We provide mental wellness inspiration, arts education and a platform for the voices of Black women, femmes and non-binary people.

 

We see you, we hear you. In all ways, always

Adornment Stories is birthed out of the affirmation that adornment is intrinsically tied to Black women and femmes healing journeys. For so many of us, we’ve watched our mothers, grandmothers and loved ones find healing and self love in their adornment rituals..

We believe in empowering Black women, femmes, queer, trans and non-binary youth to tell their stories through a plurality of creative means.

We believe in providing proactive, affirming mental wellness spaces that reflect the intersectional experiences we encompass.

We believe in cultivating mental wellness spaces for us, by us.

 

ABOUT US:

Our model focuses on recognizing the unique ways gender, race, sexuality, and the fullness of our experiences impact mental health. We provide a platform for Black folks neglected in mental health dialogues to have space to share their narratives and redefine their power.

 

OUR PILLARS:

Our framework is built on three pillars: Storytelling, Wellness and Capacity Building.

Storytelling: We equip participants to use storytelling, facilitation and art practices as roadmaps to share their voices.

Wellness: We provide holistic mental wellness support from a lived experience that doesn’t require anybody to leave themselves at the door.

Capacity Building: We empower youth participants by building their skill set, building curriculum and offering opportunities to continue developing.

 

We create programming that provides tangible skill building in multimedia, storytelling, and various art practices, while simultaneously providing opportunities for youth to be leaders in their community.

ARTS BASED LEADERSHIP TRAINING

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New Narratives: Short Film Spring Residency

Training Program for Black queer, trans and non-binary youth.
May - August twice a week evening sessions.

Are you craving a space to explore your story? Are you keen on building new art practices? Are you excited to explore videography? If you are interested in a community of deep connection, wellness and storytelling this may be for you. New Narratives: Short Film Spring Residency is a wellness and videography summer training program for Black femme, queer, trans, and non-binary youth (18- 29). This is a space to explore storytelling and build your wellness practices. New Narratives participants gather once a week from May - August in an exploration of identity and self-determination. Participants capture their stories, edit content and host a digital screening of their work for the community.

 

Transformation Stories: Emerging storytellers leadership program

Training Program for Black women and femmes August - December weekly Thursday evening sessions

Are you seeking a space where you can create art, have meaningful conversations and learn how to use digital arts to tell your story? Are you interested in building your facilitation skills? Are you interested in cultivating kinship and connections with other Black women and femmes? If so, this is the space for you! Transformation Stories is a space committed to connecting the intersections of art, beauty and wellness. This workshop is a healing space prioritizing the healing of Black women and femmes.

Get access to creative mentors, hands-on experiencewith DSLR cameras, editing software, a community of Black folks with shared identity, safer spaces to process, and a platform to share your art. If Storyboards or Transformation Stories sound like spaces you need, please fill out a registration form and tell us about yourself.

PEER SUPPORT CIRCLE

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In these times, it’s more important than ever to connect with our bodies through movement.

Moving Our Stories pulls from our current model of using the historical connection Black communities have to storytelling to explore mental health.

Moving Our Stories merges movement modalities with Black mental health. Historically and currently Black communities have used movement as a tool to tell stories, connect with the community as we decrease isolation and increase our wellness. Movement is a tool and methodology with deep ancestral roots and the ability to connect and bridge accessibility gaps to both physical and mental wellness.

Moving Our Stories allows for a non-clinical approach to mental health that is not focused on illness but centred on increasing participants' access to tools, skills, and coping mechanisms.

Are you 20-29 seeking a space to discuss mental health and wellness? Are you interested in developing a movement practice as a tool to move you past experiences and stories? This one is for you! Work with a Black therapist, your peers and movement specialist to develop your wellness practice. Register to join us from 11am-2p each Saturday morning of June-July via Zoom and in-person.

Mental Health Dialogues

#MyMindMyMagic

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SACRED: CONVERSATION ON BLACK WOMEN AND FEMME WELLNESS

 

BLACK MENTAL HEALTH WEEK & MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

 

#MyMindMyMagic is a monthly virtual gathering space that allows folks to unpack, learn and be affirmed. During times of isolation when our mental health is most compromised, gathering is healing.

 

Sacred explores what it means to be deeply connected to ourselves and each other. How do we access our wellness? How can we heal our hearts and care for our minds? Sacred is our love offering to community; it is to raise awareness and increase understanding of what impacts Black women and femmes’ mental wellness. Sacred is facilitated by our alumni: the Adornment Stories 2023 Transformations Stories Cohort.

 

Each year we gather in October and March to celebrate and educate on Black mental health. By centring our stories and experiences we increase our collective health and remind each other as a community that our mental wellness is deserving of unique, tender and prioritized care.

 “In December of 2019 I was lucky enough to stumble upon an ad on Instagram to volunteer for the Transformation Stories event...I was intrigued by the idea of an event that specifically elevated the voices of Black women and femmes in Toronto and signed up to participate...I was moved by the mission that Adornment Stories aimed to accomplish. The event itself was inspirational; listening to the artists share their stories made me want to take part in the next cohort to share my own story with the world. I’ve been an artist my whole life, but I’ve never found a space where I felt comfortable showing up as my full self. That constant feeling of needing to hide the bits and pieces that make me whole have stifled my ability to fully express myself in my creative process. The emphasis that Adornment Stories places on creating a safe space for Black women and femmes to explore, share and converse about our mental health and wellness offers up a transformative opportunity for young artists like myself to feel comfortable and confident in sharing our unique stories.”

- Steph Pflugfelder



VOLUNTEER:

We cultivate safe spaces for Black women, femmes and queer and trans youth and would love some extra help in doing so. We appreciate anyone who can volunteer their time to creative projects. Please tell us about yourself and indicate if you would like to help with research, event planning, knowledge sharing and anything else you are able to offer.

Email Info@adornmentstories.com to share your skills

SUBMIT A PITCH FOR OUR BLOG:

Adornment Stories is dedicated to uplifting the voices of Black women, femmes and queer and trans youth. Submit a draft of your work and you may be featured! Fill out the form below and we will get back to you with details about how to submit your work to us.

Book a session with one of our facilitators

Reconstructing mental wellness education

Our program designs mental wellness education that challenges the status quo in mental health dialogues. We develop curriculum that empowers and affirms those who are historically marginalized.

 

Sponsorship

With your support, we are able to continue providing life- affirming programs for Black women, femmes and queer and trans youth.

BRONZE - $1000:
As a bronze sponsor, you help us provide food for workshops, honorariums for youth facilitators and transportation for workshop attendees and participants.In return: A tag directly via from our Instagram stories and list you as a sponsor on our social media

SILVER - $2500
As a silver sponsor, you help us provide space for 50 youth to discuss mental health through a community workshop, feed youth for 5 training sessions or cover the cost of one youth attending a weekend wellness retreat for the first time.
In return: We will add your logo to our promotional material and list you as a sponsor on our social media and website

GOLD - $5000
As a gold sponsor, you support two youth to attend a wellness retreat or fund a digital mental health campaign to raise awareness.
In return: We will add your logo to our promotional material, a tag directly through our Instagram stories and list you as a sponsor on our social media & website. We also will send you a personalized thank you video.

Please get in contact if you would like to be a sponsor - info@adornmentstories.com

For direct donations please use the donate button to access PayPal or Send an e-transfer to adornment.stories@gmail.com

 

Meet the Adornment Stories Collective

Click Each image to read our team bios

Meet the Advisory Board

 
 

Media and Features

 
 
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Tanya Turton on healing through art and community

“There are tangible skills that come from our workshops (like learning photography, public speaking, etc.) that are confidence building, but this only happens because people can show up as themselves. There’s magic in allowing people to be who they truly are. I think that’s the foundation work that makes everything else possible. Folks can take up space in ways they didn’t feel comfortable before and feel more connected to who they are.Collective care spaces are super important because in a culture that has been yelling “self-care” at us, people may start feeling this pressure like the only way a person can experience wellness is if they figure it out and find a cheat code to do it on their own. I believe that self-care is best done and most effective in collective care environments.” Read More

How we heal: What art and self-care mean as acts of resistance for the Black community right now

"For Black women and femmes, success is to feel it is okay to stand in their full authenticity," she tells me. "Success is seeing folks enter Adornment Stories in a space of curiosity about themselves and seeing someone who moves from a place of not feeling affirmed to a place that they can be their whole self — grounded and confident in telling their stories and using their voices, but also offering that love, care, witnessing and healing to other people. That impact is far beyond myself." Read More

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Creating Healing Spaces Through Digital Art

Tanya Turton, 30, vividly remembers the painful moment that birthed what is now the Adornment Stories, a 24-week digital arts education program. Throughout their walk around the city, they had encountered multiple black women breaking down on the street, seemingly ignored by people around them. 

Adornment Stories is in its third year. When Turton reflects on her own journey with mental health, her past is layered. Turton hopes that she can use her experiences to create spaces for other Black women and femmes to feel heard, safe and creative…. Read More

Grantee Profile

It is a cold November night when I step into the warm and inviting space just off Trethewey Road, nestled in the community of Black Creek. Tanya notes that, “youth in the program have expressed that it has helped them find ways to care for themselves and become confident.”

'“I knew I was taking a risk creating such a niche program- Black women/ femme mental health, arts and beauty for folks in the west side of the city, does anyone really care? But everything from the grant writing stage (which required lots of research), to outreach and eventually running the program confirmed to me that the need is there. This group of youth, we deserve spaces for us to process and heal collectively” - Tanya Turton

… Read More

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