Travelling exhibit challenges local youth to learn about diversity

There is a lack of education around diversity and racism in Thunder Bay, said Anne LeSage.

"For many, many years our community would not acknowledge the existence of racism…and the City of Thunder Bay is becoming very cognizant of the fact we have to address this fact in our community," said the executive director of the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre and co-chair of Diversity Thunder Bay.

So LeSage said she had to applaud the city for bringing in the Mathieu Da Costa Travelling Exhibition – an annual challenge that asks students to learn more about the contributions that Canadians from diverse cultural backgrounds have made to our country and share what they’ve discovered through art and poetry.

At city hall from Dec. 3 to 15, the 26 works have been created by youth aged 9 to 18 from across the country.

LeSage said she hopes people will come see the free exhibit and walk away with some understanding about the issues around diversity and racism and how it affects not only youth but children, families and the community as a whole.

"I started to read and I couldn’t continue; it was so powerful," she said. "I’m going to have to come back and do this on my own."

Marco Maccadanza, youth co-ordinator at the Indian Friendship Centre, said art is an import outlet for youth to express their struggles with racism.

"I believe this initiative will help fight racism because it brings their voices right from their heart and puts it on paper," he said. "Other people can feel empowered by their writing and their feels and carry that message to the people that can affect change in society."

Looking at the artwork and reading the poetry, Maccadanza said to him the exhibit was an expression of how youth feel growing up in a culturally diverse nation.

"A lot of those images and the poetry are things that come from the heart about growing up in a nation where we have to amalgamate into society," he said, noting his own experience growing up on a reserve outside of Rainy River made him feel like a lone wolf as he grew up.

"A lot of these kids are lone wolves themselves and they express themselves and they express themselves through poetry and artwork and that’s why I think this challenge is very important to bring their voices forward," said Maccadanza.

Thunder Bay is the fourth of seven stops the exhibit is making in its cross-country tour. It’s presented by the Canadian Commission for UNESCO in partnership with the Citizenship and Immigration Canada.