small issues, like the environment, bullying and stories in Canada’s past.
  3. Creating a theatrical show full of music, dance and stories inspired by these hopes that will be presented across Canada.
  4. Creating a giant national dream catcher that is made up of smaller dream catchers made by young Canadians from each province and territory, that will be publicly displayed at Confederation Centre of the Arts.
  5. Helping Canada’s youth take their wildest dreams and imagine what the world could be.

Youth can visit the “Share Your Dream” section of Dreamingcanada.ca, to make a video, take a picture, make some artwork, or just use their words.

All dreams submitted, “as long as they are not offensive,” will be posted to the Dream Gallery, so you can check out what you have posted and see the ideas of other young Canadians.

Hey Rosetta’s Romesh Thavanathan to Lead Local Workshop This Saturday

One must apply here to attend the workshop.

At this weekend’s workshop, youth aged 11 to 13 will produce poetry, music, video, and to share their vision for the country. These dreams will be among the ones transformed into a musical production that will tour the country this summer.

Attendees will also create their own dream catcher that will be used in the making of one massive dream catcher that will be displayed at Confederation Centre of the Arts, a leading Canadian cultural centre in Charlottetown, P.E.I. that inspires creativity, dialogue, and collaboration.

Thavanathan was approached by Mary Francis Moore, the associate artistic director of the Confederation Centre of the Arts in PEI, to lead the workshop. Artists as diverse as Fred Penner and Nikki Payne will lead similar workshops across the country.

“She painted me a picture of the project and I was pretty smitten by the concept from day one,” Thavanathan says. “Little pockets of young, eager minds across this country getting together to learn about the beautiful cultural tradition of weaving dreamcatchers, while pondering the shape and direction of their lives and our country’s future.”

“At a time when the weight of the world seems a heavy burden, the whole project lives to be a reminder that change first starts with taking the time to dream of the future that you want it to be.”

Workshoppers’ Dreams May be Transformed
into a Musical Production That Will Tour the Country This Summer

Work coming out of the workshops and website will form the basis of “a vibrant music and dance filled spectacle that explores the dreams of young Canadians.”

With brand new original music, dance, and story from all workshop directors — City Natives, Emm Gryner, Kinnie Starr, Paper Lions, Khodi Dill, Fred Penner, Nikki Payne, Carmen Braden, Romesh Thavanathan, Daniel Maté, Riley Simpson-Fowler, Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory and Twin Flames — “The Dream Catchers promises to leave audiences full of possibility.”

The Dream Catchers will open in both Charlottetown and Ottawa on National Aboriginal Day, June 21st, and tour the country until August 19th. Once dates are booked, the tour schedule will be available on the website at www.dreamingcanada.ca.

The creative team working on the project are a group of award winning and innovative Canadian theatre artists: Mary Francis Moore, Ahdri Zhina Mandiela, Barbara Diabo, and Rachel Forbes.