Community Sessions & Conversations Report

In June 2021, Carousel Theatre for Young People embarked on a community survey to receive feedback on the future vision of CTYP. Based on the survey, there were four key themes that emerged and were the basis for three Online Community Sessions in July 2021.

These key themes included: Innovative opportunities for artistic productions, types of innovative programs to provide, identifying priorities to engage in post-pandemic, and how to build bridges with the community through accountability.

There were a number of participants including board members, community members, artists, management, and staff that provided recommendations for consideration.

Highlights included:

1. Confirming the vision for CTYP’s board and management to understand the organization’s core business. This will support the direction of productions and programming to align with the appropriate vision and to know how it aligns with other focused organizations (i.e., Children’s festivals, storytelling, teen programing, school programming).
2. Increase innovative programming through participation in festivals, leverage school shows based on teachings of history and curriculum, enhance diversity of productions, engage youth to make the programming more youth centric through a youth council, and enable mini-series of productions to make productions more accessible and inclusive of diverse stories.
3. Partnering with school boards on key priorities of focus identified for students post pandemic such as mental health and first people’s perspectives, providing full spectrum programming to include artistry on the entire production, providing a cost structure that is affordable for individuals, and continuing to increase accessibility and inclusivity to programming for kids and patrons of all abilities.
4. Investment in leadership and staff with regular performance reviews, time off for professional development, implementation of professional conduct and equitable workplace policies, reducing the pressures on staff and artists with rehearsal times and check-ins, and incorporation of whistleblower protection for safe disclosure.
5. Continuous community participation through regular open mic/tow nhall conversations and incorporation of collaboration through indigenous reconciliation.
6. Review of governance model for the Board to enhance artistic community connection and diversity of the members on the Board.

These recommendations have been provided to the Board. The current and incoming Board will work with the new Co-Artistic & Managing Directors, staff, and artists to support the forward vision of the organization.

You can read or download the full report and summary of conversations from the Online Community Sessions held HERE.