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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.

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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

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.

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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.

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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.

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Dancing for self care

(all ages)

with Sheilagh McGlynn (she/her)

Activists of all types are at risk of burning out – we have high hopes, strong expectations, and passionate feelings! If this sounds like you or someone you know, experience this practice of tending to our needs in physical exploration, so that we can keep working for change in our world. We will move to music in ways that energize and as a meditation – sometimes a very vibrant meditation! Bodies and mobility forms of all types are welcome. You may find laughter, tears, and joy through your expression as you build your resiliency and capacity.

about the facilitator

Sheilagh is the Anglican Church of Canada’s Animator for Youth Ministries. Prior to her current position, she worked at the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund as their Youth and Young Adult program staff. She is former staff with the Student Christian Movement. She feels passionate about working for justice as a form of spiritual expression. She is also a Registered Psychotherapist, a JourneyDance and Nia instructor – working with people to get out of their brains and into their bodies. When she isn’t working, you might find her dancing, cooking in her kitchen or riding her bike along the Martin Goodman Trail.

colourful image announcing workshop titled dancing for self care. portrait style picture
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Ticket Sales: Now Open!

Tickets for Cahoots 2025 are on sale now! Head on over to our event page to get yours, and then follow the link in your confirmation email to complete your registration!

Like last year, we have a range of sliding-scale prices, family tickets, and day tickets in addition to regular adult, youth, and child prices. Under-threes are always free!

New this year we are also introducing “Make Cahoots Accessible ‘Tickets’ ” where you can support Cahoots in being accessible to everyone, regardless of financial situation.

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Save the Date! 2024

The Cahoots festival will return, May 23 – 26 at Pearce Williams camp. We would love to see you there and we hope you’ll bring a story, skill, or song to share.

Before that, we’ll have a special Thanksgiving fundraiser meal gathering in Toronto with our friends from the In This Together network who work towards queer and trans inclusion in the Anabaptist church community. Please save the date – October 5, doors open at 6pm

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Be blessed, you blessings!

We gathered around and amongst the fires of Pentecost, speaking the languages of craft, company, care, cuisine, laughter, listening, and love.

Thank you for the gift of Cahoots 2023!

The Core Organizers will take a break until the autumn, but until then we crave your feedback to help us know ‘what to repeat, what to repent’. Make a cup of ginger tea and give us your feedback.

Next year we will reconvene for more faith, justice, and do-it-yourself. Are you ready to lead a workshop session? Is there someone you want to hear from? Or is there a skill you can teach yourself in these months ahead which you can teach us next year?

Session proposals will open in the autumn, and in January 2024 we’ll gather to sift the proposals and design the festival. Please be thinking about what you’d like to share! Sign up for the email list and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to get the invitation to propose something.

If you’re interested in joining us as an organizer, let us know through the feedback form. We only ask that you’ve already participated in a Cahoots festival, and that you have some organizing skills you are excited to share and develop.

Until then – peace, power, and righteousness! <3

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To Cancel or Not to Cancel?

(16+)

with Isaiah Ritzmann

Cancelling, shunning, social boycotting – call it what you will, this tactic for accountability has gone mainstream over the last decade. As the practice has grown it has attracted both controversy and confusion. Is it ethical? Is it effective? This workshop explores cancelling as one tool within our social change toolbox & considers the right contexts for its use. By looking at its history of use both within liberation struggles and religious communities we navigate the tricky questions about how to use social boycotts in morally unproblematic and strategically mindful ways.

about the facilitator

Isaiah Ritzmann (he/him) has been part of the Cahoots “extended family” since the inception of the festival in 2014. A facilitator of community-based learning on sustainability, democracy, & degrowth in Kitchener, Ontario (Haldimand Tract), he also helps coordinate a home-based hospitality network called Open Homes that serves newly arrived refugee claimants. A deep believer that effective nonviolent strategies exist that can help us avoid climate catastrophe, he is excited to explore these in conversation with others.

promotional image for a workshop at a radical festival called cahoots. the picture is of a male presenting person with a light beard and glasses, and the title - to cancel or not to cancel - is made to look like a rainbow
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Creative Movement

with Jubilene Brewster-Wild

In this workshop, we will explore the various ways that movement can be created. Participants will work together or alone and use verbal and written prompts to discover their own movement style. After creating a short phrase of movements, we will select certain moves from everybody’s piece and weave them together to create a group dance. No experience required!

about the facilitator

Jubilene is a grade 12 dance major at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. She enjoys trying new dance styles and learning from choreographers in contemporary dance circles.

promotional image for a workshop at a radical festival called cahoots. the picture is of a female presenting girl jumping in the air and the title - creative movement - is made to look like a rainbow
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