| | Use theatre as source of therapy; connect people by reducing socio-economic demographic and geographic barriers. - Homeless’ band
- Comedy
- Ballet ( Drumming circles)
- Ontario homeless Festival ( long term)
- Pan Canadian Homeless festival (long term)
Our theater program is designed to allow those that are disenfranchised to express themselves through any artistic endeavour in which they find themselves more able and competent. Any form of artistic expression, be it music, dance or comedy, we will work with Canadian universities to to both physically accommodate this project and develop the various talents of our homeless population with experts in their respective fields.
Medical practitioners have long noted that music is a highly effective, noninvasive used to promote health and well being. Music has been demonstrated to decrease anxiety and has been successfully used to distract persons from unpleasant sensations thus empowering them with the ability to heal from within. Current medical tendencies are to use sounds and music in healing the sick. Vibroacoustic therapy is a new sound technology that uses audible sound vibrations to reduce symptoms, invoke relaxation, and alleviate stress. The idea behind this therapy is the notion that external vibration can influence body function. With many promising innovations yet to come, it is now a standard doctrine that music therapy can meet social and psychological needs. With evidence to support both the motivational effects of music and it’s therapeutic effects, we could not ignore this powerful medium. With that in mind, we could not overlook this powerful tool and have designed a program to utilize what is already self evident to the medical community to our socio economic initiative.
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Ontario Small Hand’s homeless band initiative is specifically designed to utilize music to facitilate individual growth and achievement. Our philosophy is that only by accessing individual’s strengths can we overcome the ills that plague us. When we use individual’s own talents and strengts, it is only then that we can claim to try to eradicate the problems that are attached. Without promoting and catering to the development from within, any solution would only be temporary and thus masking the problem.
This program is to be implemented with various Canadian Universities who will provide their facilities and technical expertise in setting up and running this program. We currently have agreements with York University and Ryerson University to do just that. We hope to have more universities join us in this venture once the initiative is in progress. The program is designed for 8-12 people who have an affinity for music and who can benefit most by entering into our program. Our attendees will be tended to and practicing with experienced and professionally trained musicians to get the most benefit from this program.
Those that will qualify for our program and complete this program will stand to benefit not only by correcting their social, emotional and behavioral problems related to their entire life, but will also be expected to share both their experiences and new found musical skills and abilities to contribute to the society at large. Our goal for these recruits, to justify the input that we have made into their lives is for them to perform as a cohesive unit for different shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, various charity events, recreational parks, convention centres, Raptor/Maple Leaf games and various other festivals across Toronto.
As it has been previously mentioned, music has tremendous healing powers that are currently being researched and developed. For any of us who have ever heard a classic note, we can wholeheartedly appreciate the healing and relaxation powers of music and the effect it has had on both our emotional and therefore physical well being. It is an absolutely essential and integral part of our program that our recruits who stood to benefit from the program that we have implemented give something back to the society at large. This is the output that we justify with our input. We believe that this healing circle of first tending to the needs of the homeless themselves, and than them in turn turning their new found positive attitude and conviction on the greater society will be a stable and positive influence on everyone to make sure that their success will not be wasted and thus increasing their chances into reintegration of our society. The effects on the ill in the hospitals and the elderly in the nursing homes will affirm our thesis.
Our recruitment strategy plans to utilize our existing relationships with different shelters across the city as well as our direct marketing campaigns both on the ground and on the internet. Through our initial research and marketing campaign on the ground, we have found that our project is greeted very positively and interest into our program is beginning to grow exponentially. All our recruits that qualify for this program can expect to have transportation to the various facilities where practice will take place as well as a simple meal to reassure their most basic human needs. Our goal is designed to ensure that our people are taken care of in the best way possible so as to make sure that their success can and will inspire others.
Much like music is a healing art, the art of laughter and the art of dance have similar healing powers. Science has delved into these areas of human interaction as well and have consistently upheld their initial hypothesis that much like music, similar effects can be derived from laughter and dance. In many counties around the globe, dance is an essential part of human interaction and human activity in general. Though there are many different styles and forms of dance, one thing is certain, dancing, much like laughter, is never done in pain. These activities are de facto enjoyable and their psychological and physical benefits are self evident to anyone who has ever laughed or danced.
As such, we have included these activities into our overall theater program to make sure that no homeless of jobless person is left without means to express their artistic expressions. We believe that all possess these tendencies, but they may not necessarily all be in the same field. These differences are even highlighted in the board of directors of Ontario Small Hand, where some members are more inclined towards dance while others are more inclined towards musical expression.
Our comedy program, is an extension of our theater program and it is intended to train those who have an affinity for stand up comedy to develop their specific craft under carefully supervised and professional guidance. Much like the musical program, this too is a collaboration between Ontario Small Hand and the various universities across Canada. At these sessions, our professional, university trained writers will teach our recruits the skills necessary to succeed in this field. All the necessary components of putting together a comedy show are a necessity of everyday life as well. Reading and writing skills will be taught or reinforced. Presentational skills will be taught and reinforced as well. The ability to stand out in front of an audience, to control the audience, and to “maneuver” the audience are skills that many top executives in some of our biggest companies have all mastered. Unfortunately, the training of these skills has not filtered down all the way to those that are now disenfranchised. As such, we take it upon ourselves to train the skills that so many take for granted. |
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