As planning took place for a memorial event to take place in December 2005, a year after Drew’s death, his mother asked a group of his friends to work with Children’s Peace Theatre to create a theatre performance to honour her son.

As  Drew’s Group began meeting at CPT, the young people bravely faced the raw and painful emotions arising from their friend’s death and began to act out those feelings onstage.  At the memorial in Taylor Creek Park, attended by 300 people, they acted out scenes from Drew’s life, danced, recited poetry, and performed original rap music about Drew and his death. 

Drew’s Group is made up youth “at risk”.  Some were under house arrest while they worked at CPT. Others were in and out of schools and jobs.  It was a huge step for them to meet regularly and take on such a challenging project.  Once the initial memorial was complete, most of the young people wanted to continue their work with CPT. They united in their desire to make a difference in their community and to spread a message of peace and non-violence through theatre.

After paying tribute to their friend in the theatrical memorial, the members of Drew’s Group decided to tell their own stories through a play.  Working with Children’s Peace Theatre starting in January 2006 (and while the trial of Drew’s killers was underway) the troupe developed a play that has now been performed at Toronto City Hall, Harbourfront, East York C.I. (Drew’s school) and the Canada Day Celebration at Stan Wadlow Park.

Drew’s Group expresses an honest and from-the-heart message:  that they want and need peace, but that at times they don’t know how peace can be achieved when there is so much violence around them everyday.  It is a powerful message that resonates with youth all over Toronto.