A Howe Sound Secondary student is getting the chance to bring her story about residential schools and missing Aboriginal women to life with Vancouver’s Arts Club Theatre.
With the help of teacher Christa Duttchen, Ashleigh Giffen put together her application for a workshop program on deadline day last October and sent it to the Arts Club.
“I said you’re going to stay after school, and we’re going to get this thing done,” Duttchen said.
A short time later, Giffen heard back that she was accepted into the Learning Early About Playwriting (LEAP) program, which allows aspiring writers the chance to work on an idea for the stage.
To apply, she had to send three pages of her writing as well as a paragraph on why she wants to take the program and how it would help her as a writer.
“I tend to write a lot about social justice topics,” she said.
On a personal level, Giffen said her family has a history within the residential school system and faced issues such as substance abuse, but they did not open about up about these experiences. “We didn’t really talk about it,” she said.
Writing now offers an outlet to talk about the hardships and feelings of shame, and at the same time, her family is now more open to sharing their experiences. “We’re talking more about the legacy of residential schools and how it’s affecting my generation,” she said.
For her script, she is writing a story about a journalist in Saskatchewan and what he uncovers about a missing Aboriginal woman. She chose Saskatchewan because her own band is traditionally based in the Fort Qu’Appelle area of the province.
The writing process is allowing her to tackle some of her family story, although it has not always been easy.
“I struggled a lot with the family aspect of it,” she said. She wants to write something that goes beyond the expected.
Writing is not new to Giffen, as she wrote plays for friends and entered poetry competitions in elementary school. “I’ve written my entire life,” she said.
Giffen is in the LEAP program a couple of hours a week to work on her script. She is one of 10 students taking part and is putting together a script that should run roughly 10 to 12 minutes, working with mentor and program director Shawn Macdonald, as well as the other students.
Already, some of the others were surprised by her material dealing with topics from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Often, people do not hear the many individual and family stories of Aboriginal people, and that is part of what motivates her. “You can come up with something to educate people,” she said.
Giffen would also love to see something staged at Howe Sound Secondary, and as to what happens after, ultimately she hopes to pursue her writing, especially when it comes to aboriginal issues. “I plan on going into indigenous theatre,” she said.
Giffen wins scholarship
Ashleigh Giffen was recently named one of 85 Horatio Alger Association of Canada scholarship winners from across Canada.
The scholarships are awarded to high school students in financial need who have overcome significant adversity while demonstrating strength of character, strong academics, a commitment to pursuing higher education and a desire to contribute to society. The scholarship can be used for both post-secondary vocational or university studies.
Since 2012, more than $1.5 million in scholarships have been awarded to more than 300 young Canadians.
Giffen was among the 80 receiving Horatio Alger Canadian Scholarships valued at $5,000 each.
The Horatio Alger Association of Canada, the Canadian affiliate of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, is a charitable organization dedicated to the belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles.
