On April 17, 2025, it was announced that the registered charitable organization MindFuel, which is committed to developing STEM innovation for kindergarten to Grade 12 and post-secondary youth in Canada, received $500,000 in funding over two years from the RBC Foundation. The funding will support its technology platform, Connect2Innovate, which connects youth ages 15 to 29 across Canada to partners and supports the innovation journeys of aspiring entrepreneurs. Cassy Weber, CEO of MindFuel, said that through Connect2Innovate, participants meet mentors and experts and work in teams to develop projects tackling real-world problems such as carbon capture, genetic engineering to promote …

Montrealers turned out in full force on July 26th for Jamaica Day at Martin Luther King (Kent) Park, widely regarded by organizers as the largest edition to date. Headliner Papa Michigan best known as half of Michigan & Smiley gave his fans his classic hits on Saturday, then met fans at a packed community gathering on Sunday. Born Anthony Fairclough in Kingston, Jamaica, Michigan helped invent a new language for reggae at the turn of the 1980s. As Michigan & Smiley, he and partner General Smiley were among the first dual toasters, popularizing a crisp call-and-response style that bridged singing and DJ chatting and …

Histoires d’Invincibles is an exhibition based on an original idea by author Chilandre Patry and illustrator Maxime Saint-Juste. It highlights significant figures that visitors can identify and know more about to tackle the lack of representation. The project aims to provide children, families, and schools in Quebec with an educational experience to enhance their imagination through inspiring stories. It’s designed for all ages and offers an engaging approach to raise visitors’ awareness of African descent people’s contributions to world history. The project idea came from the first COVID-19 lockdown, when Saint-Juste began sharing drawings of characters to colour—to keep his …

Visual artist Marc-Alain Félix uses acrylics, oil pastels, and markers to create art surrounding memory, identity, and resilience. His work explores the boundaries between abstraction and figuration, emphasizing human vulnerability, cultural dynamics, and the interactions between the individual and their environment. Félix recognizes cultural diversity and the amplitude of human experiences, making it an artistic and social commitment that inspires reflection and change. Félix has been a professional artist since 2016. Although most of his exhibits are in Montreal, he has showcased his art in cities like New York, Milan, and Tokyo. He said he had been interested in art …

Aïsha Temfack, founder and CEO of the award-winning handbag company Missiris Montréal, felt inspired to create her brand because whenever she was looking for the four key elements in handbags: good quality, price, fanciness, and practicality, there was always a missing factor, which motivated her to make a difference. After launching her brand on Sept. 22, 2022, she won the Canadian Choice award in retail and has grown her audience. Temfack said her journey has had ups and downs, but staying persistent is one of the main reasons for her success. “There’s been tears, happiness, desperation and lack of motivation. …

On April. 13, 2025, The Afro Youth Summit and the Observatory of Black Communities in Quebec revealed a study highlighting the daily discrimination Black youth in Quebec keep experiencing. The study was done in partnership with the survey firm Léger, and data shows that 83 per cent of Black youth experienced discrimination at least once in their lives compared to 40 per cent of non-Black youth. The survey also reveals that 66 per cent of Black youth face discrimination in public services such as education, health care, justice and social services. 35 per cent of Black youth said they experienced …

  On March. 31, 2025, it was announced that the KPMG Foundation had donated $150,000 for three years in a new collaboration with the Pinball Foundation. The funds will provide marginalized and racialized youth in Canada with various opportunities and support like education, technology, resources, sponsorships, and mentorship. Paul Hamilton, national director of Talent Attraction with KPMG Canada, said their collaboration will help underprivileged students reach their future goals. “It’s going to help students move from being marginalized students into the mainstream because the ultimate goal is to help these students acquire the education that they need to reach their …

Maycie-Ann St-Louis, a Montreal movement director, transforms ordinary gestures into extraordinary visual narratives. In her various projects, St-Louis uses imagery and her Christian faith to guide her creative process. Most of her work centers around self-actualization and questioning purpose and identity.  Movement directing is about guiding someone through motion in real-time, enhancing the quality of people’s natural movements but amplifying them more for, for example, a film or a music video. “I like to let my work speak for itself and my faith is a way for me to delve into my creative identity,” St-Louis said to the CONTACT. She …

Racialized communities face more barriers when trying to access mental health services as compared to other people groups because of obstacles such as stigma, lack of accessibility, and non-culturally appropriate care. According to Sabrina Ladha, Vice-President of GreenShield Cares, 60 per cent of youth in Canada are unable to get the care they need—signaling the shortcomings in the country’s mental health system. Ladha explained that their new mental health initiative concerns the health and well-being of equity-seeking and underserved communities. She said when looking at racialized individuals, there is a significant need in terms of the most urgent health challenges, …

By Desirée Zagbai Exploring the intersection of minority identities and immigration, “Those Roots Within” is a contemporary dance duet that creates a unique dialogue between Deaf and Hearing experiences. Co-created by Alida Esmail, Hodan Youssouf, and Sophia Wright, the performance featured Youssouf, a Deaf theatre artist, and Esmail, a hearing dance and theatre artist, as they navigate the complexities of shared stage and divergent truths. Youssouf explained that they wanted the show to be as visually accessible as possible without needing subtitles, captioning, or interpreters on stage. She added that they ensured the performance would be fully simultaneously accessible to …