BY: SHREYA HARIHARAN NAIR
If you’re looking for a safe space where your child can foster friendships and thrive creatively, then look no further than Winters Community Art Club (WCAC). Specializing in empowering youth through their after-school visual-art and drama programs, WCAC aims to amplify youthful imagination and expression, while still being educational.
WCAC has been a registered student club at York University for 17 years, working specifically with kids from grades 2-8 in the York and Jane/Finch community.
The club runs in two semesters, from October to early April, every Friday at 4:00 pm. The fall semester includes a visual-arts program, where kids explore different forms of fine art, including but not limited to pottery, painting, sketching, and beadwork. The winter semester includes a drama program, where the children help make a script, backdrop, and costumes for a play that will be filmed. At the end of each semester is a final show, wherein the kids will showcase their art to friends and family in the form of an art gallery or a film/movie premier.
A successful club cannot run without a highly functional team. WCAC recruits ambitious York University student volunteers to assist each child with activities for the week. In addition to the volunteers, an executive team made up of 7-8 previous WCAC volunteers, help with more extensive tasks, such as participant recruitment, advertising/promotions, event space coordination, and volunteer interviews.
Over the years, WCAC has had multiple themes for their Friday program. Of note, previous themes included WCAC Superheroes, Mythical Creatures, Sunken Ship, and Creative Carnival. This year’s current theme is WCAC in Space, and some activities involved building-your-own-rocket-ship, alien drawings, and planet paintings. The film for this year’s space theme is in a mockumentary style, filmed over zoom to oblige COVID-safety measures.
In addition to their weekly Friday program, WCAC also has a partnership with the Lee-Wiggins daycare. Through this partnership, volunteers assist the daycare staff and help provide weekly arts and crafts activities for children aged 18 months to 5 years old.
“I liked the purpose and mission of WCAC which was, you know, work with kids, teach art, but also to mentor them and build relationships with them,” says Milad Fard, the current President of WCAC. “When I started working with WCAC though, I realized it was a lot more than that. I built really interesting relationships with a lot of [the volunteers] and there is a very strong sense of comradery and sense of community, which I think sets it apart from different clubs.”
Interested in learning more? Reach out to WCAC at wcac@my.yorku.ca