Originally from Cape Breton Island, Thomas Colford moved to Toronto when he was sixteen and has since danced with the likes of Janet Jackson, Shawn Mendes, and Imagine Dragons. Thomas is a passionate advocate and spent the past summer leading his mission to preserve youth art facilities in the Maritimes, raising $50,000 which benefitted five programs and buildings. Thomas moves forward fearlessly, never forgetting his mantra: “made with purpose.”

Samuel Dalivar began dance training at the age of fifteen, entering professional training with The Conteur Academy only three years later. He has worked with Eryn Waltman, Ryan Lee, Kelly Shaw, Stephanie Rutherford, Kevin Howe, Shawn Bracke, Akira Uchida, and others, including Universal Music’s production of “Deeper” by Kapri! Samuel is also involved teaching and working with young people as part of Dancers Give Back.

Shadan Hyder is an advocate for all those marginalized by the system. As an advocate, Shadan strives to work in partnership with others to effect change. In addition to practical experience, Shadan has completed studies in Child and Youth Work at George Brown College, and Child and Youth Care (CYC) at Ryerson University, where she is now an MA candidate in the CYC program.

Paul Kitz is a child and youth care practitioner, trained at Ryerson University, who has most recently worked in nature mentorship and hospice/grief work. Before being drawn to work with young people, his focus was in environmental and media advocacy. He loves to play, sing, dance, and thinks pigeons and raccoons get a bad rap.

As a recent graduate of Ryerson University’s Child and Youth Care program, Cory MacKinlay is a passionate advocate with and for youth. He is currently a contributing author to an international child and youth care publication series documenting the experiences of children in residential care systems throughout the world. To all his work, Cory brings the wisdom gathered from his own journey as an Indigenous child walking through the child protection system.

Colleen Snell has explored dance both nationally and internationally; she trained, toured, and performed with the Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre (CCDT) in Toronto and at Ladmmi in Montreal. In England, Colleen completed a Master's in Contemporary Dance with distinction at the London Contemporary Dance School. Colleen has worked with many distinguished dance practitioners, including the Hofesh Shechter Dance Company, Michael Trent, Sue MacLennan, and Andrew Harwood. Colleen is an artistic associate with TOES for Dance, a New York-Toronto dance exchange with Julliard alumni, and is a co-artistic director of a street performance company called Frog in Hand. Colleen has received choreographic commissions from Cawthra Park Repertoire Ensemble, Port Credit Buskerfest (2012, 2013), Mississauga Arts Council, TOES for Dance, and Mississauga Waterfront Festival (MWF). In December 2013, Colleen will undertake a research residency combining martial arts and dance at Movingeast in London, England. Colleen is fascinated by the written word and hopes to pursue trans-disciplinary practice-as-research as well as performance.

Heather Snell is drawn to the “in-betweens” where disciplines merge. She has participated with youth in wilderness adventures, played with toddlers in hospital settings, shared residential care with young people, advocated with youth challenged by brain injuries, and supported young people facing terminal illness. Formerly the Coordinator of Child and Youth Care (CYC) programs at Humber College, Heather is currently the Chair of Research with the Canadian CYC Education Accreditation Board, and is teaching faculty at both Ryerson and Strathclyde Universities.