Imagining Otherwise
Imagining Otherwise is a youth-led participatory arts series where young people move beyond critique to imagine, design, and embody just, post-growth futures. Through creative workshops in storytelling and collaborative design, equity-deserving youth explore new ways of living, leading, and creating community—transforming imagination into action.
Welcome to Imagining Otherwise
We are looking for:
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Facilitators (3)
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Equity-Deserving Participants (14-16)
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Facilitators
Experienced in youth engagement and creative facilitation? Well-versed in sustainability, regenerative futures, and/or economic justice?
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Support Ottawa's youth through:
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3 workshops, prep & follow-up
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Mentoring in storytelling, zine-making & collaborative design
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Honorarium and co-design support provided.
Participants
Are you 18-30, creative, curious, community-minded, and committed to changing the status quo?
Join Imagining Otherwise, a three-session workshop series where you'll:
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Explore pressing socio-economic and environmental challenges
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Create art and design prototypes of alternative futures
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Host a public Community Conversation Café
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Imagining Otherwise: A Participatory Arts Series for Post-Growth Futures
Imagining Otherwise is a youth-led participatory arts series inviting young people to reimagine how our communities and economies could work together beyond traditional growth models. Rooted in degrowth principles such as caring for people and the planet, mutual aid, and collective resilience, the series empowers participants to co-create equitable, sustainable, and regenerative futures.
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Participants will gain practical skills in creative production, facilitation, and collaborative design, while developing leadership, critical systems thinking, and confidence to advocate for sustainable, just futures in their communities. They will also build meaningful relationships with peers and mentors.
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The series is structured over three workshops:
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Workshop 1: Understanding the Now – mapping realities and exploring degrowth concepts
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Workshop 2: Reimagining the Future – envisioning regenerative futures through creative expression
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Workshop 3: Co-Designing the Shift – translating ideas into art and prototypes
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To celebrate the end of the program and showcase participants' creative accomplishments, youth will co-host the ​Community Conversation Café – a public event featuring dialogue tables and participatory art activities. This gathering will engage the broader community in conversations about regenerative futures, amplifying youth voices and fostering intergenerational ties.