Best Buzz Audio Slide Show

This series of audio slide shows, and its accompanying Executive Summary, was created in a manner to engage the viewer, features in-depth interviews with the people behind five of the many successful neighbourhood arts hubs that are animating communities across Toronto.

While the chosen organizations are meant to represent a small cross-section of innovative and effective community arts hubs it is by no means a definitive sample of what exists. Toronto is home to dozens of ground-breaking groups that are using the arts as a means of community development and social change. These audio slide-shows are a starting point exploring how five such organizations make a dynamic difference.

Supporting Our Youth (SOY) with Clare Nobbs

Best Buzz - Supporting Our Youth (SOY) with Clare Nobbs from Neighbourhood Arts Network on Vimeo.

Supporting Our Youth (SOY) is an exciting, dynamic community development project designed to improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and transgendered youth in Toronto through the active involvement of youth and adult communities. SOY works to create healthy arts, culture and recreational spaces for young people; to provide supportive housing and employment opportunities; and to increase youth access to adult mentoring and support. With Clare Nobbs, Coordinator of Community Programs.

Ralph Thornton Centre with Shawn Conway

Located in South Riverdale, the primary purpose of the Centre is to have a supportive environment in which the Riverdale community responds to issues and needs. They provide a variety of programs and services, including extensive arts and youth programming. With Shawn Conway, Executive Director

MABELLEarts with Leah Houston

MABELLEarts is a Jumblies Theatre offshoot project in Etobicoke’s Mabelle neighbourhood under the artistic direction of Leah Houston. MABELLEarts projects celebrate the possibilities of transient, makeshift and imperfect spaces that make room for creative activity and transformation. We believe that the act of making beautiful a shared space, object or event is essential to the role of the artist and the promise of urban renewal. This has always been the role of art - to enliven communities, spark conversations and engender a sense of shared ownership and power in places of marginalization and decay. With Leah Houston, Artistic Director

Regent Park Focus with Adonis Huggins

Regent Park Focus Youth Media Arts Centre is a youth driven, not-for-profit organization located in the heart of Regent Park, Toronto. Regent Park Focus is motivated by the belief that community-based media can play a vital role in building and sustaining healthy communities and seeks to increase civic engagement and effect positive change through youth-led media productions.

The program is aimed at culturally marginalized diverse youth living in and around the community. With free access to media technology, participants work collectively to explore issues and develop resources that contribute to personal well-being, the health of the community and address systemic barriers to equitable social participation. With Adonis Huggins, Program Director

Art Starts Glendower with Katherine Earl

Art Starts programming responds to community needs and interests while training local residents to take ownership of and responsibility for the programming. Art Starts has created a myriad of arts, music and dance programs at Glendower, including the Glendower Arts Council, the Glendower Basketball mosaic, and One World: Glendower, a music/recording program. With Katherine Earl, Program Director