Throughout August of 2021, Antyx Community Arts, Skipping Stone Foundation and City of Calgary engaged 12 youth from LGBTQ2+, Immigrant and Indigenous backgrounds to talk about LGBTQ2+ and Indigenous permaculture teachings and medicines, identity and community. We hosted a week of sessions at Bob Bahan Aquatic Centre and installed the final mural outside the Centre on the fence to engage the public. The youth were mentored by LGBTQ2+ and Indigenous staff from the agencies involved as well as an Indigenous Permaculture Artist from Foodscape who is currently redeveloping the Bob Bahan Aquatic Centre garden space to be an Indigenous themed medicine garden.

These youth had so many wonderful things to say about their work and their creative process. It was a chilly and windy day, but the youth had some wonderful discussion and insights into the project that they were able to share with our attendees as well as their stories of how they were empowered and how their creativity was ignited by the project. For many of them, this was their first mural and they were overjoyed to have the experience of having their work permanently installed in public.

With four volunteers, 47 participants and a cost of $874.53, we were pleasantly surprised how fast this group of youth developed a strong connection to each other over the week. This group
developed fast bonds and connections within a day of knowing each other and had a very collaborative following week.