The NOW! Organization


The NOW! Organization is a Canadian non-profit, youth-run, sustainability organization based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

History

NOW! was founded in 2006 by Janny Ke, a TD Canada Trust Scholarship for Community Leadership Scholarship winner, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Mission statement

NOW! inspires and empowers synergistic solutions toward social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

Programs

Act NOW! International Performance Writing festival

NOW!’s flagship program is the Act NOW! International Performance Writing Festival, formerly known as the "Act NOW! National Playwriting Competition" before its expansion to an international audience in 2011. It is Canada's only national playwriting competition on sustainability run by youth for youth that engages young people across the nation to learn, evaluate, innovate, and act with a splash of creativity. The competition is open to youth ages of 13 to 26, and is divided into 2 categories, Junior and Senior. The winner of each category receives a cash prize; in addition, their plays will be performed to school and community audiences. In the past, winning pieces have even been performed and aired on Sustainability Television. The 2008-2009 winners are Olivia Rempel with her play, "The Essay", and Mitchell Agostinho with his play "The High School Environmental". The 2009-2010 winners are Deborah Vogt for her play "Fallen Heads", and Samantha Landa for her play "Lights Out". The premiere of the 2009-2010 winning plays will be at the CBC Studio in Vancouver on May 7, 2011.

NOW What? Conference

NOW! also runs the NOW What? Conference for grade 5 to 7 students. The day-long conference challenges students to learn about sustainability, take action, and devise solutions through hands-on activities, dialogues, and explorations. Approximately 200 students participate in the annual conference every year 2006-2010.

Workshops

NOW! also runs sustainability and performance writing workshops, such as at the University of British Columbia's Student Leadership Conference in 2010 and 2011, as well as a "Screenwriting for Youtube" workshop.