Dr. Rubén A. Gaztambide-Fernández, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Rather than making a case that something called “the arts” should be applied like a magic salve onto the lives of youth, the argument should hinge on the understanding that the lives of all students are always-already imbued with creativity and symbolic work, whether it involves something called “the arts” or not. Dr. Rubén A. Gaztambide-Fernández is an associate professor at the Ontario Institute for studies in Education of the University of Toronto. His current research focuses on the experiences of young artists attending urban arts high schools in Canada and the United States. He is also the Principal Investigator of Proyecto Latin@, a participatory action research project with Latin@ youth in Toronto. His theoretical work focuses on the relationship between creativity, decolonization, and solidarity. He is particularly interested in the pedagogical and creative possibilities that arise from the social and cultural dynamics of urban centers. Co-sponsored by: Vice President Research & Graduate Studies, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, Young Lives Research Lab.