Art & Social Transformation Mentor, Press Start Co-op (PAID)
March 22, 2024 | by User Posts
Press Start is partnering with Concordia’s Office of Community Engagement (OCE) to offer the youth of Pointe-Saint-Charles the opportunity to delve into the creative arts and social justice issues with the studio spaces to explore them in depth. This twelve-week program will allow Concordia students to act as mentors and to guide their mentees through an exploration of their practices – whether it’s through learning specific techniques, completing small studio projects, a large final project, or more. Mentors should also have open dialogues on the theme of anti-oppression and how to apply it in your art. We hope mentors can create a safe space for youth to explore and experiment their field of interest in a way that is accessible to them.
What does it mean to be a mentor?
We are seeking Concordia art students (third year bachelor or graduate students) who have an interest in sharing their arts-based practices with a passionate young person. Offer a learning opportunity to someone who has an interest in the arts but who otherwise would not have access to classes, training or resources. We are seeking mentors who want to share their skills, their passion for social change, and their time to co-create a project with a mentee.
Why Social Transformation and Art?
Many young people are growing up discouraged by the state of the world. We live under a capitalist system that is killing the planet and a social structure that only benefits those that can produce for this system without question. Art is often a catalyst for social change and is used everyday for this purpose. Think of the chants at protests, the symbols created to represent movements, the comedians that make you laugh at the oppressors, the books or stories that allow you to imagine better worlds and much more. Artists play a key role in changing our society and Press Start wants to highlight that.
What will the mentorship entail?
Over twelve weeks, mentees will be paired with Concordia students to engage their artistic practices toward social and environmental justice aims. Mentors meet with the participants on a weekly basis for a minimum of 4 hours per week. Additionally, the mentors, mentees, and the Press Start team will work together to develop an art exhibition. Mentors must be available for the weeks between May 7th & July 30th for an average of 6 hours a week (72 hours in total for 12 weeks).
Mentors will receive a honorarium of up to 1584.00$ for their engagement, partially paid halfway through the mentorship session and the remaining balance at the end.
Only those that are selected for an interview will be contacted. You must be available for an interview sometime between March 25th and April 3rd and on May 7th for the mentorship orientation.
Note: Press Start prioritizes Black, Indigenous and people of colour. We strongly encourage Queer, Trans and otherwise LGBTQIA2S+ youth of colour to apply.