The Our Kids review of Centennial College Story Arts Centre Summer Camps

The Story Arts Centre was launched 1994 to house Centennial College’s School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design. It includes the operations of the faculties of the creative communications programs, including advertising and public relations, digital animation, game design, theatre arts, music, dance performance and the fundamentals of performing arts. That’s a lot, which is what makes the programs so unique. Just as STEM programs seek to blur the lines between siloed science disciplines, the Story Arts Centre seeks to blur the lines between arts and communications disciplines. The point is a good one: whether you’re writing a media release or choreographing, you’re communicating, intending to deliver a range of messages to various audiences. The approach is cutting edge, and the space is as well. When campers arrive they enter an environment unlike any they’ve ever experienced. It’s bursting with interesting work in various styles of display, and populated by people who are passionate to work with others, to be innovative, and to grow together. There’s a lot of learning, but there’s a lot of fun, too, some of which derives simply from the spaces themselves: acting on a professional stage, broadcasting out of a professional radio studio, animating on state of the art digital equipment. For many kids, to say nothing of adults, that can be inspiring. And it is. The camps are expertly managed, run, and staffed. The location on public transit is a plus.