Thank you for being a part of the Culture Days movement! ­­If you run a cultural organization and will not be organizing an activity this year, please consider supporting the movement in these simple, easy ways.

If you have 1 hour:

1. Send an e-newsletter, or post a note to your blog or Facebook group showing your support of Culture Days and highlighting some activities of interest. Invite your readers to share their recommendations and discuss their picks. Encourage the public to explore – lead by example! Demonstrate your adventuresome, culturally-curious spirit.

For example:

• “Friends of the ABC Festival are organizing activities for Culture Days. We’re looking forward to attending these events, and we hope you are too!” List activities briefly.
• Feature a list of Best Bets curated by your feature artist, curator, artistic director or other spokesperson. “This is the first time that the massive Canada-wide weekend-long celebration known as Culture Days will take place. I’ll be going to activities to learn more about art forms, artists and community groups that are unfamiliar to me. On my list of Must Do, are the following… Please post your recommendations on our Facebook page; I’d love to compare notes with you.”
• Get creative! Try using a fictitious character from an upcoming production to make witty or interesting commentary about Culture Days activities. A great subtle way of promoting your programming and increasing your readership’s engagement.

If you have 30 minutes:

1. Consider re-packaging that newsletter for a media release. Or write a media release congratulating the thousands of organizers that are producing the 3500 free activities being offered to the public, highlighting some friends (artists, former or current staff) involved in the movement. Again, a great subtle way of promoting your work and raising the profile of your organization indirectly.

If you have 15 minutes:

1. Take 5 minutes two or three times a week to tweet or post a message on Facebook. Just visit the Celebration Schedule at www.culturedays.ca, look for one or two activities and use the social media buttons available right on that page to comment on why this activity interests you. Ask a question, praise the photo or activity idea, or simply recommend it!

Tip: If you don’t already, try using CoTweet or HootSuite or a similar program, so you can just schedule your tweets or Facebook posts in advance. No need to remember to do it again later.

If you have 5 minutes:

1. Forward a Culture Days newsletter to your mailing list with a personal note of recommendation. Get a PDF copy or web link to our newsletters from here: http://culturedays.ca/en/about-culture-days/newsletters

If you have any time off:

1. Get out during Culture Days! Get the family together or go off and treat yourself to a blissful cultural adventure for a weekend, a day, an afternoon or an hour. Free family fun. Cheap but cool date. Great time to reconnect with friends who may be turning into strangers, including the artist in you!

Background

Culture Days is a grassroots, volunteer-driven movement that aims to promote greater public participation in arts and culture. Founding supporters include artists, civil society leaders, and cultural organizations, including The Canadian Arts Summit, Canada Council for the Arts, Culture pour tous and The Banff Centre. The movement culminates annually in an event comprised of thousands of intimate, one-to-one interactions between cultural creators and the public, taking place in every province and territory over the course of one weekend. 2010 is the first year that Culture Days will take place Canada-wide. The idea for a pan-Canadian Culture Days was inspired by Québec’s Journées de la culture event, which has taken place annually throughout the province since 1997.