2024 PuSh Youth Program

Three people in chairs at the front of a room under a large projection screen showing sponsor logos, speaking in front of a seated audience.

2024 Youth Cohort

The PuSh Youth Cohort is a collaboration between the PuSh Festival and Symposia, an events cooperative within the Solid State Community Industries consortium. It is a free program that will brought together 10 racialized youth aged 16-24 who have an interest in theatre, dance and/or performance but have not yet had significant exposure to professional- level performance. It is intended for youth who are interested in experiencing the performing arts from all angles and learning more about creation and production. While not a requirement, those with aspirations in creating, performing and/or producing are welcomed. 

Starting in January the group met weekly over meals at the Solid State HQ in Whalley to explore and discuss various aspects of theatre/dance/performance, met with PuSh artists and staff, and contextualized the shows they attended. Then the group attended a number of shows together through the festival, including backstage visits, meetings with artists and producers, meals with selected guests and related workshops. The project concluded in mid-February with the opportunity to discuss experiences at PuSh and reflect together on learnings and observations.

Produced in partnership with Solid State Community Industries.

Solid State Industries

Solid State starts worker cooperatives with youth (under-35) from racialized migrant backgrounds. We currently have 18 cohorts running with many more in formation.

We have 120+ participants from more than 35 different national backgrounds and 15 staff. Our goal is to build a mutually-supportive network, grounded in Surrey, a cooperative of cooperatives, bound together by a commitment to hospitality and mutual aid.

We believe that the co-op model is highly capacious: it brings people together to work on a common project, build real-world skills, develop lasting bonds, and earn income from a co-op enterprise. Much more than that, we are interested in bringing together youth to work on common projects where they can forge long-term attachments, and develop a sense of belonging and attachment.