Welcome to Voices of Freedom!

REST Centres presents Voices of Freedom, the final showcase and graduation event for the young storytellers in our program, "My Story, My Power: Strength in Storytelling." The stories told at this event represent the vast landscape of experiences borne from Black youth homelessness and poverty, including tales of displacement and diaspora, social trials of adolescence and young adulthood, family breakdown, discrimination, and more. On this page, you will bear witness to lessons learned through the eyes of Black youth surviving–and thriving–through instability. At Voices of Freedom, we celebrate Black creativity, intelligence, and freedom as our youth storytellers come together from all walks of life to give us a glimpse into their world.

On behalf of our youth storytellers, we would like to thank all of you for opening your hearts to "My Story, My Power" and Voices of Freedom. All of “My Story, My Power” has been an absolute labour of love by the three of us, and we felt it would only be fitting to pull back the curtains and share a bit of the magic behind our program. When a young storyteller joins our ranks, we start by building their confidence with self-empowerment exercises, sharing personal stories of lived experience and success stories, and establishing the importance of having our own voices be heard. Then, we help them dig deep and find their story—creative exercises to jog some memories, reflection activities as a group or individually, and all the emotional support we can provide as they walk a path on which only they know the way. Finally, once they find the story they want to tell, we show them how. “My Story, My Power” covers various styles and techniques of storytelling (like fiction or allegory, non-fiction, story and character arcs), how “use of self” can be used to advocate for change and connect with communities, as well as exploring the different mediums through which we, as people, tell stories. And, as you will see here, the possibilities are endless. This program has been a long road filled with twists, turns, and a lot of hard work by our storytellers. Seeing their passion, it was important that we poured into them as much as possible. That’s why “My Story, My Power” equips youth with the tools, skills, and language to tell their stories. With the support of our wonderful, generous village elders, who shared their time and experience with us, alongside detailed workshops by the three of us, we modelled professionalism, self-empowerment, and how to think critically about a powerful, fulfilling future through creativity. Through collaboration and perseverance, we built a community where every voice was valued, and every story had the power to inspire. Together, we learned how to confidently put ourselves out there, take personal challenges and turn them into powerful messages that can resonate with anyone, and began to see ambitions for ourselves beyond tomorrow because today was never a dead end. Everything you’ll see here is a direct result of the investments the youth made in themselves through their dedication to the program, their craft, and their goals. Throughout this journey, while doing the work, we have built a village of like-minded people who care about each other. The youth connected, and developed friendships and working relationships, supporting each other along the journey. Throughout this program, the youth have proven to each other that they’re in this together, their separate stories linked by the same purpose. So often, we saw youth share encouragement, tips, and ideas to make their stories better. The youth also connected with us as mentors, leading by example. We shared our own stories, passed down our life lessons as young people, and motivated the youth to take chances and try new things. But, most importantly, the youth connected with themselves. Over and over, we watched them unlock skills, abilities, and emotions they never thought they had. On this path of self-discovery, they saw themselves through a new lens, and the stories you’ll see here are the direct product of these breakthroughs. We encourage all of you, as you bear witness here, to bring your energy, warmth, compassion, and emotion to the table. Feel, experience, and most importantly, listen. Thank you, and welcome to Voices of Freedom!

Stories Told

Please bear witness to the stories told at Voices of Freedom. Thank you to Howard Bailey for his videography!

Special Thanks

On the behalf of the REST Centres team and the Board of Directors, I would like to thank the following people and organizations for coming together to make this project possible:

REST Centres Staff and Board of Directors

for their continued collaboration and support of our cause

Mya Moniz, Alya Harvey, and Danielle Nevado

for your boundless dedication, consistency, and motivation.

The MSMP Storytellers

The youth storytellers who worked tirelessly and passionately for the last 10 months, and who stood tall tonight to share their stories with the world. We wish each and every one of you the greatest luck and strength on your future creative endeavours.