Laini
Young Women in Leadership
LAINI is a Jamii initiative to encourage girls and young women to explore art and leadership.
"Laini" is a Swahili word that means 'to flatten an area with the intent of making it accessible'. It is a very similar meaning to “Esplanade”, which is a flattened path for people to walk on by the water. Laini is about giving every young woman the confidence and tools to see themselves as leaders; it is about equal chances, and the ability for all to walk the path of leadership. We thought it was a perfect word to describe Jamii's LAINI initiative.
Register now to join Jamii's free leadership programs and activities for young women of The Esplanade!
LAINI is supported by
2023
Self-Portraits
Photography Workshops
Age Group: Young Women
From February to June 2023
Puppet Show
Puppet Creating Workshops
Age Group: 6 to 9
From January to February 2023
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Fashion Show
Sewing Workshops
Age Group: 14+
From January to April 2023
Theatre
Acting Workshops
Age Group: 9 to 12 year olds
From January to February 2023
2022
Songwriting
Music Workshops
Age Group: 9 to 12
August 2022
Hoop & Loop
Hula Hoop Workshops
Age Group: 5+
From January to April
LAINI LAND
Creative Residency
Age Group: 6 to 14
From January to March
2021
2020
2019
Coming Soon
Oops! We are working on it! Check back again later.
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Coming Soon
Oops! We are working on it! Check back again later.
Coming Soon
Oops! We are working on it! Check back again later.
How can you be a part of it?
Creative Workshops & Projects
Ages: from 5 to 13yrs old
Learn new artistic skills and ignite your leadership
FREE TO PARTICIPATE
Jamii offers a wide range of workshops for your daughters and all girls and young women of The Esplanade community to discover new artistic skills, take part in different artistic experiences, and nurture the seeds of creative leadership.
From musical, movement-based, photographic, visual arts wokshops, creative writing, there is something for everyone with Laini.
All workshops are free.
Are you interested?
Would you like to register your daughter?
Click HERE to discover workshop opportunities.
Research
Read about our impact on young women
2021 research here.
Jamii is committed to assess its impact on the young women who participate in Laini activities and programming.
In 2019, we conducted a series of 20 interviews to collect data on the impact of Jamii programming. In 2021, we observed and analyze impact on our Summer programming. The findings of both reports are inspiring.
(photo of Tanjin Ashraf - researcher & writer)
What Zarita has to say:
The experience of Sharon Zarita with Jamii
"It is human nature to begin a journey with expectations of how it will turn up, but the past year has shown me life often offers paths that not even our wildest imaginations can anticipate. When I joined Jamii just after completing my postgraduate course in Arts Administration last year, my expectation was broadly to engage the Esplanade community through the arts. I had no idea a few months later we would begin WIND STORIES, a project that would tap into my personal love of listening to people and celebrating their lives."
Volunteer hours for high school students
Ages: 14-18 yrs old
Enhance your artistic skills and get a taste of what it is to work in the arts & community.
GET YOUR VOLUNTEER HOURS
Are you looking for an opportunity to be involved in your community and make a difference? Jamii always welcomes volunteers from the neighbourhood to be part of our team and help bring magic into The Esplanade. We would love to count you in!
Volunteering with Jamii can contribute to High School Volunteer Hours for students.
Recent Jamii Programs
Take a peak at the exciting projects we produced in 2021
Register here for participate.
In 2021, with our Laini girls, we organized three photo exhibits, an Opera introduction workshops series with Jonelle Sills, a series of dance performances connected to nature with Ayelen Liberona, musical workshops with Raha Javanfar, self-finding workshops with Arlene Paculan and much much more.
Work Experience
Ages: 19+
Gain working experience as a Summer Project Coordinator or launch your career at Jamii
GET PAID
Since 2017, we have been lucky to welcome talented young women with Canada Summer Jobs opportunities: Nadifa Mohamed, Maysam Ghani, Yusra Yacout, Afnan Yakot, Mio Muyoboke, Afsheen Chodwdurry, Mira Ghabiel, Cynthia Cella Russo and Jonelle Sills.
They have contributed to make the Summer seasons a success by bringing new perspectives, fresh ideas, passion and energy. We are so grateful to be able to welcome them into the Jamii family.
Be our 2022 Summer Project Coordinator. Send us a letter of interest and résumé at info@jamii.ca.
Testimonies
What are past participants saying?
For years, Jamii has been engaging young women in its programming through volunteering opportunities, participating in creative workshops, and working within the organization.
Here is a series of testimonials that speak to the work we have already done.