Amanda Mabro

What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

I’ve been listening to K’naan’s Troubadour album and a bunch of random songs from different records by The Raconteurs, David Bowie, and Sharon Jones.

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

It’s the least you can do. Seriously. Not voting is basically saying you don’t like your quality of life or want it to continue. I think a lot of young people feel disconnected from the voting process and feel their vote really doesn’t matter. I don’t know if it’s because cynicism is overwhelmingly popular for some reason or if people just aren’t moved to care, but not voting is like moving backwards. Voting is one of the small actions you can take that in the long run has a major effect on the people. It’s like anything else, whether you want to live healthier, be less broke, love more, it all starts with small actions that are cumulative until eventually things are going in a completely new direction.

What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

I’ve been listening to K’naan’s Troubadour album and a bunch of random songs from different records by The Raconteurs, David Bowie, and Sharon Jones.

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

It’s the least you can do. Seriously. Not voting is basically saying you don’t like your quality of life or want it to continue. I think a lot of young people feel disconnected from the voting process and feel their vote really doesn’t matter. I don’t know if it’s because cynicism is overwhelmingly popular for some reason or if people just aren’t moved to care, but not voting is like moving backwards. Voting is one of the small actions you can take that in the long run has a major effect on the people. It’s like anything else, whether you want to live healthier, be less broke, love more, it all starts with small actions that are cumulative until eventually things are going in a completely new direction.

What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

I’ve been listening to K’naan’s Troubadour album and a bunch of random songs from different records by The Raconteurs, David Bowie, and Sharon Jones.

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

It’s the least you can do. Seriously. Not voting is basically saying you don’t like your quality of life or want it to continue. I think a lot of young people feel disconnected from the voting process and feel their vote really doesn’t matter. I don’t know if it’s because cynicism is overwhelmingly popular for some reason or if people just aren’t moved to care, but not voting is like moving backwards. Voting is one of the small actions you can take that in the long run has a major effect on the people. It’s like anything else, whether you want to live healthier, be less broke, love more, it all starts with small actions that are cumulative until eventually things are going in a completely new direction.

For you, is there a connection between art and democracy? What is it?

I think being able to make and share one’s art uncensored is a privilege and thus is intrinsically connected to democracy, but I also really dislike art that is needlessly political. Then it becomes gimmicky. I imagine it’s tough to strike a balance, but I think the most powerful art comes from a real place where the artist believes his message. I’ve never really written anything political, so I’m no expert, but I definitely feel like art can be a great facilitator for communicating political ideas. It just depends on how it’s done. K’Naan’s song Wavin’ Flag moved me to tears the first time I heard it because you could feel his commitment to the song’s message and that it was coming from a genuine place. The song’s emotional range is all encompassing and transcends its political content. Consequently, you feel so much more empowered, inspired and hopeful because of it.

Why do you care about your community, when it is so easy not to?

I think it’s so hard not to care! People are all around us all the time.  We live in a community whether we like it or not. There’s nothing that makes me happier than exchanging a smile with a stranger or talking with the dude at my local bakery on a cold and sunny Saturday morning. The more you give, the more you get.  Ignore and be ignored. The quality of your experience is completely up to you. I can understand not caring about your community because it can sometimes be draining.  Or maybe you tried to invest some energy and it sucked.  Or maybe it just doesn’t seem worth it. Personally, I’ve found that a person can care about their surroundings while weeding out anything that is a waste of energy. To be closed off to it completely just seems like a lost opportunity to enrich your life.

What do you look for in a politician? What do you expect from your Member of Parliament?

When I was 18, I got hired at a seemingly cool government job for which I turned out to be way too feisty for. I couldn’t believe how tax dollars were being spent and I remember getting all up and arms about it. I’d confronted one of the older workers about it and he seemed amused by me, like I was a pestering puppy dog. Annoyed, I asked why he got into government in the first place and he said “well, it WAS to make a difference…now it’s just a paycheck” So basically, I look for the exact opposite of that guy.

What causes do you actively support?

Most recently I was really honored to be part of a benefit for Haiti in Montreal. Apart from that, The WAWA Show is a lady-centric festival I organize that focuses on fostering community among independent artists.I also participated in Busking For Change, where local musicians played in the Montreal metros to raise money for War Child.

Also:

Gilda's Club

SPCA

What are one or two simple actions you recommend youth take to make a difference?

Text and email less.  Engage with the people around you more.  They can actually interact with you, a computer can’t.  Sometimes we don’t care about things because we’re just not being stimulated in the right way.  Lately I spend way too much time at my computer and on my cell phone.  It’s not pacifying the way TV is, but it certainly makes my brain feel like mush.  More importantly, curb your cynicism, not your enthusiasm (though I really do love the show Curb Your Enthusiam but I digress).  It is much harder to find optimism when you’re being real, but don’t confuse being real with being cynical.  Finally, vote and get others to do it with you!  Yes, there is an exclamation point at the end of that sentence.  Enthusiasm is everything.  Apathy is boring.