OWN THE STAGE

Own the Stage is our spoken word & poetry workshop program that offers youths the tools to share their stories and voices through the art of spoken word. The program is intended to make spoken word accessible both as an art form and an essential means of communication for Saskatchewan youths; encouraging the youths to think and speak freely by creating a safe environment for them to be themselves and use their voices through the medium of spoken word poetry.

Initially conceived by our former Southern Artistic Director Charles Umeh as part of our Response to Racisim initiatives, the pilot project was launched in the summer of 2022 with the theme Speak and Inspire. Under the guidance of Artist-Mentors Kevin Wesaquate and Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye, the workshops are aimed at providing youths from Indian Head and adjacent communities with a means to capture and share their cultures, feelings, anxieties, fears, identity struggles, relationships, and triumphs. Youths were supported in developing their written and spoken word skills, which culminated in a recorded performance. With the piece My Childhood, the youths used language and emotion to travel back through childhood memories, reflecting on nostalgic feelings and the challenges of growing up. The project shows the importance and power of spoken words in speaking up for ourselves.

Own the Stage: Speak and Inspire  gave the participants an opportunity to tell their stories using their own unique voices, thereby encouraging them to be themselves without racial or societal barriers, sharing and respecting each other’s culture and background which formed who they are. Made in partnership with Kumar Productions, Own the Stage held space for participants to perform their spoken word pieces through recorded video works. For many participants, this was the first opportunity to showcase their work in this format. 

In 2023, we continued the program with the second year’s iteration—Own the Stage: The Becomming in partnership with Regina Open Door Society (RODS). Spoken word artists Cat Abenstein and Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye presented workshops to newcomer and refugee youth ages thirteen to nineteen. Both artists are nationally recognized and have played significant roles in establishing the local spoken-word communities in Saskatoon and Regina. Over four days, the artists guided youth in giving voice to their feelings, anxieties, fears, identity struggles, relationships, and triumphs using spoken words while encouraging them to write and speak both in English and their native language. They offered an environment where youth are encouraged to be themselves without judgment, to speak freely, and to listen actively. By assisting and encouraging them to write and share their ideas out loud, they learned how this art form supports deep listening and nurtures their confidence to vocalize their beliefs. The project culminated in a showcase for peers and family, where youth shared individual and group poems they had created during the program.

Thanks to our partnership with the Saskatchewan Filmpool Cooperative, the project was documented by youth filmmakers Jacq and Johanne Rivera, who, with mentorship and resources from the Filmpool, created a reflection video about the program. Embedding peer-led documentation and reflection is an assessment tool that allows the values of the participants to determine what meaningful evaluation looks like.

In response to community feedback from the 2023, we decided to expand the program by extending the workshops from 2 hours per day to 4 hours per day in 2024 during Own the Stage: The Expansion; the impact of which was immediately felt as participants kept on inviting their friends to the workshop, which saw attendance increase from 39 on the first day to 47 on the fourth day, when it ended with a performance at the Regina Public Library Film Theatre.

Own the Stage has proven to be a much-needed program in the community, and one which helps to address many socio-cultural, educational, wellbeing, and inequality issues needed to sustain transformative change.

In 2025, we were thrilled to expand the program into a biweekly mentorship series aimed at developing Regina youth in the disciplines of Poetry. Our theme for the year—Poetry is Everywhere, has guided us in creating space for young voices to emerge and flourish. Through regular group sessions, one-on-one mentorship, collaborative work, community engagement, and exposure to various forms of poetries, with special emphasis on Spoken Word; participants have gained confidence, honed their skills, and are discovering their unique identities and voices, both personally and collectively.

In addition to the biweekly mentorship session, we continued our annual summer partnership with the Regina Open Door Society (RODS), specifically catered towards welcoming and engaging with newcomer and refugee youths. We also opened a second version of the program to the general public in 2025, which took place at the Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre from July 7–11. The feedback from both weeks was overwhelmingly positive.Participants highlighted the care and support shown by facilitators Cat Abenstein and Eric Gabriel, and spoke about how safe, inspired, and motivated they felt during the program. Many shared that the workshops helped to reignite their passion for writing, boosted their confidence in performing their work, and introduced them to the art of improvisation. One participant summed up the experience by saying: 

“I came in expecting to be bored to death and left having fun—and I rarely have fun. This place was way past cool.”

We’re excited that many of these participants plan to continue developing their poetry skills through our ongoing biweekly mentorship sessions. This program was made possible thanks to the generous support from our funders, the Community Initiatives Fund and SaskCulture. Thank you for helping us offer continuous mentorship and opportunities for young poets to sharpen their craft.