We are in the final stretch, and it feels like it. Between labs, community visits, and prepping for the showcase, this season keeps reminding us why we started ECHOFORM in the first place. Here is everything coming up, plus a little reflection from a visit that reminded us why storytelling matters at every age and stage.
A Small Announcement: We’re Officially an Eco Club!
Quick exciting news before we get into everything else. ECHOFORM has officially registered as an Eco Club under the Green Schools Volunteers Across Canada program, a partnership between UNAC and CSC. This opens the door for more youth-led environmental action alongside everything we’re already building in civic storytelling.
Lab 07: Arts, Storytelling & Public Imagination
This Friday, August 21, we’re gathering at EPL Milner from 6:00 to 8:30 PM for a lab that gets right into the creative heart of artivism.
Here’s what to expect:
A neurographic drawing workshop, facilitated by Shaihiem Small. This practice uses simple lines and shapes to process emotion and imagination on paper. No art background needed, just a willingness to let your hand move and see what comes out.
A story-circle panel, where our panelists will share how they use art and narrative to imagine different futures for their communities. Expect honesty, some laughter, and probably a few new questions to sit with afterward.
An artivists roundtable, bringing panelists and participants into direct conversation about what public imagination actually looks like in practice, not just in theory. RSVP for the Roundtable.
We’ll have prompts woven throughout the evening, so if you’re joining us, come ready to contribute a word, a thought, or a takeaway when the moment comes <3
Prairie Retreat: Deadline Approaching
The Prairie Retreat runs September 1 to 3, and this is where the cohort really comes together outside the usual Friday rhythm. The deadline to apply is August 23. Spaces are limited and we want to make sure everyone who wants to be there can be.
Mentorship Circle: The Advice Constellation
On August 28, we’re hosting the Mentorship Circle at EPL Milner. This one is smaller and more intimate by design, a chance for participants to sit with mentors, ask the questions they’ve been holding onto, and leave with a little more clarity about their next steps. Food will be provided, and honestly, some of our best conversations all season have happened over a shared meal.
Save the Date: Public Showcase, October 17
Mark your calendars. On October 17, we’ll be at Edmonton City Hall from 11 AM to 3 PM for the Artivism Cohort Public Showcase. Join us to see the work our participants have created all season long, from the Ocean Futures Lab zine to everything beyond.
This showcase is the culmination of months of work, and we cannot wait to celebrate our young artivists in front of the community that has supported them.
A Morning at Solomon College
This week, we also had the honor of visiting Solomon College to speak with a CLB 3 and 4 class, many of them newcomers to Canada still building their English. We shared what ECHOFORM is, what we believe, and how young people between 16 and 30 can get involved.
But the real gift was the conversation that followed.
We asked the students what word they’d use to describe their community, and whether they’d ever shared their story with someone new.
Then we asked if they had ever shared their story with someone new. The room opened up in ways we didn’t expect. One student told us that when she first arrived in Canada from Poland, the only English word she knew was “hi.” She got by on nodding and smiling, and somehow that turned into real friendships. It wasn’t easy at first, she said, but it happened.
These are students still finding their footing with the language, but they have stories about home, about the journey here, about hope for what comes next, and those stories matter just as much as any polished narrative.
It was a reminder that you do not need perfect English to have something worth saying. You just need the courage to say it. That is the whole spirit of artivism, and we were grateful to bring it into that classroom.