2016 Local Hero – Arts Advocate

 

In a community as artistically vibrant as the Comox Valley, coming up with one specific Local Hero in the Arts Advocate category was a chore.

One entry stood out, however, and winning the inaugural Local Hero: Arts Advocate is the Rainbow Youth Theatre.

The purpose of the Rainbow Youth Theatre is to enable children and youth to gain confidence, artistic skill, and friendships through theatre.

“We are really focused on life skills,” said RYT president Karae White. “Our motto is ‘building character on and off the stage, since 1988.’

“When our kids get involved in a production, whether they are aged six or 16, they have to do their part, in a timely fashion, and they have to do it well. So there are life skills regarding working with other people, meeting deadlines, being creative, and they key skill is that they all learn to follow direction.”

The Rainbow Youth Theatre is also a champion of inclusivity; if a child wants to be a part of the organization, that is the only pre-requisite. Physical and mental challenges are simply challenges, not barriers.

White said watching the growth of the children in the program is among the most satisfying aspects of the RYT.

One sign of a solid youth organization is the retention of parent volunteers after their children have outgrown the program, and the Rainbow Youth Theatre boasts many such volunteers.

“On the present board, there are only three members who have kids in the program. The rest of them, their kids are all grown and gone,” said White. “So they are the type of people who continue to pay it back.

She said it’s the closeness of the organization that brings volunteers back.

“It’s a huge sense of community; we are like a big family.”

28 years

No fixed address

Alumni: hundreds

Quote:

“I remember one year, instead of 24 kids we had 48, so Kymme Patrick literally wrote another play, so that every kid could have a part.”