Own the Stage: The Expansion

Themed under “Love,” Own the Stage: The Expansion is the third iteration of our Own the Stage poetry workshop program, which offers Saskatchewan youth the tools to share their stories and voices through the art of spoken word.

The pilot project, titled Own the Stage: Speak and Inspire, was conceived in 2022 to make spoken word accessible both as an art form and an essential means of communication for youth living in and around the rural community of Indian Head. Under the guidance of artist-mentors Kevin Wesaquate and Peace Akintade, the project supported youth in sharing their stories in their own unique voices, encouraging them to be themselves without racial or societal barriers, which ended in a recorded performance. 

In 2023, we partnered with Regina Open Door Society (RODS), bringing the program to Regina. Thanks to this partnership, the program has grown significantly. In response to community feedback from the 2023 edition, we decided to extend the workshops from 2 hours per day to 4 hours per day in 2024. 

The impact of Own the Stage: The Expansion was immediately felt as participants kept on inviting their friends to the workshop, which saw attendance increase from 39 on the first day to 47 on the fourth day, when it ended with a performance at the Regina Public Library Film Theatre. Own the Stage has proven to be a much-needed program in the community, and one which helps to address many socio-cultural, educational, wellbeing, and inequality issues needed to sustain transformative change.