Creating a stage for young storytellers
The 2025 Youth Inspiration Bursary Award, presented by HEAD/Tyrolia, has been awarded to Sho Kagawa Brooks, now a student at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Sho co-founded the Sea to Sky Student Short Film Festival, working closely with a mentor from the Whistler Film Festival and his high school vice-principal to bring the idea to life. What began as a vision to create more opportunities for young filmmakers has grown into an annual platform where students can showcase their creativity, share their stories and inspire others through film.
“Without the mentor partnership, this initiative doesn’t take flight,” said Greg Scott, co-founder of the Tidbits of Change Foundation. “By seeking out strategic mentorship, Sho helped turn an idea into something very special.”
Sho’s project demonstrates how mentorship, initiative and collaboration can create opportunities that extend far beyond one individual.