Explore new ways of creating with both visuals and words! Our HEAL Inter-Arts workshops blend spoken word, visual arts, and poetry to help you process emotions, express yourself, and unlock your full creative potential. You'll also get the chance to experiment with different art forms, build new skills, and connect with others in a supportive space.
This workshop is completely free! Free food, refreshments, and transportation tokens are available at every workshop. You’ll also receive free art materials and a wellness kit valued at $50.
No previous artistic experience required.
ABOUT HEAL
This session is part HEAL (Health Empowerment & Arts Leverage), a specialised arts and wellness program for Scarborough and York Region youth ages 13–29 looking for a safe and supportive space to try new art-making techniques, explore your voice, build resiliency and coping skills, and heal.
Now in its 5th year, the HEAL program offers free weekly workshops in Scarborough and Markham (York Region), led by trauma-informed arts facilitators. In these workshops, you will be guided through different arts activities to unpack experiences, difficulties, and trauma. You will have the opportunity to create original songs, poems, spoken word, and visual art pieces, using creative expression to heal and grow towards better mental health and wellness.
ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Sheniz Janmohamed was born and raised in Tkaronto with ancestral ties to Kenya and India. A poet, artist educator and nature artist, Sheniz is a graduate of the MFA in Creative Writing program at the University of Guelph.
In the last 15 years, Sheniz has presented her poetry internationally, including the Jaipur Literature Festival, Aga Khan Museum and TEDXYouth Toronto. She has three poetry collections published by Mawenzi House: Bleeding Light (2010), Firesmoke (2014) and Reminders on the Path (2021). Her nature art has been featured across Turtle Island, including the National Arts Centre and MOCA.
A recipient of the Lois Birkenshaw-Fleming Creative Teaching Scholarship, Sheniz holds an Artist Educator Mentor certificate from the Royal Conservatory of Ontario. With over 10 years of teaching experience, she visits dozens of organizations and schools each year.
In 2022, Sheniz served as the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, the first writer of South Asian descent to serve in this position. At the moment, she’s writing her fourth book, a collection of hybrid essays about her grandmother’s garden in Kenya. Sheniz currently holds a position as a creative writing instructor at U of T’s School of Continuing Studies. (@shenizpoetics | shenizjanmohamed.com)