Art As Resistance
The Academy for Human Rights presents the 19th Annual Summer Symposium:
Mobilizing YOUth to Challenge Injustice
Tuesday, July 7 - Thursday, July 9 | 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Tuition: $200.00
Erie 1 BOCES, 355 Harlem Road, Buffalo, NY
Open to incoming 9th graders through graduating seniors, the Academy’s 19th annual Youth Summer Symposium is a three-day immersive experience that invites young people to explore how art, music, theater, poetry, and media literacy have challenged injustice across history and continue to resist tyranny today.
Featuring an incredible array of local and national changemakers, the Symposium offers hands-on workshops where participants can learn from inspiring artists, activists, and historians, and be empowered to speak truth to power and take action in their communities, nation, and world.
Getting Empowered
to Take Action
Day One features a dynamic lineup of panelists and activities designed to inspire creativity and critical thinking.
Tanya Zabinski, an artist, author, and community advocate. Her work includes silkscreen printing on T-shirts, banners, and paper, as well as a creative collaboration with singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco on her book Peace, Love, and Action, of which all participants will receive a copy.
Nada Odeh, a Syrian artist, activist, humanitarian, and modern-day poet whose work is inspired by her heritage and her experiences as a Syrian refugee.
“Skills for Resistance” session focused on media literacy led by Lea Baker-Ewert, Academy for Human Rights Operations Manager.
Getting The Tools
to Take Action
Day Two centers on the power of performance and storytelling as tools for reflection, resistance, and social change.
Participate in a Theatre of the Oppressed workshop led by Dr. Kevin Ewert, Director of Theatre at the University of Pittsburgh Bradford.
Engage with noted actor and activist Keith Hamilton Cobb and his work on the Untitled Othello Project, which challenges participants to examine and confront the enduring racist and misogynistic tropes embedded in classic texts.
Create zines with Jordan (Jo) Roth, a Western New York–based storyteller, curator, and artist, who leads hands-on workshops on zine-making, collage, and book arts, emphasizing intersectional queer and feminist perspectives.
Getting Inspired
to Take Action
Day Three highlights the enduring power of art, music, and storytelling as forms of resistance and community building through a Community Day.
Experience art amplifying art as resistance at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, including works on the Cambodian Genocide, the Civil Rights Movement, the Tiananmen Square protests, and environmental justice efforts rooted in Love Canal disaster.
Workshop with Jillian Hanesworth, a Buffalo-based poet, activist, and the city’s first Poet Laureate, whose writing and community initiatives amplify lived experiences, promote literacy, and use art to challenge injustice and inspire collective healing. Her interactive presentation will teach the Symposium’s participants how to use their voice as a vehicle for change–the perfect culmination of their three-day experience.
Click here to register today!
Click here to register today!
Financial Assistance: AHR is committed to furthering equity and ensuring that accessing education is possible for all who seek it. To this end, we offer pay what you can scholarships under a no questions asked honor system, made possible by the generosity of our donors. We ask that you only use this option if paying full tuition will cause financial burden. All are welcome, regardless of ability to pay.
Content Warning: Discussions and imagery of war and conflict, violence (physical, emotional, sexual), and other sensitive topics will be covered throughout the Symposium. Multiple breaks and opportunities for debriefing are built into the Symposium schedule. Should a participant become overly distressed by these topics at any point, AHR staff will encourage them to care for their well-being in whatever way they choose and will be available to provide support as needed.