Ihuman Youth Society

About

iHuman is all about creating workable pathways for #yeg youth to live healthy lives. www.ihuman.org

Story

iHuman is an Edmonton non profit organization that was first formed by Wallis Kendal and Sandra Bromley in 1997. Its original goal was to support arts activities that led to positive social change. Kendal and Bromley first encountered a small group of youth while they were working on the Gun Sculpture (www.gunsculpture.com), a five-tonne anti-violence art project. Since many of the youth had troubled pasts and the Gun Sculpture was constructed out of actual deactivated weapons, they decided to redirect and mentor the youth in an anti-violence initiative called the Red Tear. This project premiered at the Art Gallery of Alberta in 2000.

By the time the project ended, the group of Edmonton youth at risk had grown to twelve with many more showing interest. Kendal and Bromley continued to mentor these high-risk youth until iHuman received its first grant two years later, at which time iHuman’s first employee was hired. As more youth came to iHuman, it became obvious to the founders that iHuman would have to expand further and provide youth services (support and outreach), as well asarts training.

Today, iHuman has become a youth-driven non-profit that develops programs solely for youth, responds to youth’s changing needs, and uses the arts as a positive engagement tool.

Mission

iHuman's mission is to work with marginalized and traumatized youth through crisis intervention, arts mentorship and life skills development.

At iHuman, youth explore their own identity and create their own compelling future.