My name is Brienna Huffman and I am a social service worker student at Georgian College in Orillia. On March 24, 2021, I spoke with Juli-Anne James co-founder of Streams Community Hub along with her husband Andrew. Streams Community Hub is an arts-centred charity in Shelburne, Ontario that allows children to explore their creativity. Founded four years ago, they have grown from an initial group of 50 children and now serve more than 168 children annually. Streams provides children with the opportunity to grow and gain confidence. James says she always attends the first day of camp to witness how shy some children appear; by the end of the week, she sees these same children dancing and acting on stage, discovering self-confidence.
Streams Community Hub is making a positive impact with children that attend their camps and is also fulfilling several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They are currently accomplishing Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being, by allowing children to become engaged and resilient through individual exploration in the arts. Streams is also following Goal 4, Quality Education; they focus on diverse forms of art: dance, music, baking, technology, and more. They do not limit the children; they allow them to explore their creativity, be innovative and explore new things. Streams Community Hub has attained Goal 10, Reduced Inequalities, with their focus on bringing the community together and reducing financial inequalities. Recently, they received a grant from the Government of Canada from and can provide camp for free. Prior to receiving this grant, they offered a 50% no-questions-asked subsidy, plus scholarships. They currently offer a variety of programs that span across multiple age groups, and are open to people of any gender, race and religion.
Streams Community Hub creates a positive impact at the local level by allowing children to form connections and explore their creativity in a nonjudgmental setting. This spreads both creativity and compassion. Streams Community Hub has a plan to build a public-access creative community hub called The Big Picture. The Big Picture will provide the community with social enterprise development and business incubation, a safe social space for youth, and community service delivery. They plan to offer year-round programming, enabling them to serve more children, fostering childrens’ growth and removing them from their comfort zones.
Streams Community Hub supports children by unlocking their potential through collaboration and art. I personally found this organization to be exceptionally compassionate as they are able to provide programs for free or offer a 50% subsidy. Streams Community Hub is an inclusive organization with a large impact on Shelburne. They are passionate about seeing lives changed and sparking confidence within children.
