Thank you again for your support of the NOW! creative education programs. Here’s an update from us!

1) NOW! play performances (February 2010)

NOW! partnered with Katimavik (www.katimavik.org) Vancouver to bring creative sustainability education to elementary schools and Katimavik program volunteers. Under the mentorship of Shawn MacDonald, a playwright and director at the Vancouver Arts Club, the Katimavik Vancouver troupe brought engaging performances of the 2008-2009 Act NOW! National Playwriting Competition junior category winning play “The Essay” to ~400 kids in Richmond, BC: Errington Elementary, W.D. Ferris Elementary, and McKinley Elementary. Thank you Beau Llewellyn and Marco Adamovic from Katimavik for an amazing opportunity to connect with dedicated youth volunteers from across Canada. We look forward to further collaboration with Katimavik!

2) Upcoming NOW What? conferences (May 2010):

• NOW What? Conference – Cochrane Edition

• Resourceful Thinking

3) 2nd annual Act NOW! Playwriting Competition (September 2009 – March 2010)

Entry submission was closed on March 31st, 2010. Decision from our judging panel will be announced on Earth Day, 22 April 2010. Outstanding entries will be posted on our website.  Here are the stats:

23 participants
Average age: 19
Average number of pages: 14

12 communities
Toronto, ON (3)
Markham, ON (1)
Mississauga, ON (1)
Anmore, BC (1)
Richmond, BC (1)
Surrey, BC (2)
Coquitlam, BC (1)
Burnaby, BC (2)
Vancouver, BC (8)
Lanley, BC (1)
Odejaye, Nigeria (1)
Hampstead, QC (1)

19 entries
Senior entries (age 19-26): 8
Junior entries (age 14-18): 11

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Next Steps:

- putting together the 2010-2011 NOW! team (Join our team)
- exciting collaboration opportunities with educators, students, community leaders, organizations, and institutions to take the impact of NOW! creative sustainability programs to the next level

Thank you again for your time, and happy holidays! :]

Sincerely,

The NOW! Team

Please visit here for more information about the Act NOW! National Playwriting Competition.

Related links:

Results of the 2008-2009 Act NOW! Playwriting Competition!

Winning play debuts in Vancouver [debut of Olivia's play by a youth troupe]

Write away!

Sustainability Television

Tune into Youth in 57 Minutes 102.7FM tonight between 7-8pm to hear about the Act NOW! National Playwriting Competition! We thank the Feature Story Producer, Reena Gacad, for the radio support.

Check out the latest Walking the Talk Newsletter featuring NOW!

TWO TEENAGE PLAYWRIGHTS WIN CANADA’S FIRST EVER NATIONAL YOUTH SUSTAINABILITY PLAYWRITING COMPETITION

Sixteen-year-old playwrights voice their concerns and ideas about the environment with a splash of creativity through the Act NOW! National Playwriting Competition

Vancouver, BC, Canada – Two teenagers passionate about raising awareness and taking action on sustainability, Mitchell Agostinho and Olivia Rempel, have won the 2008-2009 Act NOW! National Playwriting Competition. The winning plays will be performed – free to the public – across Canada at schools, festivals, community centres, and other locations by local theatre groups from June 2009 through October 2010 to an estimated audience of more than 10,000.

The Act NOW! National Playwriting Competition, organized by the NOW! Organization in collaboration with local and national outreach partners including the David Suzuki Foundation, the Let’s Talk Science Partnership Program, and the Environmental Youth Alliance, is the first of its kind to challenge Canadian youth ages 12 – 19 to evaluate issues in sustainability and devise interdisciplinary solutions.

“Today’s complex problems demand holistic solutions that bridge people from different backgrounds and disciplines. We are thrilled that youth are voicing their concerns and ideas with a splash of creativity,” said Janny Ke, Founder and President of the NOW! Organization.

Mitchell Agostinho, winner of the senior category, is a Grade 11 student from Windermere Secondary School in Vancouver, BC. His musical The High School Environmental innovatively weaves issues and solutions about environmental problems into dynamic artistic expression. An avid writer, Agostinho has written and directed several successful theatre productions. He will also lead his troupe to premier the performance of his winning musical in Vancouver.

Olivia Rempel, a 16-year-old homeschooled student from Abbotsford, BC, is the winner of the junior category with her imaginative entry The Essay. Judges commended her play as informative and “written in a natural, unpretentious way, full of humour.”

The two winners received $200 each in cash prize and exposure throughout Canada through the performance of their plays.

Honourable mention recipients are Fuluny Jang, 17, from Terry Fox Secondary in Port Coquitlam, Trisha Dulku, 16, from Fleetwood Park Secondary School in Surrey, and Emma Biron, 17, from Lord Byng Secondary in Vancouver.

The competition and the performance of the winning plays have attracted significant interest from organizations, theatre groups, educators, and students alike. The judges of this year’s competition include prominent playwrights and leaders in science and environmental non-for-profit organizations. In Greater Vancouver alone, nearly 20 elementary and secondary schools have enthusiastically signed up for the performances. Already, five youth theatre groups in Vancouver, Courtney, and Nelson have jumped on board to bring the free performances to their area.

About the NOW! Organization
Founded in 2006, the NOW! Organization is dedicated to bridging people from diverse backgrounds to sculpt creative, holistic solutions toward social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Run entirely by youth volunteers, the NOW! team implements innovative and grassroots programs to inspire youth, pique ideas and discussions, and spark action.

2008-2009 Act NOW! National Playwriting Competition Partners:
David Suzuki Foundation
Let’s Talk Science National Partnership Program
Environmental Youth Alliance
The Otesha Project
Global Agents for Change
Sierra Youth Coalition

Media Contact:
Janny Ke
The NOW! Organization
www.now-org.com
janny.ke@now-org.com
604-339-1251

NOW! in the media