Shoot For Peace: Community healing through art

Arwa Elhag-Idris and Nagad Elmi are the co-directors for the Edmonton chapter of Shoot For Peace, a non-profit organization that aims to heal communities through art. Shoot For Peace delivers programming geared towards making art accessible for youth in underserved communities in order to launch the next generation of storytellers. 

Shoot For Peace was founded in Toronto by Yasin Osman in 2015. Osman wished to connect to youth in his neighbourhood which was experiencing a rise in violence at the time. At first, Osman simply gathered young people to talk, share pizza, and hang out. Over time, cameras, which ranged from iPads to Nintendo DS screens, entered the picture. What began as casual conversations evolved into mentorship, creativity, and community-building.

On August 23, the 2025 Edmonton cohort for Shoot For Peace opened their annual photography exhibition “The Essence of Being.” It reflects on identity, individuality, and what makes us human. A total of 15 young artists had the opportunity to showcase their own lived experiences and perspective through this theme. The exhibit highlights how the essence of being human is defined through self-discovery and existence, displaying a diverse collection of interpretations.

Creating space for youth in Edmonton

Elhag-Idris and Elmi reflected on the importance of having accessible spaces in Edmonton for youth to connect and be part of something bigger. “When you’re growing up in Edmonton, it kind of feels like your youth is being stolen from you. You don’t get to have the same experiences as everybody else. You know, because if you want to, it comes at a [financial] cost, and if you don’t have that, then what do you have? We wanted to kind of bridge that gap,” Elmi said.

“A lot of people seek out Shoot For Peace because they want to make new friends. They want to be able to feel connected to a community. I think people feel it a lot more now because of the effects of [COVID-19] and how hard it’s been for people to feel like they’re part of a community or a part of other spaces,” Elhag-Idris said.

They highlighted that Shoot For Peace is not just about creating areas for people to succeed in their creative ventures. It’s also to ensure that they have a safe space to do so. “I think to create means that you have to be vulnerable, and it’s honestly not really possible if you don’t have people that speak life into you and really encourage you,” Elhag-Idris said.

Photography as a path to growth

Shoot For Peace’s programming is not only for building skill in art. It’s also about developing skills that you can use outside of the program. Participants “come out a lot stronger and a lot more confident,” Elmi said. “Honestly, self-improvement and self-development is our biggest focus. And also for them to feel comfortable and safe so that they can grow.”

“I think what Shoot for Peace brings is so impactful because of what we’ve seen already within the past two years. You know, kids that have never held a camera, but after the cohort has ended, they’ve been able to take photos on their own. Not even just like in photography, but even pursue their creative passions in writing and allow it to take them into spaces that they probably wouldn’t have thought of,” Elhag-Idris said.

For future years of programming, Elhag-Idris and Elmi hope to put the participants in positions where they can really excel, whether that be videography, photography, as well as forms of mixed media. Currently, Shoot For Peace is working with IslamicFamily to hold youth programming and drop-ins. The goal is to have a studio space that is open for the community. “Due to grants, it kind of holds us back from having a space for [the organization],” Elmi said.

“I think our greatest vision is not only [to] have a community where people can gather and have events, but we also envision Shoot For Peace becoming its own agency where we can sign on youth who are up and [coming] to be able to create passion projects,” Elhag-Idris said.

As the organization grows in the coming years, Elhag-Idris and Elmi urge the Edmonton community to support youth that are up and coming in the creative space. “Always share your stories. They matter, and someone will see, and someone will connect to it,” Elmi said.