A Day of Creativity, Confidence, and Connection: Thrive Day 2025 with Markel and HUB

There’s a particular kind of energy that fills a school when creativity takes over: laughter, spontaneous applause, and that unmistakable spark when young people realize they can do something new.

That’s exactly what happened during our 2025 Thrive Day at Nelson Mandela Park Public School in Regent Park, where students in grades 3-6 spent the day creating, performing, and leading alongside volunteers from HUB International and Markel. It was joyful, loud, and deeply meaningful. It's a perfect example of what happens when corporate teams step into community with intention.

Five Art Forms. Five Incredible Teaching Artists.

Throughout the day, students rotated through hands-on arts workshops led by Thrive Youth’s professional artist educators, each one bringing deep expertise, care, and creativity into the classroom.

• Flipbook Creation with Aiken Chau: Students explored storytelling, sequencing, and animation, watching their ideas come to life frame by frame.

• Watercolour Painting with Courtney Stephenson: A space for calm focus and experimentation, where students learned to trust their instincts and embrace imperfection to the sound of music.

• Improv with Sandrine Desforges: Laughter-filled sessions that encouraged confidence, teamwork, quick thinking, and the courage to take creative risks.

• Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical Dance) with Nidhi Baadkar: Students were introduced to rhythm, expression, and storytelling through movement, many experiencing classical Indian dance for the first time.

• Beatboxing with Nick Glass: A high-energy exploration of sound, voice, and self-expression that had students cheering each other on and finding confidence in being heard.

  
  

Every classroom buzzed with creativity. Some students discovered hidden talents. Others surprised themselves by trying something entirely new. All of them were encouraged, supported, and celebrated.

Corporate Volunteers as Co-Creators

What truly elevated the day was the presence of HUB and Markel volunteers — not as observers, but as active participants.

They jumped in, creating alongside the students, offering encouragement, and even laughing with them when some things felt challenging.

For students, this mattered deeply. Seeing professionals show up with curiosity, humility, and joy sends a powerful message: your ideas matter, your voice matters, and adults are willing to meet you where you are. For volunteers, the impact flowed both ways. Many shared how energizing it was to step out of their daily roles and into a space defined by creativity, play, and possibility.

Why Thrive Days Matter

Thrive Days are not one-off “fun days.” They are intentionally designed leadership experiences that:

• build confidence and communication skills

• strengthen creativity and problem-solving

• foster collaboration and belonging

• create positive, lasting connections between students and adults

For Thrive, it gives us a chance to provide large-scale programming to schools as an entry to more intensive work, building relationships with educators and administrators. For schools, it’s transformative. For students, it’s unforgettable. For corporate teams, it’s a rare opportunity for meaningful, hands-on impact that goes far beyond traditional volunteering.

Want Your Team to Do This Too?

This Thrive Day is a powerful example of what’s possible when corporate partners invest time, talent, and heart, not just funding.

If your organization is looking to:

• engage employees in purpose-driven volunteering;

• support youth leadership through the arts;

• build authentic community connections; and

• create a shared experience your team will talk about long after the day ends,

  
  

We’d love to explore a Thrive Day with you. Because when creativity leads, everyone thrives.

With heartfelt thanks to HUB International and Markel for showing up with such generosity and enthusiasm and to the students, staff, and community of Nelson Mandela Park Public School for welcoming us so warmly.

Photography by: Christen Carson-Traviss