Caring Cultures: Call for creatives

Overview

Are you eager to nurture social good through arts and culture?

Caring Cultures is a 12-week fellowship bringing together 8 youth artists and other diverse creatives to explore how arts and culture can spark meaningful youth-led social change and care in the face of complex personal and global challenges from the climate crisis to social inequities and more. This virtual-only fellowship runs from March to June 2025 (updated from February to May 2025).

Proudly presented by ArtsPond with support from Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and Government of Ontario, the fellowship is open to Indigenous, Racialized, d/Deaf, Disabled, and other creatives from suburban and rural communities in the regions surrounding Toronto and Hamilton.

Fellows will :

• Be paid a $3,000 flat-fee
• Engage in visionary group discussions with other fellows
• Receive one-on-one mentorship and care from community mentors and doulas
• Contribute to a collective publication that imagines caring pathways to youth-led social change in Ontario.

Activities

Fellows will dedicate ~75 hours over 3 months: 68 hours for personal project creation plus 7 hours for group and individual meetings. One-on-one mentorship and support from community guides and doulas will be available throughout. The dates of the fellowship are subject to change.

Fellows will create a personal project reflecting on their potential to nurture social good in the face of complex crises and systemic barriers in their own lives, communities, and planet wide. Personal projects may include:

• Creative journals, essays, blogs, sketches, community research, mind maps, and more
• Desired scope is either 1,800 to 2,400 words; 10 to 12 minutes of video/audio; 5 to 8 images or sketches with a written commentary; or other meaningful contributions to be explored with the care team
• While fellowship meetings will take place in English (with ASL/CART available), personal projects may use other languages chosen by the fellow.

As a part of their journeys, fellows will be encouraged to transform their personal stories into meaningful ideas for advancing radical social change and real community care. With support from mentors, doulas, and peers, they will explore how youth-led creative movements can address complex issues, from the climate crisis to social inequities and more.

By the end of the fellowship, it is our hope that each fellow will have a clearer vision of their own paths as creative changemakers and caregivers, including a deeper awareness of the support and care they need to fully realize their potential in these roles. Together, they will help shape a roadmap for the next generation of creative social change and care in Ontario.

Eligibility

Three basic eligibility requirements are:

• Open to adults who are 18 to 35 years of age, are legally allowed to work in Ontario during the fellowship, and live in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (between the regions of Brantford to Bowmanville in the south, up to Kitchener/Waterloo to Markham in the north).
• Open to those with lived experience as Indigenous, Racialized, d/Deaf, Disabled, or living Outside the Core in a suburban or rural community.
• Open to all practices in the artistic, creative, and cultural industries. This includes, but is not limited to, artists, designers, curators, educators, activists, advocates, producers, managers, entrepreneurs, engineers, and other creatives. Aspiring, emerging, mid-career, and established professionals from any discipline or profession are encouraged to apply.

Access and care

Our team is committed to responding meaningfully to access and care needs, including:

• For applicants, information sessions and one-on-one support with online forms are available. Personal interviews can be requested in place of written applications.
• Selected fellows will also be invited to create a personalized access plan with the care team, which may include support from doulas and mentors. ASL, CART, and plain language services will be provided during meetings, with some additional limited funds available for personal access and care costs.

Application process

The deadline to apply has been extended to January 13, 2025 at 5 pm Eastern (formerly December 2, 2024, at 5 pm).

Apply online at artspond.com/caring-apply.  You may request access accommodations or support by writing to care@artspond.com. Let us know what your access needs are by January 6 , 2025, at 5 pm Eastern, if possible. We will try to respond to requests received after this deadline as our resources allow.

The care team and a peer advisory committee will review all applications and select 8 fellows based on their potential contributions, growth, compatibility, and vision for community care. Ideal candidates will show urgency, curiosity, diverse lived experiences, commitment to mutual exchange, and a vision for creative solutions rooted in mutual care. Visit artspond.com/caring-criteria for a detailed description of our selection criteria.

Ownership and publication

The work fellows produce during the fellowship will remain their own intellectual property. All creators will be properly credited. While ArtsPond typically publishes work in the creative commons, fellows are encouraged, but not required, to do the same.

Fellows will grant ArtsPond first and perpetual (but not exclusive) rights to publish the content they approve for publication. If their content is to be reproduced for sale, a separate agreement will be made. Fellows may have their content published elsewhere afterwards if ArtsPond is credited as the original host and publisher.