Eliza has been working with children and youth in a variety of roles for over a decade. Her work has spanned outdoor education, early childhood education, arts education, enhanced support education, community arts, and child and youth mental health.
As an arts facilitator, Eliza has worked with Children's Arts Theatre School, Shakespeare in Action, Lakeshore Arts, Purple Carrots Drama Studio, the City of Toronto, the YMCAGTA, and trained through Young Peoples Theatre. Eliza designs and facilitates creative programming for early years through her own initiative: Little Bee Creative Arts, previously developed as Queen Bees Arts Education, which launched in 2017.
Eliza studied Child and Youth Care (M.A.) at Toronto Metropolitan University. Eliza's graduate research explored creative methods of emotional regulation to support children who have experienced childhood trauma, adverse childhood experiences, are neurodivergent or live with mental health challenges. Her studies informed the creation of a multi-intervention strategy emotional regulation resource, designed to be used in elementary classrooms. Eliza specializes in early years, arts-based practices, and inclusive programming.
As an interdisciplinary artist and CYC-P, Eliza combines her practices whenever possible, works with both children and youth, and is particularly passionate about creative programming, psychosocial health, therapeutic play, and socially engaged art making. Eliza is a full professional member of the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care (OACYC). At present, Eliza is the Programs and Services Coordinator at Purple Carrots Drama Studio, and works in children's hospitals and community programs.
As an arts facilitator, Eliza has worked with Children's Arts Theatre School, Shakespeare in Action, Lakeshore Arts, Purple Carrots Drama Studio, the City of Toronto, the YMCAGTA, and trained through Young Peoples Theatre. Eliza designs and facilitates creative programming for early years through her own initiative: Little Bee Creative Arts, previously developed as Queen Bees Arts Education, which launched in 2017.
Eliza studied Child and Youth Care (M.A.) at Toronto Metropolitan University. Eliza's graduate research explored creative methods of emotional regulation to support children who have experienced childhood trauma, adverse childhood experiences, are neurodivergent or live with mental health challenges. Her studies informed the creation of a multi-intervention strategy emotional regulation resource, designed to be used in elementary classrooms. Eliza specializes in early years, arts-based practices, and inclusive programming.
As an interdisciplinary artist and CYC-P, Eliza combines her practices whenever possible, works with both children and youth, and is particularly passionate about creative programming, psychosocial health, therapeutic play, and socially engaged art making. Eliza is a full professional member of the Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care (OACYC). At present, Eliza is the Programs and Services Coordinator at Purple Carrots Drama Studio, and works in children's hospitals and community programs.
Purple Carrots Drama Studio
Purple Carrots is a space for growth in connection and communication with self and other through drama. Combining elements of drama art, play therapy, speech therapy, improvisation, singing, dancing and music into theme-based workshops, Purple Carrots helps students with all abilities explore their full potential in a safe, supportive, and fun environment! Visit their website to learn more about programs offered here.
Artists in Schools
Eliza works as a guest artist across the city - offering author talks as well as drama workshops for schools and childcare programs. Reach out to Eliza to learn more about programming she offers as a guest artist in classrooms.
Holland Bloorview
Eliza works as a Story Artist in the Spiral Garden Day Program of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. The music and arts department at Holland Bloorview offers exciting year round arts programming to children and youth with disabilities and their siblings, in addition to the Spiral Garden outdoor art, garden, and play program. Learn more about music and arts at Holland Bloorview here.
Little Bee Creative Arts
Eliza offers children's creative social emotional learning programs for schools and early years settings through her program Little Bee Creative Arts. Inspired by her graduate CYC research exploring the use of creative interventions in early elementary settings to foster the development of self-regulation skills, Eliza has designed several SEL programs to bring into classrooms through Little Bee.
Download further information about Little Bee's Creative Workshops and Social Emotional Learning Programs here.
A program stream offered through Little Bee Creative Arts, Queen Bees Drama is a performing arts program with the goal of fostering personal growth, creativity and self confidence through dramatic art and storytelling. Queen Bees welcomes all, yet focuses particularly on girls and gender diverse children. Originally created as Queen Bees Arts Education by Eliza Martin, and co-founded by Cornelia Audrey and Olivia Orton, Queen Bees Drama is now an exclusively co-curricular program.
Youth Climate Collective
Youth Climate Collective (YCC) is a mentorship program by Lakeshore Arts through which mentees have been trained on how to use the digital space to raise awareness for climate change. A collective of 11 youths have explored the intersection of art and activism for 8 weeks resulting in this #EarthDay video.
Be challenged to pick up one of their actionable creative recommendations to make the planet a better place. The video was produced under the mentorship of YCC facilitators; Nick Sweetman, Graham Budgeon, and Eliza Martin and edited by Zamarla Joseph.
Be challenged to pick up one of their actionable creative recommendations to make the planet a better place. The video was produced under the mentorship of YCC facilitators; Nick Sweetman, Graham Budgeon, and Eliza Martin and edited by Zamarla Joseph.