An organizer of Youth Art Connection sent me a note this morning to say that former Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean will be meeting with over 100 youth at J.L. Ilsley high school tonight to talk art and grassroots activism.

It sounds like a good night. The fun starts at 7pm. The school board also put out a media release, as follows:

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Youth representing several social service, Aboriginal, African Canadian, LGBTQ and immigrant and refugee groups, from across the Halifax Regional Municipality, will gather for a public forum on using the arts to spark social transformation with the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, 27th Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada and Co-Chair of the Michaëlle Jean Foundation. The event is co-sponsored by Arts Express and the Youth Arts Connection. It will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Arts Space, located in J.L. Ilsley High School. The evening will begin with with a smudging ceremony and dance by Savannah Simon, a Mi’kmaq dancer who performed at the Vancouver Olympic Games followed by a black light theatrical performance by Team Possibles, a group of young adults with Down Syndrome. The discussion will be facilitated by El Jones, HRM’s poet laureate. Other performers include the theatre improv team from Dartmouth High, spoken word artists, Concrete Roots and Mike Hirschbach’s circus troupe. The event will be emceed by representatives from Laing House and J.L. Ilsley’s Students Council.