cahoots 2024 – Cahoots Festival

May 7, 2024

Work that Reconnects: Gratitude, Grief, Hope and Action

12+

with Sarah Shepherd

For as long as there have been problems in the world, there have been faithful people seeking to make changes. The Work that Reconnects is a methodology that grew from the need to acknowledge and honour the spiritual and emotional components of justice work. through a specific cycle of gratitude, honouring our pain for the world, visioning new responses, and committing to our own contributions, we deal with our pain and exhaustion and find renewed strength.

Come and explore this creative and interactive process, which also touches on concepts such as Systems Thinking and Deep Time/Ecology. Be open to hearing and sharing your own areas of pain and struggle in a supportive space.

about the facilitator

Sarah (she/her) lives in Tkaronto and did an intensive training in the Work that Reconnects in 2011, which resonated with her background in justice work as a Quaker, Anglican, and then–United Church national staff member. She is passionate about pollinator gardening, community-building, and singing.

April 17, 2024

Gospel Choir! (group harmony singing)

(all ages)

with Josh Lyon

Participants will learn some new songs to sing together, and experience the joy of singing in harmony, specifically in the Gospel Music idiom. Songs will be taught in a call and response fashion, so there’s no requirement for reading music ability.

about the facilitator

For the last year or so, Josh has been running a community drop-in non-performing Gospel choir in Kingston for folks who want to sing in harmony together just for the pleasure of it, with no prerequisites for attendance other than being willing to sing Gospel songs with gusto! Despite being an accomplished musician but not primarily identifying as a vocalist, Josh has found a new joy in leading folks in harmony singing together. He has also lead the music team during the Cahoots morning gatherings for the last bunch of years and been part of the Cahoots Worship and Gathering Committee. He is an elder at a little church in Kingston called Next, and likes to spend his time in the woods and in or near water as often as possible.

April 17, 2024

Photography: or how losing an eye helped me see better

(10+)

with Lyf Stolte

Sometimes we think that reducing our senses in any way puts us in danger. Whether it be from predators (like in the days of yore) or the busyness of city life today, it seems that we need all of our senses to take the most advantage of the world around us. Well, artists from across the ages have shown us time and again that is not the case. In this workshop, the participants will be led through exercises that teach through limitations. Please bring a camera of some device (phone, film, digital) and an open mind!

about the facilitator

Lyf has been a joyous participant of the Cahoots Festival since 2015. Each year he comes to new revelations and his spirit is renewed. The joy and community of Cahoots are infectious in the best ways. Since 2016 he has been the official (kind of?) photographer of the festival. He really is excited to share his passion and budding talent with those who are interested.

April 17, 2024

Beyond Rules: Christian Ethics as Skills

(16+)

with Michael Buttrey

Becoming a better person is less like ignoring the devil on your shoulder, and more like learning to play a musical instrument. Learn about ethics as skills we can apply, using the langugage of ‘virtue’ rather than rules or precepts. Bring along your memories learning ethics, your questions about how churches and society understand morality, and the willingness to re-imagine some good old-fashioned words like “prudence” and “temperance”.

about the facilitator

Michael Buttrey is finishing a PhD in Christian Ethics at the Toronto School of Theology and work part-time for an Anglican Church and for the Canadian Council of Churches. He is passionate about adult education, books, Star Trek, and tabletop role-playing. In recent years he has collaborated with others on open letters addressing the mishandling of sexual abuse by institutions like the Anglican Church of Canada and Regent College. Michael grew up in the Mennonite Church and still thinks faith and progress is best explored through grassroots dialogue and solidarity, not hierarchy.

April 17, 2024

Good Music, Good News: Participatory Music and the open, inclusive, beautiful family of God.

(all ages)

with Chris Clarke, co-facilitators

Participatory music reflects the best of the beautiful, open, inclusive kin-dom of God! In a welcoming and barrier-free circle, we will make some joyful noise as a community, finding our voice together. Then, we will work together to imagine what participatory music looks, feels, and sounds like in your context, and offer some of the tools that will help you towards facilitating your own circle or other event. Bring any combination of voices, instruments, dancing shoes, poems, songs. Leave behind (as much as possible) your self consciousness and need for perfection.

about the facilitator

Chris is a singer-songwriter trying to figure life out. He’s been on the Cahoots organizing team every year until this year and is excited to see the festival from a new perspective. Chris is extremely eclectic with a broad range of interests and has worked lots with children and folks experiencing homelessness.

April 17, 2024

Friendship Zone: Make It and Give It Away!

(all ages)

with Emma Pipes

There is a song that goes like this, “Love is something if you give it away…you end up having more.” This DIY session will provide participants with a chance to make a friendship bracelet for someone you met at the festival or someone in your life. Emma will provide beads of different sizes, colourful embroidery thread and rubber bands and stretchy cords. You may make your own bracelet and be willing to make something for someone else. Perhaps a new friend at Cahoots, a parent or a sibling needs to know they are thought of by you! You are welcome to bring projects you are already working on!

about the facilitator

Emma Pipes is a minister in the United Church of Canada and has been part of the SCM world since attending university. Her passion for creating God’s little kin-dom here at Cahoots has led to friendships, compassion and care for others in the world.

April 17, 2024

Drag Story Sharing Time and Face Painting

(all ages)

with King Julez (Julian Munro)

Spend some time with King Julez and learn about what it means to be a drag clown and student in ministry! Children will be able to listen to storytime, scriptures, skits and share in expressing themselves. All will have a chance to paint themsleves as their own drag identity and there will be opportunities for participants to draw/colour up different reflections to each piece of reading (on paper and/or their face).

about the facilitator

Julian/ King Julez is the chair of Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble, a national non-profit organization that works for full inclusion and affirmation of 2S-LGBTQ+ folks in religious spaces and in all of society, and a board member for Student Christian Movement. After getting a BA in Diversity and Equity, King Julez is studying their Masters of Divinity and Masters of Pastoral Studies at Emmanuel College in Toronto. Drag as a spiritual practice embodies theology and works to express understandings of God’s word in new and exciting ways while paying homage to the queer artists that paved the way so we can exist freely in the world today.

April 17, 2024

Drag as a Spiritual Practice: Theology and Performance Art

(16+)

with King Julez (Julian Munro)

What is Drag? This engaging session will take participants through the story of Drag through a lense of theology and faith. Together we will learn about the history and key figures in the development and popularization of the art form. We will touch on the different forms of drag, queer performance, theatre, and music. Through this time, folks will be introduces to a variety of skills and themes that artists have created through the ages. Let’s see how drag fits into religious spheres as an expression of theology and faith today!

about the facilitator

April 17, 2024

SCM & International Solidarity

(16+)

with Johannes Chan and Kay Meshal

Did you know that the Student Christian Movement (SCM) is active around the world and is connecting with other SCM chapters? People are welcome to this session to learn about how students, staff and volunteers do social justice in other countries. Join Johannes and Kathryn to hear about the most recent trips SCM Canada took to the Philippines and Cuba. Reflect on your experiences in solidartiy movements and current issues in the world where people need internatonal solidarity and advocacy. Most importantly, you’ll hear what other SCMs around the world are saying and find out about the ways you can take action in solidarity with radical Christians elsewhere!

about the facilitator

Johannes Chan is a Science & Technology Studies student and a student coordinator for the Student Christian Movement at York University. In their free time, Johannes likes reading books, drinking tea, doing religious things, wandering around woodlots and parks, and tending to a messy vegetable garden.

April 17, 2024

Befriending your stressed-out nervous system

(12+)

with Esther Townshend

Do you ever feel like your body is fighting against you? Are you often feeling burnt out or stressed without knowing how to feel better? These signs could actually be your body giving you important messages about how to feel better! This workshop will discuss strategies for better understanding your body’s signals, and how to use these practices to release stress and calm your body and yourself.

about the facilitator

Esther Townshend is a writer, organizer, peacemaker, disturber of the peace, Gestalt psychotherapy student, and nature lover. Since a concussion in 2018, she has been learning to live well with a finicky nervous system. Her favourite stress relief practices include yoga, singing, walks by the lake, tea and chocolate.