Kingston Youth Voices
Kingston Youth Voices (KYV) is an arts education and youth apprenticeship program O+ started in 2023. It was piloted in collaboration with Pop-Up Gallery Group (PUGG), a local youth workforce development program run by The Department of Regional Art Workers (The D.R.A.W.). KYV has now expanded to include other community partners who prioritize equitable access for historically marginalized youth to engage in arts education and professional development. Upon completion of the program, all apprentices gain access to O+ healthcare services as alumni of our programs and become eligible for paid employment in O+’s storefront, mural tour program and/or mural production.
Working directly with O+ teaching artists, KYV provides hands-on, paid training in arts administration, large-scale public art planning, installation and criticism using the O+ mural program as a framework for the acquisition of both hard and soft skills. They gain experience in critical writing and public speaking through our audio project, in which apprentices choose a mural, write a script through structured prompts and then record their reflections on their chosen public artwork, with the support of our local community radio station Radio Kingston.
Kingston Youth Voices does not just offer experience in storytelling, critical thinking, and the generation of audio content. The program provides a source of civic engagement and agency through public art for young people living in a rapidly changing city. O+ also profoundly benefits from KYV apprentices and the work they do to help make the O+ mural program more accessible, while allowing us to use these cultural assets to amplify the voices and perspectives of the young people living alongside these murals.
Kingston Youth Voices is made possible with the support of:
Current audio tours include:
Audio tours give the public an entry point to better understanding public art and help O+ clarify the organizational intent behind each mural, highlight artist voices, and give community members – including building owners who agree to steward murals, folks who don’t like a particular mural, and young people living in the communities in which these murals exist – direct access to the conversation we are constantly having at O+ about the why, what, where, and how of each individual piece of art.
Audio also enhances accessibility for folks with disabilities, folks with visual impairment, folks outside of Kingston, and anyone who doesn’t understand public art.