In this edition, we are featuring Tamarack’s 20th Anniversary Celebration, Arts-Based Engagement, Spaces of Power and Tamarack's 20 years of impact.
On Connectedness: Tamarack’s 20th Anniversary Celebration
By: Danya Pastuszek
Last month, some of Tamarack’s partners, board members, team members, and friends had gathered to celebrate 20 years of learning and impact. Our growing team (less a few team members who could not travel) had just convened in person for the first time since I joined Tamarack in February. Tamarack’s board of directors had also met in person for the first time in two years, to thank retiring members and to welcome incoming members. We share our initial reflections on this time together – reflections on transitions, transformation, and connections.
The arts bring life to our communities. It sparks joy. It teaches. It connects. It asks us to see things differently. But so often when the arts are used in community engagement activities it feels like an add-on, a sidebar. As we continue the migration from more traditional community engagement—that tends to rely on surveys and is more transactional in nature—to transformational engagement that seeks to authentically connect, listen, understand, and empower, arts practices have so much to offer.
The Unspoken Reality of being Young and involved in Spaces of Power
By: Layla Belmahi
Whether it is because of my age, my skin color, or my
accent, I always anticipate how I will be perceived by my interlocutors. Today I'm sharing my little "tricks" to counteract these parasitic thoughts. I hope they can inspire other youth that might recognize themselves in these situations.
20 Years of Impact: Looking Back and Leading Forward
By: Liz Weaver
Twenty years is a significant timespan in the life of an organization. Over the years, communities across Canada, the US and globally have been on the forefront of transformational change. Tamarack journeyed alongside communities documenting their work, lifting up and calling out the need for changes in systems. We have traveled together these past 20 years and look forward to a collective journey leading forward.