FIXT POINT is a Toronto-based arts & media company with national reach. Our mandate is to inspire audiences and artists to imagine change, and our mission is to promote local culture and preserve local heritage through the telling of tales across multiple platforms. We endeavour to be leaders in public engagement, embedding training and outreach into our process of creation and dissemination. FIXT POINT was founded in 2006 and incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 2011.
To date, we’ve interviewed over 3,000 Canadians from every province and territory in almost 200 communities in our storymobiles (mobile recording studio on wheels); edited and posted hundreds of oral histories on our storymap; produced two seasons of a TV/web series for TVO; and, most recently, we were awarded Touring Artist of the Year from the Canadian Arts Presenting Association (CAPACOA).
The Tale of a Town Story Map (http://www.thetaleofatown.com)
TVO Series (https://tvo.org/programs/main-street-ontario)
Learn more at www.fixtpoint.com.
What do you want people to know about how you or your organization is creating change in our community?
FIXT POINT delivers a volunteer-based training program, the Empathy Squad, which equips youth in Canada with skills in audio storytelling and podcasting: from outreach and interviewing, audio recording and editing, to narrative shaping and sound design, and presentation of their pieces to a wider audience. Out of the organization’s experience in building a practice that is based on community and preserving oral histories through storytelling, our training program aims to share this knowledge and skills with youth volunteers in Canada so that they can serve their own communities. Our participants have produced high-quality audio pieces that give a platform for people to share their lived experiences and foster empathy from the wider community. The Empathy Squad is made possible by the Canada Service Corps program leaders today.
What are you working on that you would like to share with the community?
The Empathy Squad program is delivered completely virtually and provides opportunities for developing skills and artistic practice to capture and preserve community stories to be shared with present and future generations, as well as opportunities for improving communication and self-expression skills! Some of our program alumni have incorporated interviewing and audio storytelling components into either their current profession or their postgraduate studies, as well as acquired jobs in related media/artistic fields.
With over 90 participants who have completed our program, our most recent cohorts having completed in March 2023, we are very honoured to meet young individuals from across the country who are passionate about celebrating under-represented communities. We are proud of their commitment to building an artful practice in service of their community, and the pieces they have created. Communities that have been explored by our most recent participants include food justice activists in Ottawa, 2-Spirit land defenders, outdoor enthusiasts, and Muslim communities.
We are currently accepting applications for Empathy Squad’s Cohorts 15 & 16 (Fall 2023) and Cohorts 17 & 18 (Winter 2024). Visit empathysquad.ca to find out more, see the full program schedule for Fall 2023 and Winter 2024, and fill out our application form.
Please share with us why you are a Pillar Nonprofit Network Member. What have you gained from being a Pillar Member?
Our Toronto-based organization aims to connect passionate storytellers from all over Canada with this opportunity, and our engagement as a Pillar Member will help us reach more young volunteering individuals with our program. We are excited to join the Pillar Network, to hear more from other volunteer organizations, and meet and learn from more and more youth in Canada about what is important to them!
Contact Name: Meryl Ochoa
Contact Email: empathysquad@fixtpoint.com
Website: https://fixtpoint.com
Link to featured initiative, project, or campaign: https://empathysquad.ca