Attending Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) offers long-term positive effects in regards to confidence, emotional intelligence, resilience, teamwork and leadership skills, emotional wellbeing and skill development. It can broaden horizons and strengthen cognitive abilities, such as creativity, imagination, solution-oriented thinking; it shows how to collaborate, build community and connection.

For those working in the field of TYA, the above is a given: we see the effect of our work on our young audiences and participants on a daily basis. However, this is not necessarily the case for those outside of our field; we often have to explain what our work – besides the artistic value that it carries – can offer our young people and ultimately our societies.

In a time in which we encounter a multitude of crises - from humanitarian, economic, climate to geopolitical crises - our younger generations need hope, inspiration, cognitive, emotional and social skills to face these challenges. TYA can help young people, through the framework of theatre, to dream with; to learn about, and to understand the(ir) world.

With this National Awareness Campaign, we ask for attention to the importance of Theatre for Young Audiences. We ask the adults in our society – the parents and carers, the grandparents and teachers, the neighbours as well as the politicians - to bring our young people to our performances, projects and programs, and to allow them to imagine a future; a future they will and want to be a part of.

On behalf of the Association du Théâtre pour l'Enfance et la Jeunesse Canada/ Association of Theatre for Children and Young People Canada (ASSITEJ), Théatres Unis Enfance Jeunesse (TUEJ), Association des théâtres francophones du Canada (ATFC) and Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT).