About the Program

The Latino/Hispanic Youth Challenge Multimedia Arts and Violence Prevention/Intervention Program is an initiative presented by the Hispanic Development Council and funded by The Youth Challenge Fund. This program has a projection of three years, beginning October 2007 and completing August 2007. The program is aimed at working with 20 youth between the ages of 14 – 20 primarily whose origins are from Latin America.

Program Objective

The Hispanic Development Council would like to emphasize our priority in outreaching Toronto Catholic District School Board schools because through this collaboration the Council is exploring the opportunities of working closely with the instructors of the Multi-Media Arts Courses of the TCDSB Schools. Currently we are actively seeking similar programs with the Toronto District School Board.

The Latino/Hispanic Youth Challenge Multimedia Arts and Violence Prevention/Intervention Program is a two-prawn impact project that incorporates:

I. The establishment of a youth and family support system for prevention and intervention on gang and gun violence; youth violence on youth; and related domestic violence. The target group includes youth involved in gang activities, isolated youth, youth experimenting with drugs and substances, homeless youth, and their families, and/or those at risk.
II. The creation of a Multimedia Arts on Culture and Identity Program, is aimed at integrating Latino/Hispanic Youth (professionals, trades, students, entrepreneurs and unemployed youth); using video, photography, literature and drawing as alternative research tools to document, interpret and reflect on their lives as Latino/Hispanic/Canadian youth living in Toronto. The documentation collected by the youth will be presented in an audio visual short film documentary and up to four expressive arts presentations (to be determined by the youth) such as a mural, a theatre piece, literature, music, etc.