A Youth Explosion (AYE) 2019 Video

We are very excited to share the video of our 2019 A Youth Explosion (AYE) event. Many thanks to Trevor Solway for the video summary of a special night - so many memories come back after watching it!

In case you missed it, A Youth Explosion (AYE) is a storytelling event where Indigenous youth share their wisdom with an audience through a wide variety of mediums including spoken word, art, dance, music, and film. For the first time this past year, the event was completely youth led: organized and facilitated by a youth planning committee composed of past AYE presenters and volunteers, and supported by a full-time youth staff member.

For many of the presenters at AYE, it is the first time they have shared their stories publicly. Many of the audience members have never heard what Indigenous youth have to say. The audience deepens their understanding of the effects of intergenerational trauma, and the ongoing structural injustice that faces Indigenous people. They also witness the incredible resilience and wisdom that youth bring to the table!

Each year the event grows: in 2019, over 250 people attended the event. Held at TELUS Spark in Calgary, 13 Indigenous youth shared their strength, passion and resiliency.

We are hoping AYE 2020 (Our 10th anniversary!) will be able to go ahead as planned in November, stay tuned for more details.