Empowering Young Women to LEAD in Their Communities

Dance is a powerful, yet underutilized embodied learning tool that can encourage people to further invest in and explore their leadership potential. NBS LEAD: Leadership, Empowerment, Action, Dance, is a free three-day workshop led by professional artists and community mentors that empowers participants aged 16-25, who identify as women and nonbinary+ to take on leadership roles in their communities.

In early 2018, NBS piloted the program in Toronto with 11 participants joining from the community of North Preston, Nova Scotia for a two-day workshop. Since then, NBS has hosted successful annual workshops in Toronto and collaborated on regional workshops across Canada, seeing growth in participation year-over-year.

With dance as a foundation, this program helps participants explore leadership theory and practice. Through active workshops, dance classes, facilitated discussions and peer networking, the program fosters confidence and competence, empowering young women to make a difference through dance and supporting them in taking on leadership roles—now and into the future.

Through the workshop, community members:

Participate in dance workshops led by professional and emerging dance artists who represent diverse styles and practices
Increase awareness of the important benefits of regular physical activity
Collaborate and communicate with peers from across Canada
Learn how community arts initiatives can be a catalyst for positive change in their communities
Are empowered to recognize their potential as leaders and creators

“I learned how dance connects people. It is not only about movements and competitions; it’s about fostering a community environment and feeling welcome in a safe place. I’ve been to leadership training workshops before and it usually just focuses on teamwork and collaboration, but this program was really different. It took different parts of my life that I value and intertwined them and showed me how I can make a difference.” – NBS LEAD participant.

Click here to learn more about LEAD and our upcoming workshop opportunities