An Oshawa youth arts council is giving teenagers a role in gallery programming and community activities as the Robert McLaughlin Gallery’s youth initiative continues into the school year.
The volunteer group brings together young people aged 13 to 17 to develop ideas, help organize activities and gain experience working in a professional gallery. The gallery’s official program page confirms that participation is free and registration is required.
A report published by The Chronicle on October 20 describes how Eastdale Collegiate and Vocational Institute student Manahel (Mona) Kashif helped establish the council after seeing a gap in art-focused extracurricular opportunities for teenagers. The Grade 11 student first approached the gallery in May, according to the report, and the group began before the summer.
From a student idea to an autumn program
The current story is about a youth-led group continuing its work, rather than a council being created for the first time this week. The Chronicle reports that members took part in summer community events and decided to continue into an autumn term with a meeting schedule suited to school commitments.
The gallery describes the council as an opportunity for teenagers to practise leadership, administration, planning and collaboration. Activities can include preparing public art experiences, making social media content and working with community partners.
Those responsibilities give participants a chance to explore the work behind exhibitions and public programs, not simply make art in a classroom setting. The Chronicle reports that members also take on community outreach, event-planning and social-media roles while earning community service hours.
Meetings and creative activities
The official gallery schedule lists council meetings on October 21, November 4 and November 18. Council sessions run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on selected Wednesdays. A Teen Art Zone workshop is listed for October 28 with a 6 p.m. start, distinct from the regular council meeting time.
Families should check the gallery’s current registration page before attending, as it provides the program’s up-to-date arrangements. Participants are asked to check in at the front desk when they arrive because sessions use different spaces within the gallery.
The program accepts young people joining partway through the semester. Guardian permission is required, and the gallery asks participants to take consent documents home after their first session. It also asks members to attend at least 70 per cent of sessions so they can remain involved in the group’s work.
A role in the wider community
The gallery’s account of an earlier Garden Party with the Oshawa Garden Club describes council members helping deliver a public workshop, painting a mural and creating activities about local pollinator plants. That provides an example of the practical community work behind the council’s leadership goals.
The Chronicle also reports that members are working towards a teen art event. No confirmed public date is supplied in that report, so it should not be treated as an announced event listing.
For local teenagers interested in art, the Oshawa youth arts council offers a way to contribute ideas and learn how a cultural organization operates. The official gallery page provides registration details and information about accessibility and participation.
Sources
- Robert McLaughlin Gallery: official youth council program and schedule, checked October 20, 2026.
- The Chronicle: student-led council report, October 20, 2026.
