Tuesday, May 8
6:00 PM – 8:00
10440 108 Ave NW
Prince of Wales Armouries Heritage Centre
Drama students from Jasper High School present a live, interactive installation that explores Edmonton’s race relations both past and present.
Students were guided through a series of workshops that utilized drama to explore a historical timeline of race relations in Edmonton. The workshops included lessons and discussions on various topics such as: Truth and Reconciliation, challenging the narrative of Canada, colonization, race and racism, how to gather and share stories from our communities, and guest speakers from ethnocultural and Indigenous community members – while the students developed vignettes for this final public performance. The workshops were facilitated by Michelle Kennedy alongside drama teacher Edith Mitchell.
The Centre for Race and Culture (CFRAC) undertook this project last year as our Canada150 project with students from Lillian Osborne High School. The success this project had in engaging youth in discussions around Canada’s lesser-known history stories, exploring racism embedded in Canada’s policies and founding as a country, and acknowledging the ongoing impacts of racial discrimination on Indigenous and racialized communities has encouraged us to repeat this project with another school. The work with the students at Jasper Place high school was thoughtful and vulnerable, with the students identifying hope as their primary goal for their work.
