Streams Community Hub celebrates grand opening of centre

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

As Streams Community Hub reaches their fifth anniversary within the Shelburne community this summer, the local youth-focused arts charity is also marking the milestone of having a permanent home. 

Streams Community Hub, affectionally known as Streams, celebrated the grand opening of their arts centre, located at 305 Col. Phillips Dr. in Shelburne, on Friday (June 3). 

“We're excited for this moment, but it's really just the beginning so we're excited for what is to come,” said Juli-Anne James, co-founder of Streams. 

“When I found the dramatic arts and a community of creatives, I realized that I belonged somewhere and that's what this is about – creating a space that everybody can feel they belong and find their identify,” said Andrew James, co-founder of Streams. 

Launched in the summer of 2017, Streams Community Hub has been running seasonal programming for youth across Dufferin County focused on variety of art disciplines including visual arts, cooking, music, theatre performance and filming.  After years of running on a seasonal bases and utilizing local schools, Streams announced in July of 2021 that they would be opening their first permanent location, a 3,600 square foot facility. The new facility means that Streams is able to provide year-round art programming for local youth. 

Construction on the new facility was completed earlier this year and has been up and running since March Break. 

A number of local dignitaries, leaders, and community members joined the James' at the Streams location to celebrate the grand opening as well as to get a closure look at inside of the new facility.

Attendees of the event included Shelburne Mayor Wade Mills, Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones, Flato president Shakir Rehmatullah, and the Dufferin Board of Trade. 

“This brick-and-mortar structure is more than that, it is the embodiment of what you guys have done in a short period of time and the contributions that you've made to this community,” said Mills. “The successes that you have achieve over a few short years are remarkable, nothing short of amazing. The social capital and social value that you have distributed to the Town of Shelburne is beyond measure so for that I thank you from the bottom of my hear and on behalf of the very grateful community.” 

Perhaps the most heart felt appearance was that of Ross Cadastre, president of the Black Business and Professional Association and brother to Streams co-founder Juli-Anne. 

“Streams Community Hub focuses on providing program that enrich the lives of youth in this community through the camp and other creative activities. By creating this, Andrew and Juli-Anne, are ensuring that young people remain engaged through meaningful activities and get the opportunity to interact with each other,” said Cadastre. “They're not only building a community; they're also unifying the community.”

Since opening the permanent location, Streams Community Hub has expanded their services to include both camps and year-round after school programing. After school programing includes classes such as Stitch It!, Art it Out, Video Pros, Blissful Baking, and Melody Makers. 

Streams Community Hub continues to offer seasonal camps and has also launched a local monologue competition. 

“Our hope it that a young person's experience at Streams will bring life to their potential, to their passion, and to their purpose,” said Andrew. “Streams Community Hub aims to help each young person connect to greater opportunities along the pathway in their life. Streams is about inspiration, breathing new life into new ideas, stimulating something magical, igniting learning, and enriching our community.” 

Learn more about Streams Community Hub and its programing at streamshub.org.