iNdigital Youth Collective
Level up and make your mark in the exciting realm of imagineNATIVE with the iNdigital Youth Collective!
Formed through collaboration between imagineNATIVE and ENAGB Indigenous Youth Agency, the iNdigital Youth Collective is a new group of emerging digital + interactive artists aged 12-24 and based in Ontario.
This collective operates with a collaborative spirit to engage Indigenous youth in a community-focused approach while fostering creativity, technical skill and confidence. The iNdigital Youth Collective’s mission is to empower Indigenous youth and grow the next generation of Indigenous voices in digital media.
2020: FIRST ITERATION
During the first series of virtual programming in September 2020, the collective completed the Skins workshops, developed and produced by AbTeC, as part of the Initiative for Indigenous Futures (IIF). The workshops are centered on developing skills in avatar design, game design, character concepts and interactive storytelling. Artists broadened their understanding of creative workflows in Second Life, Bitsy and Twine.
The iNdigital Youth Collective was showcased at the 2020 annual festival where emerging artists shared their experiences and highlights from the series of workshops. Youth Rising iNdigital is available on the imagineNATIVE YouTube page.
2021: SEVEN GENERATIONS LATER
Based on the Seventh Generation concept of making sustainable decisions that carry forward in time, imagineNATIVE’s iNdigital Youth Collective has developed a series of characters that reflect their visions of possible Indigenous futures.
These “descendants” manifested in conjunction with the 2021 imagineNATIVE Festival as life-size vinyl characters, hosted in libraries across Tkaronto, on AbTeC Island in Second Life and on the iNdigital Space. Each character represents layered spaces of traditional storytelling and Indigenous futurism, supported by contemporary technology.
2022: VIDEO GAME DESIGN
In 2022, the iYC Cohort learned Game Design skills through a series of workshops alongside Indigenous Mentors and Artists. The games and experiences they created was featured as part of an online exhibition and special showcase at the 2022 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
2023: Bitsy Game Design
The iYC Cohort dived headfirst into the captivating world of Game Design by building an interactive experience using the Bitsy Game Engine. Participants braced themselves for an exhilarating series of workshops with Indigenous mentors and talented artists, Pōhaikealoha Panoke, Director and Producer, and Steve Diabo, Creative Technologist and Game Developer.
For 2023, participants levelled up into an exciting realm of game design where the interactive experiences they created was featured as part of an online exhibition as well as a special showcase at the 2023 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival!
How can I learn more about this year’s iNdigital Youth Collective?
Please join our newsletter & subscribe to our socials for updates and announcements regarding future opportunities to join the next iNdigital Youth Collective. For more information, please email ktomaselli@imaginenative.org.
The iNdigital Youth Collective thanks the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council and EQ Bank for their continued support.
We’ve made a helpful booklet for this year’s cohort HERE. If there are any further questions, or concerns, please email iNdigital@imagineNATIVE.org.
HOW DO I JOIN THE INDIGITAL YOUTH COLLECTIVE?
The iNdigital Youth Collective operates as a 1-year cohort. We hope you will join us in 2023 for a brand new series of workshops, exhibitions, and learning opportunities.
Apply here:
For more information, please email ktomaselli@imaginenative.org.
The iNdigital Youth Collective thanks the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council and EQ Bank for their continued support.
