LEAD program empowers youth to gain leadership and success

Written By ALYSSA PARKHILL

“LEAD sees every young person as having intrinsic, unstoppable potential to be a strong and empathetic leader. Their limitations are set only by the tools we give them,” says Marilyn Field.

Field is an educator, a volunteer and a visionary who has made it her goal to help children become a better version of themselves and transform into leaders.

In 1994, Field founded a national charity called DAREarts which was dedicated to supporting and helping under served communities all across Canada. DAREarts supported over 200,000 children nationally, until Field's retirement in January 2019. With a career full of teaching and working hand-in-hand with children and youth, she was able to see first-hand what they needed and how they could thrive.

DAREarts encouraged youth to engage in all different categories of arts such as music, drama, dance visual arts, fashion and more. With these skills, youth ages nine to 19 built confidence, courage and leadership through the power of art. 

Though Field retired in 2019, it didn't stop her from helping empower the youth. She is now advising different organizations nationally and internationally on a variety of arts and leadership programs such as the 2020 World Partnership for Underserved Young Leaders with 2020 World and Stratford Festival.

On top of all that, she has recently developed a program called LEAD which is an educational program for young people to develop authentic leadership skills and to drive for success. 

“LEAD was born from the need for a new path for young people to follow and for teachers and arts-educators to bring to their students. Many of us share an experience of being treated unjustly in their past. We struggle through it and become stronger and even possibly more aware of how it feels to be someone who is marginalized. I can only see more empathy and compassion for others coming from that,” remarked Field. “My creation of LEAD stems from that!  We don't know what life will bring, but it's so important that we make a positive difference in others' lives around us to better our world. I can't wait to see what lies ahead! Our youth have great potential to make it great.”

Listen. Emphasize. Act. Drive. The message Field teaches young people to practice. As a teacher, Field saw how children responded to art. She saw how music helped them get through their challenges with art and music, and that's what sparked the initiative to begin DAREarts. Following after this empowering organization, she compelled to continue her work.

“LEAD empowers young people, especially those who have experienced brutish or bullying behaviour, to manage and course-correct their situation. LEAD doesn't only lead; it connects. LEAD also empowers those who are ‘alone in their own mind ‘where anxiety and stress takes over everything, and they feel distant from everyone and everything around them,” said Field. “LEAD sees every young person as having intrinsic, unstoppable potential to be a strong and empathetic leader. Their limitations are set only by the tools we give them.”