Cultivating Cultural Creativity: Imagination Feeding Innovation

The Creative Foundation Inc. board presented another empowering youth engagement activity which included community engagement, workshops, and cultural presentations in 2018. We believe that if our local community is to participate in and contribute to sustainable global development, we must join hands together to prepare our youth for the task ahead. One significant resource that we can offer is the knowledge and experience of distinguished intellectuals and professionals who embrace the idea of collaboration, multicultural harmony, peaceful coexistence, and youth empowerment. It is widely accepted that peaceful and settled minds can engender great innovation.

According to an excerpt from Michael Winkelman’s publication in 2005, “cultural self-awareness includes recognition of one’s own cultural influences upon values, beliefs, and judgments and the influences derived from the professional’s work culture.”

The theme of our project, Cultivating Cultural Creativity: Imagination Feeding Innovation was promoted by our board to engage the students in activities that reinforced the value of teamwork and multicultural awareness. It only takes one generation to lose connection with its intrinsic value, culture, and language. All the activities held in 2018 were interactive and fun.

Over the years, the Creative Foundation Inc. board has pursued excellence when selecting teachers, speakers, and workshop facilitators for its mentorship events. The presenters and special guests have included great talents from every race and gender who have merged their diverse cultural and professional experiences in contributing positively to our society. Realizing the increasingly diverse cultural demography of Manitoba and the need to foster inter-cultural understanding amongst youth for a vibrant future, we are again tasking professionals that reflect that consciousness. The benefits that the youth experience from the activities, such as the teaching of creative appreciation and intercultural understanding, offer them a positive lifelong impact.

Our goal is to continue to enable children from different schools and different cultural backgrounds to come and have a positive learning experience they can share with their guardians and peers. We are so proud of so many testimonies we have received from previous workshop collaborations that have yielded positive results.