December 5 - December 8

10:00AM - 6:00PM

December 11 & December 18

11:00AM - 5:00PM

Come celebrate with us as we kick off the JAYU Festival of the Arts and uplift youth voices across the GTA through the power of creative expression rooted in human rights, social justice, and equity!

Click here to RSVP.

Join us for a screening of We Will Be Brave. A film that follows the journey of Toronto's "Good Guise" collective, who are committed to sparking conversations around healthy masculinity through art. From photography and beatboxing to poetry and martial arts, the artists in the collective share their unique lived experiences and welcome others to join in their mission of finding radical alternatives to shame and punishment.

As each of them grapples with upheavals in their personal lives, their resolve is further tested by a dire lack of resources and the burden of racialized discrimination.

We Will Be Brave is a story about personal evolution, healing and an unlikely brotherhood forged in vulnerability.

7:00pm – 9:00pm | Get your screening ticket!

Join us for a series of screenings featuring a selection of powerful short films that delve into themes of equity, social justice, and human rights.

These films highlight both local and global issues, offering diverse perspectives that inspire critical conversations. Screenings will be followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A, providing a space for deeper reflection and meaningful dialogue.

4:00pm – 6:00pm | Get your shorts program ticket!

December 5 | 5:00pm | JAYU Studio & Gallery

Produced and curated by youth, this festival shines a light on the next generation of GTA artists and filmmakers who are tackling important issues through art, film, and poetry.

RSVP

December 7 | 7:30pm | Urbanspace Gallery, 401 Richmond St W

Get ready for a night of high-energy, high-impact performances as 10 talented poets go head-to-head, competing for the grand prize of $350 and the prestigious title of JAYU Festival of the Arts Slam Champion. These poets will bring their most powerful words to the stage, sharing stories that matter most—our stories.

Secure Your Slam Ticket!

November 30 | 6:30pm | JAYU Studio

As a pre-festival event, we are teaming up with Urbannoodling for an evening of screenings followed by an interactive virtual panel discussion

Through the vibrant backdrop of Dafen Village, Shenzhen, these films explore how a small town became a global art hub—unpacking the lives, dreams, and challenges of the migrant workers driving its success. Together, we'll rethink what "authenticity" and "value" in art truly mean, and the hidden costs behind mass production in the creative world.

Get Your Ticket

December 8 | 1:00pm – 3:00pm | JAYU Studio

JAYU Festival of the Arts is teaming up with The Give & Grow to bring you a workshop designed to tap into your creativity—where mini basketball backboards become your canvas!

Participants will design personalized vision boards using scrap fabrics and magazines, while engaging in meaningful conversations around personal growth, mental wellness, and the powerful life lessons basketball can teach us. Whether it’s about resilience, teamwork, or staying focused on your goals, discover how the game can inspire your journey off the court.

Register for the workshop!

December 8 | 3:00pm – 6:00pm | JAYU Studio

Join Tita Nina’s Community Care for a relaxing, meditative pattern-making workshop where we’ll be stamping designs on your favorite clothing or tote bags using natural objects and acrylic paint.

In this session, we’ll explore the beauty in everyday items we often overlook—like a rock on the ground, a fallen leaf, or a broken twig. We’ll transform these found objects into unique stamps to create patterns on fabric pieces you bring, whether it’s a shirt, tote bag, apron, or blanket. Feel free to bring something you already own to personalize! We’ll be providing the paint, nature-inspired stamps, and a t-shirt or tote bag!

Register for the workshop!

JAYU is a registered Canadian charity that equips and platforms equity-deserving youth artists dedicated to using art for change.

We do this by offering youth-led and youth-developed arts programs, mentorships, human rights education, and paid opportunities in the GTA.

We believe strongly that youth arts programs can be used to develop economic resilience, to share human rights stories, to build empathy, to heal, to forge community and to inspire the conversations that help push the world into a more equitable and loving place.

Guided by our dedicated team of staff, artists, educators and our Board of Directors, our year-round programming includes the iAM program, a wider umbrella for iAM core, iAM Action, iAM Employment, iAM Mental Health and showcase opportunities like our annual spoken word competition, JAYU Slams.

Learn more about JAYU.

As part of JAYU’s commitment to accessibility, we offer different types of ticketing to every event to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to enjoy the festival.

Free Admission: Creates access to our space and events for those who may not be in a position to give.

Give-What-You-Can: Builds welcoming spaces for everyone to share their stories. This option is for folks that are able to donate and wish to support JAYU Festival of the Arts and our programming.

We are located on the third floor at 401 Richmond Street West, Studio 380.

Check out our guide to learn how to access our space via elevator!

401 Richmond is wheelchair accessible with gender neutral washrooms. Wheelchair entrances are located:

• at the front entrance near the Roastery Café (east of Spadina Avenue)

• at the north-east corner of the building, near the Spacing and Swipe retail shops (west of the corner of Richmond and Peter Streets).

Paid parking is available within the area. We recommend:

• 83 Peter Street (underground lot; card and online payment options available; 5 minute walk)

• 448 Richmond Street West (outdoor lot; physical card required; 2 minute walk)