I had a chance to check-out youth day celebrations yesterday and what a blast! 103 performers helped pump along the fun for the fifth annual Youth Day festival at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square..“It’s all about youth” said Bricks, who’s been rapping since his teens and says the display of talent at Youth Day is an example of how many young people have used music, dance and art to stay out of trouble.
“How can you rap if you’re (in jail)? It’s about other ways of (using) your time, as opposed to hanging out on the streets.”
Youth need to be seen in a positive light, says Tylaine Duggan, who started Youth Day following a much-reported spate of fatal, gun-related violence in Toronto during the summer of 2005 — dubbed The Summer of the Gun.
It was the same year teenager Jane Creba was gunned down — an innocent bystander caught in an exchange of gunfire while Boxing Day shopping on Yonge St. just steps from where Sunday’s performances took place.
“We were sensationalizing a lot of the (bad) stuff and this is a celebration of positive youth engagement,” said Duggan, 50. “This is a showcase of their art, their achievements.”
Performers, including rappers, hip-hop dancers, choirs, full-piece rock and R&B bands and motivational speakers, were each given several minutes on one of two stages.
The event, which attracted thousands to the bustling intersection, closed Yonge St. between Shuter and Elizabeth Sts.
