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ARTICLE
Community Action through Animation: The Youth Animation Project
by Kirk Ramdath
The Quickdraw Animation Society (QAS) is a Calgary-based, non-profit, artist-run society that has been dedicated to the
art of independent animation for 22 years. QAS enthusiastically promotes the idea of animation as a viable artistic
medium and encourages the production of innovative and independent animation.
Recently, Quickdraw caught the attention of Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean, the Governor General of Canada, for a
program they run called the Youth Animation Project (YAP). Jean was participating in a series of events across
Canada to promote youth engagement with arts, and her first stop was in Calgary to meet with YAP participants as well
as other members of the Calgary arts community. Read more about the Governor General’s visit here.
YAP began in 2006 with the idea of “Community Action through Animation” – a way to use animation to give young
people the opportunity to get involved in the creative arts industry while learning important employability skills. Anne
Koizumi, the project administrator, says, “The animation process is tedious and time consuming, which makes it an
ideal medium to teach young people dedication and hard work. Animation also requires collaboration and team work
which gives the participants an opportunity to learn valuable team building skills such as listening, negotiating, and
relationship building.”
As the project is only in its second year, feedback from the participants is invaluable for making changes that will
improve the experience for all that are involved in the 8-week program. During the pilot run in 2006, participants were
putting in a lot of really late hours. For 2007, Anne says, “We are really pushing participants to meet smaller deadlines
throughout the production process so they are not rushing to complete their films. This way they can spend more time
thinking about post-production, things like editing and sound. But our goals have remained the same.”
YAP is open to youth ages 18-30 years who are experiencing barriers to employment and not attending school full-
time. The youth work as a team to create animations that are related to youth and the environment, challenging them
to engage with their community and surroundings in a deep and meaningful way. One of the animations produced
during the 2006 pilot run was featured on Eleventh Transmission last month. Check out Nyasha Shonhai’s “How Far?”
Another benefit of the program is that the youth are not just volunteering their time to the project. They receive full-time
minimum wage and a completion bonus at the end of the program. This has the catch-22 of increasing interest in the
program, but also limiting the number of participants that the program can accept. “Space is limited in the Youth
Animation Project, so the selection process can be very difficult,” Anne says. “A large part of our selection process is
based on the candidates desire to be creative and open-minded to animation. Another major component of our
selection process involves [asking] what the candidate needs and hopes to get out of the program, and whether we
can provide the support they need.”
YAP requires an immense amount of work from both the participants and the administrators, but both groups are able
to get personal rewards from their involvement. Cheyann Saddleback, one of the current YAP participants, says, “The
most rewarding thing about the Youth Animation Project is the people I meet. I’ve met so many interesting people
everyday I’ve been here, from all walks of life and from all interests in life. Networking with people who work in and out
of the business of animation is so thrilling and I believe the new age of art is collaborations with other methods of art,
combining such art forms as animation and spoken word, graffiti, and sculptures, and film and fast-paced painting is a
world of art I dream about every night I lay my head down on my pillow.”
That kind of enthusiasm is infectious. For Anne, it has reignited her passion for creating animation. She says, “Being
in this environment surrounded by young enthusiastic people, I have been inspired to make another film and have
applied for a grant with the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.”
To catch some of this animation fever, as well as the work of Cheyann and all the other participants, be sure to check
out the Youth Animation Project screening at the Engineered Air Theatre of the Epcor Centre, April 20, 7:00pm.
Community Action through Animation: The Youth Animation Project
by Kirk Ramdath
The Quickdraw Animation Society (QAS) is a Calgary-based, non-profit, artist-run society that has been dedicated to the
art of independent animation for 22 years. QAS enthusiastically promotes the idea of animation as a viable artistic
medium and encourages the production of innovative and independent animation.
Recently, Quickdraw caught the attention of Her Excellency Michaëlle Jean, the Governor General of Canada, for a
program they run called the Youth Animation Project (YAP). Jean was participating in a series of events across
Canada to promote youth engagement with arts, and her first stop was in Calgary to meet with YAP participants as well
as other members of the Calgary arts community. Read more about the Governor General’s visit here.
YAP began in 2006 with the idea of “Community Action through Animation” – a way to use animation to give young
people the opportunity to get involved in the creative arts industry while learning important employability skills. Anne
Koizumi, the project administrator, says, “The animation process is tedious and time consuming, which makes it an
ideal medium to teach young people dedication and hard work. Animation also requires collaboration and team work
which gives the participants an opportunity to learn valuable team building skills such as listening, negotiating, and
relationship building.”
As the project is only in its second year, feedback from the participants is invaluable for making changes that will
improve the experience for all that are involved in the 8-week program. During the pilot run in 2006, participants were
putting in a lot of really late hours. For 2007, Anne says, “We are really pushing participants to meet smaller deadlines
throughout the production process so they are not rushing to complete their films. This way they can spend more time
thinking about post-production, things like editing and sound. But our goals have remained the same.”
YAP is open to youth ages 18-30 years who are experiencing barriers to employment and not attending school full-
time. The youth work as a team to create animations that are related to youth and the environment, challenging them
to engage with their community and surroundings in a deep and meaningful way. One of the animations produced
during the 2006 pilot run was featured on Eleventh Transmission last month. Check out Nyasha Shonhai’s “How Far?”
Another benefit of the program is that the youth are not just volunteering their time to the project. They receive full-time
minimum wage and a completion bonus at the end of the program. This has the catch-22 of increasing interest in the
program, but also limiting the number of participants that the program can accept. “Space is limited in the Youth
Animation Project, so the selection process can be very difficult,” Anne says. “A large part of our selection process is
based on the candidates desire to be creative and open-minded to animation. Another major component of our
selection process involves [asking] what the candidate needs and hopes to get out of the program, and whether we
can provide the support they need.”
YAP requires an immense amount of work from both the participants and the administrators, but both groups are able
to get personal rewards from their involvement. Cheyann Saddleback, one of the current YAP participants, says, “The
most rewarding thing about the Youth Animation Project is the people I meet. I’ve met so many interesting people
everyday I’ve been here, from all walks of life and from all interests in life. Networking with people who work in and out
of the business of animation is so thrilling and I believe the new age of art is collaborations with other methods of art,
combining such art forms as animation and spoken word, graffiti, and sculptures, and film and fast-paced painting is a
world of art I dream about every night I lay my head down on my pillow.”
That kind of enthusiasm is infectious. For Anne, it has reignited her passion for creating animation. She says, “Being
in this environment surrounded by young enthusiastic people, I have been inspired to make another film and have
applied for a grant with the Alberta Foundation for the Arts.”
To catch some of this animation fever, as well as the work of Cheyann and all the other participants, be sure to check
out the Youth Animation Project screening at the Engineered Air Theatre of the Epcor Centre, April 20, 7:00pm.
| Tour at SAIT with YAP participants |
| Team Building "Environment" Hike in Banff |
Biography
Kirk Ramdath is a poet and Editor-in-Chief of Eleventh Transmission.
Kirk Ramdath is a poet and Editor-in-Chief of Eleventh Transmission.
| April 2007 Issue 11 |
