The innovative youth academy Ethọ́s Lab is moving into their first permanent home in Mount Pleasant and will be celebrating with a public block party on June 18th. The Black-led organization has been offering virtual, STEAM-based education (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) within an antiracist, technology-forward framework throughout the pandemic, and will now be able to add in-person programming.
Ethọ́s Lab members Eden-Belle and Mary Lou take a break from mural painting. Photo submitted.
Ethọ́s Lab Opens in Mount Pleasant
What: Opening Block Party
When: Saturday, June 18 from 10:00am to 8:00pm
Where: 177 East 3rd Ave, Vancouver
Admission: Free!
Open to teens between 12–18 years old, the after-school curriculum includes weekly sessions led by industry professionals like engineers and artists, open studios where members can creatively apply the skills they have learned, and safe spaces to socialize.
“Ethọ́s Lab was founded to increase access and representation in STEAM,” says parent and founder Anthonia Ogundele.
“These past two years have shown us that this goal is more important than ever before. The ‘metaverse’ has become a hot topic since Facebook’s name change to Meta, the rise of NFTs, and the digital pivot the world underwent at the start of the pandemic. Parents are realizing that their kids need equitable access to tools and information that will help them challenge and shape a digital future that is quickly arriving upon us. We need young, diverse voices co-creating innovative solutions and leading change, in order to ensure we aren’t just perpetuating antiquated, unjust systems — whether those hierarchies are found in coding, urban planning, or the art market. We can’t wait to connect with even more young people with our new home in Mount Pleasant.”
The organization is housed inside a new building owned by the City of Vancouver and operated over the next 60 years by non-profit cultural organization 221A in collaboration with the Community Land Trust. In addition to a nearly 1,000-sq.-ft. dedicated space, Ethọ́s Lab has shared access to a 2,700-sq.-ft. production facility.
The site is the physical manifestation of the thriving community that Ethọ́s Lab built in their own proprietary metaverse over the pandemic, a virtual hub called Atlanthọ́s that was co-created with youth members and developed by local tech start-up Active Replica. Now, the organization will be a hub for the broader community, a place for members and their families to gather and collaborate.
The space features a mix of organic, sustainable materials and digital elements, and makes use of the site’s natural light. Local firm Tectonic Architecture, which prioritizes community-based work, led design discussions with youth members — also known as Ethósians — to ensure their vision was incorporated into the space. Comic artist and illustrator Jazz Gordon-Gillquist and Chase Gray (who recently designed the Vancouver Canucks’ First Nations Night warmup jersey) created an original mural in collaboration with curator Krystal Paraboo. Microsoft, Sony, and Heritage Office Furnishings equipped and furnished the space.
At the block party on June 18th, the public is welcome to drop in throughout the day to meet staff, Ethósians, and participate in the types of programming that the organization offers members. Activities will include virtual reality tours of Atlanthọ́s, a workshop on urban ecology, an OpenProcessing workshop on how to make art with code, a video game competition, and demonstrations from Microsoft and Active Replica. Barbecue will be available on-site in the afternoon and evening.
The party also marks the end of the organization’s $100,000 in 100 Days fundraising campaign. To date, $75,000 has been raised — Ethọ́s Lab hopes to reach its goal by the end of the block party. Donations can be made online here.
Summer Camps at Ethọ́s Lab
Registration is now open for Ethọ́s Lab’s two in-person summer camps, which are centred on the theme “Solarpunk Summer.” The July 11–15 camp will focus on sustainable fashion, with an emphasis on sneaker design, and the August 8–12 camp will explore urban wildlife and nature. Additional summer programs include an upcoming pilot project, Ethọ́s Lab Gaming Studio, with support from EA.
Follow on Instagram for updates about the Block Party, Summer Camps, general news and programming.
A cornerstone in the Japanese-Canadian theatre canon, Yellow Fever is an award-winning comic mystery by R.A. Shiomi. It will be closing out the Firehall Arts Centre’s reunion 2021-2022 season and this is the first time in over 30 years that the production will be presented in Nihonmachi (Japantown) here in Vancouver.
Yellow Fever at the Firehall Arts Centre
This special production will mount the production in the style of a radio play.
When: May 28 to June 12, 2022
Performance Times: Tuesday-Saturday 7:30pm; Saturday and Sunday 3:00pm; Wednesday 1:00pm (pay what you like)
Where: Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Cordova St, Vancouver)
Yellow Fever is an award-winning comic mystery by R.A. Shiomi that follows hard-nosed private eye ‘Sam Shikaze’ as he investigates the disappearance of the mysterious ‘Cherry Blossom Queen’. Set on Powell Street in the 1970s,the play deftly navigates complex threads of political intrigue, racism, and police corruption with a sharp wit and fast-paced dialogue.
A cornerstone in the Japanese-Canadian theatre canon, this is the first time in over 30 years that Yellow Fever will be presented in Nihonmachi (Japantown), the neighbourhood in which it is set.
Enter to Win
I have a pair of tickets to opening night (June 1 at 7:30pm) to give away, here’s how you can enter to win:
“In choosing to bring Yellow Fever back to the Firehall for our Reunion Season – 34 years after we first produced it – I was considering how times appear to have changed, but have they really?,” says Spencer.
“In creating the work, playwright Rick Shiomi cleverly introduces us to a private detective whose beat is Vancouver’s Powell Street after the Second World War. It seems on the surface that times have changed, and a very determined Japanese- Canadian, Kenji Kadota, has been allowed to join the police force. However, when the Cherry Blossom Queen goes missing, his connection between civic duty and community are put into question. With Associate Director Raugi Yu and the wonderfully talented creative team, we are exploring a staging concept that is part radio drama and part live performance, with audiences taking a role as the studio audience, hearing and seeing the radio drama being created.”
Directed by Donna Spencer and featuring performances by Hiro Kanagawa, Craig Erickson, Yukari Komatsu, Henry Mah, Jay Ono, Evan Rein, Agnes Tong and Raugi Yu, with stage management by Caryn Fehr. Follow the Firehall Arts Centre on Facebook for more info.
The #CHVCatchUp is a monthly series featuring the latest updates and news from Covenant House Vancouver (“CHV”). Miss604 is proud to be the Official Blog Partner of CHV. This month’s post has been written by Jason Bosher.
KC Hall Murals at Covenant House Vancouver
In the Beginning
When you walk into the Drop-In Centre at Covenant House Vancouver, you will immediately notice the inviting atmosphere created by KC Hall’s murals. But long before he was commissioned to paint those, KC had to find his light.
At two years of age, KC Hall and his family moved to Vancouver, from Bella Bella. They settled in East Vancouver, where KC eventually began school.
Throughout elementary into high school, KC’s focus was on comic book style artwork.
Around age 15, KC began dabbling in the world of graffiti. While attending Britannia Secondary School, KC met up with students who also enjoyed graffiti art. “The area that I was in had lots of graffiti in the alleyways, because it was close to East Hastings and Commercial. The alleyways were like a cool little pathway for graffiti artists to just duck in and do their do their stuff.”
For approximately six years, KC didn’t do anything to grow his artistic talents. “I was more just submerged in being a young, early twenty year old, wanting to party and do whatever.”
Struggles
KC talked about his struggles. “It was to the point where I had gone too far. I was just drinking and partying with my friends. My mom was sick of it. She wasn’t drinking. She was trying to change her life at the time, and I wasn’t making it any easier. So, she just packed up and moved back to Bella Bella, leaving me here. I was an adult by then.”
Having nowhere to go, KC reached out to his Aunt June, who worked for Covenant House Vancouver. She helped him get into the Crisis Program. KC stayed at Covenant House Vancouver for approximately a year.
KC remembers how kind the youth workers were to him and how they were always checking on him to make sure that he was doing well.
“I liked being there with my Auntie June … because she’d always come hang out and stuff. She was just like the greatest lady ever. She worked there for a long time, and she was one of the nicest ladies in the whole entire world. She did nothing but use her kindness and her light to help the kids out there. I know that a lot of kids who ended up there were on dark times before they got there.”
KC moved to the Rights of Passage program and soon after, was ready to move out on his own. “They were very accommodating and helped me out. They helped me save money during the time that I was there, and helped support me for a few years after leaving.”
Raven Creation Story by KC Hall
Shining His Light
In 2012, KC enrolled in the Northwest Coast Jewellery Arts program at Native Education College. Here he was introduced to the Northwest Coast formline. “Basically, I spent the first four-and-a-half to five years just studying formline, until I was able to do it efficiently.”
KC was already well versed in the graffiti style of art, so once he felt confident in his formline, he was able to combine the two forms to create his art on a variety of surfaces.
“After 10 years … I’m finally sitting in my studio, just doing what I want to do, because I can.”
The murals at the Drop-In Centre, not only bring warmth and comfort to the space, but the Raven story depicted is very metaphoric for many youth who come to Covenant House Vancouver. For many, it’s a new beginning—a transformative time where youth make discoveries and bring light into their lives, as they create hope-filled futures.
You can read, watch and hear more about KC’s journey, and learn more about the murals at CHV by visiting the Covenant House Vancouver website.
Help Others Shine Their Light
You can make a difference in the lives of youth, like KC. From now until June 30th, thanks to the Estate of Roman Babicki, any donation you make to Covenant House Vancouver will be matched to double your impact: Make a donation online today!
Since 1997, Covenant House Vancouver has been providing love and hope to youth experiencing homelessness. They are the premiere service provider of residential and outreach services for homeless and at-risk youth ages 16 to 24 in Vancouver. Follow Covenant House on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more info.
Tune into the Courage to Come Back Awards, catch a film festival, attend community workshops, and participate in free activities! Find events like these and more things to do in Metro Vancouver this weekend listed below:
Nominations are now open for the 2022 Giving Hearts Awards! The Association of Fundraising Professionals (“AFP”) Greater Vancouver Chapter invites you to celebrate the incredible individuals, families and organizations that generously give their time, leadership, and financial support to benefit countless people and communities.
Nominations Open for the Giving Hearts Awards
Nominations close June 24, 2022
Recipients recognized November 25, 2022
The Giving Hearts Awards honour outstanding individuals, volunteers, leaders, fundraisers, philanthropists, and youth of Greater Vancouver’s non-profit and social profit community. This year, nominees and recipients will be recognized in-person at the 25th annual National Philanthropy Day luncheon and awards ceremony, presented by RBC, on November 25, 2022.
The award categories are: Spirit of Generosity (formerly Outstanding Philanthropist), Outstanding Legacy Philanthropist, Outstanding Youth Philanthropist, Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser, Outstanding Professional Fundraiser, Outstanding Corporation, and Outstanding Small Business.
Past recipients have included Dr. Rudy and Mrs. Patricia North, the McCarthy Family, Odlum Brown Limited, and Mel Zajac. Last year, AFP Greater Vancouver Chapter also recognized Coast Capital Savings and the Family Services of the North Shore Christmas Bureau Volunteer Lead Group as the recipients of two exclusive Pandemic-Response.
Miss604 is a proud sponsor of the Giving Hearts Awards 2022
The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) represents 30,000 members in over 200 chapters in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and China working to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education, and certification programs. Follow the local chapter on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more info.
