The Aakowa Parables Inc., as a brand, has spent nearly 20 years using literature, live theatre and film as a tool for self-reflection. As an extension of the company, the Storytelling for Mental Health program has been serving youth at Covenant House in downtown Toronto since 2023, as a volunteer service, successfully helping young people 16yrs+ through homelessness and mental health struggles. As an extracurricular program for the general public, youth will create stories that reflect what they think and how they feel about the world, and then have the opportunity to watch they have created in a live performance using professional actors.

• Special needs: Not available
• LGBTQ+ friendly community

This program is unlike any other, because it caters to the creative introvert. Not everybody wants to be in front of the camera. This program is for young people who will enjoy the behind-the-scenes work to put together a story for presentation to an audience. In the development of scripts, we'll try to understand the motivations of human behaviour, by asking ourselves questions about our own reality, and then place those ideas into characters and plot. We'll work with professional actors to ensure they capture our vision, and there is nothing better than presenting what is in your head for audiences to see!

The best way to register is to visit www.aakowa.com/youth-program. This program is offered year-round: Winter semester (January-April); Summer semester (May-August); Fall semester (September-December). Every month is a new "term" for writing of scripts. Every 4th month, 2 scripts are selected to perform live to conclude the semester. 10 youth-director spots are available each semester for the audition and rehearsals with actors, in preparation for final event. We will meet once a week in person at 805 Dovercourt Road, 5pm-630pm. Scripts are also available online for daily viewing and editing. Once registered, you will receive a personal welcome email from Sid Aakowa.

As the program host, Sid Aakowa is a professional writer & director who has worked extensively with several youth organizations and groups, including Covenant House, Stella's Place, Horizons for Youth, Route to Roots and multiple middle-school and high school classrooms throughout the GTA. As additional staff, Sid Aakowa has a long-standing relationships with several professional actors registered with ACTRA, the union for professional actors in Canada, who are hired help to bring the stories to stage.