top of page
Aedan as:
Oprah Winfrey

Inspirational Speaker, Producer, Philanthropist

"Turn your wounds into wisdom."

"How am I to be, how are we to be in relation to the suffering of others?"

Kate as:
James Orbinski

Canadian Doctors Without Borders in Rwanda

"It does not matter how long you live for, but what you live for, what you stand for and what you are willing to die for."

Alexander as:
Paul Watson

Canadian Environmentalist Activist

"When the whole world is silent even one voice becomes powerful."

Zoe as:
Malala Yousafzai

Pakistani Education Activist and Youngest Nobel Prize Laureate

Mason as:
Malcolm X

African American Freedom Fighter

"Respect me or put me to death."

"When one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.

Anusha as:
Rosa Parks

African-American Civil Rights Activist

Meet the heroes and heroines...

 

Learn more about the hero or heroine chosen by each student for the 2017 Courageous Voices production. In addition to researching and building a performance around their hero/ines words the students create a unique art piece using cross-hatching. These "busts" are used throughout the production to great effect! 

See previous year's hero/ines: 2015, 2016

Charlie as:
Michael Moore

Progressive Filmmaker

"White people scare the crap out of me."

"We have to retreat into our own cocoons and come face-to-face with who we are."

Leia as:
Julia Butterfly Hill

American Environmentalist

Rianna as:
Helen Keller

Deaf-blind author and disability activist

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

"I believe freedom is on the other side of truth-telling"

Joelle as:
Dr. Naila Keleta-Mai

Mental Health and LGBTQ Activist

Devin as:
Steven Biko

South African Anti-Apartheid Activist

"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Dominic as:
Winston Churchill

Second World War Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Ella as:
Stephen Hawking

Disability Rights and World Visionary

"Life would be tragic if it weren't funny."

"For evil to flourish it only requires good men to do nothing."

Taylor as:
Simon Wiesenthal

Austrian Nazi Hunter

Ava as:
Emmanuel Jal

Child Soldier, Rapper

"I'm still a soldier, fighting with my pen and paper for peace till the day I cease."

"Are all humans human or are some more human than others?"

Theo as:
Romeo Dallaire

Canadian Humanitarian, Child Soldier Activist

Naomi as:
Audre Lorde

American Feminist, Black Activist, LGBT Activist

"Your silence will not protect you."

"I have witnessed the decimation of shark populations within my lifetime."

Luke as:
Madison Stewart

Shark Girl, Environmental Activist

Lyra as:
Sojourner Truth

African American Women’s Rights Activist

"Truth is powerful and it prevails."

"Speak softly but carry a big can of paint.."

Ethan as:
Banksy

Activism through Graffiti

Yukina as:
Wangari Maathai

Kenyan Environmental, Political Activist and Nobel Laureate

"We owe it to ourselves and to the next generation to conserve the environment."

"Tragedy cannot be the end of our lives. We cannot allow it to control and defeat us."

Abigail as:
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish

Palestinian Doctor in Gaza

Emmett as:
Shane Koyczan

Spoken Word Poet

"This is my voice. There are many like it, but this is mine."

"The greatest way to defend democracy is to make it work."

Zoriana as:
Tommy Douglas

Canadian Health Care Activist

"Our world doesn't need a small change, it needs a massive change."

Kate as:
Rachel Lauren Clarke

Transgender Rights Activist

Trinity as:
Mavis Staples

American Gospel Musician and Civil Rights Activist

"Every concert I do today, I’m still singing freedom songs."

"We must reinvent a future free of blinders so that we can choose from real options.."

Luke as:
David Susuki

Canadian Environmental Activist

Jesse as:
Ishmael Beah

Sierra Leonean Child Soldier, Author and Activist

"How many more times do we have to come to terms with death before we find safety?"

Aura as:
Mariatu Kamara

Civil War Survivor and Activist

"I may not have hands, but I have a voice."

Daniel as:
Oskar Schindler

German Industrialist, Protector and Saviour of Jews in the Holocaust 

"I was now resolved to do everything in my power to defeat the system."

Rhys as:
Dr. Peter Bryce

Canadian Doctor, Worked to Stop Abuse in Residential Schools

"The mortality rate in the schools often exceeds fifty percent. This is a national crime."

Hartley as:
Kristen Worley

Transgendered Olympian

"I had to sit in front of a panel and I had to tell them why I was relevant and why I should have the opportunity to compete."

Trinity as:
Brent Hawkes

Canadian LGBT Activist

"I thought I was the only person like this."

bottom of page