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NRTEA Challenges Participants to Take Part in Culture Days

September 17th, 2011 by Culture Days

During the National Roundtable for Teacher Education in the Arts conference held in Spring 2011 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, some 50 education professors, artists, arts administrators, teacher candidates, teachers and government officials from across Canada met to consider the best ways to provide effective instruction to teachers in the fine and performing arts.  A unique feature of the event was that many participants insisted that ideas be expressed through artistic creation.  Some did art-making, others created dance and music pieces and many performed improvised dramatic sketches. Interwoven into the dialogue, a hula hoop practice led by a PHd specialist in hula hoops and mixed with tap dancing lessons was also part of the overall experience.

An added challenge to all the participants at the conclusion of the discussion was for them to contribute something to the Culture Days weekend in their part of the country relating to some discovery or idea they leaned at the Roundtable. The Let’s Make Music Conference in Brantford ON, organized by NRTEA participant and Assistant Professor at Nipissing University Christina Grant, is one of these responses. During this Culture Days activity, a variety of free practical music education workshops will be offered to anyone with a love of music. Another response to the NRTEA’s challenge comes from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), which will showcase arts performances by elementary and secondary students with filmed highlights of various schools’ musical, dance and drama shows.

The following text is an excerpt from the NRTEA’s summary report. For the full report, click here.

For more information or to share your thoughts on the NRTEA’s initiatives, visit www.nrtea.ca or contact Michael Wilson: mpwilson@uottawa.ca.

Jumping through hoops for culture

NATIONAL ROUNDTABLE FOR TEACHER EDUCATION IN THE ARTS
MAY 25, 26, 2011
SUMMARY OF PARTICIPANT COMMENTS IN SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS

The National Roundtable on Teacher Education in the Arts, held on May 25 and 26 ,2011, at the National Arts Centre, in Ottawa,  heralded the first time that an invited group of 53 experts consisting of education professors, teachers, artists, education students (both pre-service and graduate), arts administrators, government officials, and school board consultants and superintendents, met to discuss critical issues in the process of teacher education.  The connecting question to arts advocacy in general was: – In order to have better quality arts programs in our schools, we need better educated teachers.

A unique feature of this event was the element of preparation by all participants that included the offering of a creatively decorated piece of material that might symbolize prior to the event, attitudes on teacher education in the arts.  Each submitted piece at the beginning and during the progress of the Roundtable, was added to a kind of garden of ideas that stimulated metaphoric images throughout the experience. The interweaving of vocal dialogue, mixed with arts experiences continued throughout. In the 2 day dialogue, small group discussions of 8 participants each, met to consider 4 major themes of teacher education: a) pre-service or initial teacher education  b) models of in-service education  c) the role of partnerships  d) the relationship of instructor and candidate. At each opportunity for reporting findings to the whole, narrative summary, dance response, improvisational sketch creation, soundscape atmospheres and visual renderings, were all employed by the reporting groups.  The resulting findings and crystallization of ideas for all participants, included both logical idea suggestions and metaphoric images that continue to resonate in a kind of dynamic symmetry that has promoted alternative meanings for everyone.

As a concluding challenge for each participant, we asked all to conceive of an innovative theory, practice or event that resulted in some way from the experiences of this Roundtable, that could be offered to a public forum as part of the national Culture Days celebrations, scheduled for September 30 – Oct. 2, 2011.

Topics covered during the Roundtable include:

1.THE PLACE OF THE ARTS IN AN OVERALL PROGRAM OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHER EDUCATION

Participants in this discussion group were asked to comment on delivery models,overall programs, the relative time for the arts in relation to the total program, the relationship to practica, degrees of integration, training for generalist candidates and pre-requisite issues for specialized candidates.

2. MODELS OF IN-SERVICE ARTS EDUCATION

Participants were asked to make observations about the situation of in-service training from their perspective, comment on insights that might have been sparked by their observations and recommend solutions or avenues for exploration on possible policies, procedures or models that could better in-service training in the arts.

3. THE ROLES AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF COMMUNITY, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL ARTS PARTNERS

Given the complexity and challenges of providing pre-service and in-service training in the arts for teachers and educators, it is important to explore and understand the diverse communities of partners and their possible contributions to the betterment, development and delivery of a variety of training programs. Many models exist and many more are being explored.

4. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSTRUCTOR AND CANDIDATE

This question was not related to any particular sector of teacher education in the arts but pertained to all. Issues examined included instructor modeling; information vs experience; differences between excellence in teaching teachers compared to teaching in schools; unique characteristics of excellent teaching in arts teacher education; relationship of artistic excellence and pedagogical competence.

Full report here.

View Comments | Posted in Culture Days stories, Ontario, Results and impact, community organizers, role of arts and culture, uncategorized, ways to get involved | Tags: , , ,

An Inspiration Tune-up

September 15th, 2011 by SaskCulture

Below is a blog entry by Paul Wilson, an active Culture Days Animateur in Saskatchewan. Paul is a writer and publisher, and has been engaging the public through an exercise of creating an “Invisible Library”.


Some writers will tell you that inspiration is for wimps, or that it doesn’t really exist and the only way to produce as a writer is to put your butt in a chair until the ideas come. I take a different approach with inspiration, I want to be inspiration’s friend and I want to know all I can about our on-again, off-again relationship.

When I feel inspired to write a poem, I’m usually so pleased to have creativity on my side again I rarely stop to notice where and when I was given the impetus to write. However when I’ve hit a dry spot in my creativity and nothing seems to inspire me I spend a good deal of time pondering this mysterious process.

I would like to suggest that there are two distinct kinds of inspiration. The first is Primary Inspiration; of course each of us has our own distinct sources of this form of inspiration. For me these sources  include  solitary sojourns into nature, walks in the city which involve people watching, relationships with people I love and people I barely know,  also collect small snippets of conversation I hear in cafes and other public places. Then of course I have to mention my senses which are arbiters of primary inspiration.

Often a phrase or poetic line has arisen from a particular fragrance or an unexpected sound. Suddenly I’m transported to a heightened sense of awareness or become aware of a potent memory which in turn leads to a poem.  Touch and taste play less of a role with my creative process yet I am aware that images involving touch reoccur regularly in my writing. Visual artists, dancers, actors, musicians would likely share some of the same sources of inspiration but may also contrast sharply in other areas.

Secondary Inspiration arises when we are moved by the creative intent within a work of art, not our own. We may be in an art gallery or a library and the instant we see a painting or read a particular story or poem we feel we have been given something that we must in turn share with the world. Writers read, painters look at paintings, dancers study choreography and so on. While artists are compelled to learn more about their art form, it is also natural to be inspired by other artists. As a writer I am inspired by writers in all genres and  I am equally inspired by the works of painters, musicians, dancers, in fact most art forms. If we want to understand the the transformative nature inspiration plays in our lives we must live by the declaration: I will take inspiration from where I find it.

What is an inspiration tune-up?

Does inspiration just happen, do we have any control at all over how, when and where it arrives? Perhaps not but we can become more sensitive to what specific conditions bring our inspired impulses to the forefront.

Try this: for one week keep a small notepad with you at all times. Make a running list of inspired ideas as they arise as well as the time, location and experience that triggered the ideas. Were you in the shower, on a walk, waking up or falling to sleep, waiting in line a Tim Horton’s? At the end of each day review the list looking for connections between the experience and the ideas themselves. Do you always get an idea for a painting or a poem when you get up early and eat breakfast alone? Maybe this is because as a child this alone-time allowed you to write and illustrate your own stories. Over the course of your tune up week you will find that certain experiences fall into the category of “primary inspiration”. As you become more attuned to these experiences take time each day to cherish these moments. Don’t be discouraged when ideas don’t come, just relax in the knowledge that inspiration is on the way and you will be ready to act when the time comes.


Follow Paul on Twitter! @InvisiblePoet11

View Comments | Posted in Culture Days stories, Saskatchewan, opinions, uncategorized | Tags:

My Invisible Library

September 15th, 2011 by SaskCulture

Below is a blog entry by Paul Wilson, an active Culture Days Animateur in Saskatchewan. Paul is a writer and publisher, and has been engaging the public through an exercise of creating an “Invisible Library”.


I’ve been writing poetry since I was a baffled teen, about forty years. I have published four books of poetry and have just completed my fifth collection, “The Invisible Library”. I am also a culture worker, editor, and publisher (Hagios Press). Currently I have the best summer job ever as an Artist Animateur for SaskCulture promoting Culture Days, September 30, October 1 and 2, 2011. Culture Days is a celebration of arts and cultural involvement from coast to coast to coast in Canada. I’m proud to be one of its champions this year. for the last three years as I have worked on a poetry manuscript titled “The Invisible Library”. Invisible books have no substance beyond the context given in the books where they are mentioned. They are fragments of the imagination of the author, but yet somehow they light a flame in the imagination of the reader. What would that book be like?

Once aware of the invisible library I began to notice entries in books I was reading. It seemed a short leap from these discoveries to wanting to create entries in the invisible library myself. In this writing process I have been inspired by the invisible library but all the titles used in my poems are original and not borrowed from other sources. Soon the poems I was writing took on more imagistic and metaphoric weight. I found that the concept was leading me into fascinating thematic and psychological territory.

In June I began a term position as an Artist Animateur for SaskCulture in aid of supporting and promoting Culture Days, Canada’s celebration of arts and culture from coast to coast to coast. This summer I have acted as Poet in Residence (at the Invisible Library) at several events in southern Saskatchewan, where I have read poems from my book and engaged people in the creative act of writing their own “invisible” titles into a book I’ve carried with me. The response when I ask someone to participate is usually a smile or even a chuckle at the thought of them becoming an instant author. While the writer may want to pause and think it over, I encourage them to use the first good thought they have. Many of the participants use their own name but they are also allowed to sign a pseudonym that plays off the title.

Here are a few samples of the anonymous entries I’ve collected:

The creation of a book title, imaginary or or real requires a creative leap and writing the title of an invisible book one that resonates, requires employing one’s intuition. It’s fascinating to watch participants as they contemplate and then write their invisible book title. While many have not written a book, they all have read books and have perhaps entertained thoughts of writing one day. They may tap into a humorous idea or one that speaks to them personally and as they do they are also thinking about the the importance of books in their lives.

So far I have collected over seventy book titles in my Invisible Library, and welcome more via e-mail: wilsonhpaul@gmail.com. At the end of my term I will post the complete list of titles here on my blog and the “library” will be archived with SaskCulture. I look forward to seeing your entry into the world of invisible books.


Follow Paul on Twitter! @InvisiblePoet11

View Comments | Posted in Culture Days stories, Saskatchewan, opinions, seen, uncategorized, ways to get involved | Tags: , ,

Culture Days Launches the “In Conversation” Video Series, Presented by Culture Days’ National Broadcast Partner CBC

September 7th, 2011 by Culture Days

Today marks the release of the “In Conversation” video series, presented by Culture Days’ National Broadcast Partner, CBC. The series showcases key leaders in the Canadian arts and culture sector and the organizations they represent. Highlighting the important role these organizations play in further galvanizing the relationship between arts and culture and the Canadian public, the series reveals the many and diverse ways in which Culture Days is helping to foster and grow this connection.

These short clips will be rolling out over the next weeks in the lead up to the Culture Days event weekend, starting with insights from:

Kirstine Stewart, Executive Vice-President of CBC English Television and member of the Culture Days Steering Committee
Kirstine, expresses how Culture Days is an opportunity for the CBC, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, to connect and engage with communities whose families have welcomed the CBC into their homes since its inception, and envisions a time when Canadians will celebrate “Culture Day in Canada” along side Hockey Day in Canada.

Antoni Cimolino, General Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and Chair of the Culture Days Steering Committee
Antoni recounts his experience of the “real magic of Culture Days” when artists in Stratford came together to plan an activity for the inaugural Culture Days event weekend in 2010 and how the culmination of their planning was expressed in a large street fair where over 3500 people came together to celebrate the arts, artists and the Stratford community itself.

Marc Mayer, Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada
Marc describes how the National Gallery of Canada has built programs that serve the entire country and how its participation in Culture Days enables the formation of a deeper relationship between the public and the arts. This ultimately, Marc explains, helps the museum to further its goal of providing the public with access to the museum’s national collection and places Canadians’ visual culture within the greater context of art history.

Piers Handling, Director and CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival
Piers speaks of the impact Culture Days will create within communities and expresses how TIFF’s participation in Culture Days allows that organization to play a leadership role for other festivals and organizations by opening its doors and offering its resources to the public over the Culture Days event weekend.

Forthcoming “In Conversation” clips will feature interviews with:

Bruce Kuwabara, Founding Partner KPMB Architects
Zaib Shaikh Actor, Director & Producer
Martha Henry, CC, Leading Actor
Jeff Melanson, Executive Director & Co-CEO Canada’s National Ballet School
Louise Sicuro, CEO Culture pour tous
Andy Kenins, Chair Elect Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir
Luce Moreau, CEO Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal
James (Jim) Fleck, OC, Chairman, Business for the Arts
Janice Price, CEO Luminato Festival
Stuart Reid, Executive Director MacKenzie Art Gallery
Marie Lavigne, CEO La Société de la Place des Arts de Montréal
Sarah Iley, VP Programming The Banff Centre
Sal Ferreras, Academic Vice-President Vancouver Community College
Tom McCabe, President & CEO Theatre Calgary

The first videos in this series are now LIVE and available on the Culture Days YouTube channel! Be sure to check back as more videos will be added in the lead up to the Culture Days event weekend.

View Comments | Posted in Funders & Supporters, community organizers, for activity organizers, role of arts and culture, uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Libraries across Ontario celebrate Culture Days

September 6th, 2011 by Aubrey Reeves

Public libraries throughout Ontario have enthusiastically embraced the spirit of Culture Days.  More than 100 public libraries in small towns, mid-sized cities and major urban centres in Ontario are taking part in Culture Days celebrations September 30 to October 2, 2011.

During the Aeroplan Culture Stories Contest, Canadians told Culture Days that their public library is a favourite place to experience arts and culture. As Catherine B. of Ottawa said, a library is “more than books and dust; it’s thriving, growing, cultivating – we meet, we share, we have a place that’s purely for exploration. Libraries ARE community, and they burst with arts and culture.”

The Elgin County Library is hosting a reading by Giller Prize winning author Bonnie Burnard and the Cambridge Libraries and Galleries is presenting storytellers Tongues Wagging Productions. The Stratford, Grimsby and Windsor public libraries are all holding “Human Libraries” during Culture Days. The public can check out “human books” including artists, writers and musicians who have volunteered for one-on-one informative and entertaining chats.

“Public libraries and Culture Days are a natural match because both are about inclusion and making sure that culture is available to everyone in the community,” said Stratford Public Library CEO Sam Coghlan.

Beyond the literary world, many Ontario libraries are also hosting a range of arts and heritage activities, such as a bilingual demonstration by instrument builder Pierre Laframboise at the Greater Sudbury Library. The Innisfil Public Library is holding a dance workshop by the Simcoe Contemporary Dancers and the Whitby Public Library is celebrating its 100th anniversary by asking the public to scan their historic photos of Whitby into a digital photo collection.

“Libraries have obviously come a long way in 100 years,” says Whitby Public Library CEO Ian Ross, “Back then we were inward looking. Today we are collaborative organizations, working with so many partners to achieve shared goals.”

Several major urban library systems have offered their spaces to artists and cultural groups wishing to present Culture Days activities. The London Public Library is hosting activities at every library branch in London. Similarly, the Toronto Public Library (TPL) is hosting 85 activities at 48 library branches for their program “Culture Days @ the Library.” This large-scale partnership between TPL, Culture Days and the Neighbourhood Arts Network is an unprecedented opportunity for the public to engage directly with artists in their own neighbourhoods.

“The great variety of cultural activities in urban library branches – from music and dance to poetry, storytelling, painting, bookbinding and stone carving – is testimony to the artistic talents in our cities,” said Toronto Public Library’s Senior Services Specialist Miriam Scribner. “In opening up library spaces for Culture Days, we are connecting artistic creators with local communities, providing high quality cultural experiences that are not always easily accessible.”

Participating Libraries include (as of September 7, 2011):

Barrie Public Library
Cambridge Libaries and Galleries
Chatham-Kent Public Library
City of Mississauga
City of Ottawa Archives
Cobourg Public Library
Elgin County Library
Elmira Library
Essex County LIbrary
Grand Valley Public Library
Greater Sudbury Public Library / Bibliothèque publique du Grand Sudbury
Grimsby Public Library
Guelph Public Library – Main Branch
Hamilton Public Library
Innisfil Public Library
Keswick Library
Kingston Frontenac Public Library
London Public Library
Masonville Public Library
Maynooth Public Library
Mississauga Library System
Norfolk County Public Library
North Perth Public Library
Orangeville Public Library
Ottawa Public Library / Bibliothèque publique d’Ottawa
Pembroke Public Library
Perth East Public LIbrary
Peterborough Public Library
Sault Ste. Marie Public Library
Smiths Falls Public Library
St. Marys Public Library
Stratford Public Library
Thunder Bay Public Library
Toronto Public Library
West Perth Public Library
Whitby Archives
Whitby Public Library
Windsor Public Library
View Comments | Posted in Community spotlight, Ontario, community organizers, role of arts and culture, uncategorized | Tags: , , ,

Culture Days @ the Library – 85 free activities at 48 branches

September 6th, 2011 by Aubrey Reeves

Toronto Public Library, the Neighbourhood Arts Network and Culture Days are pleased to announce a major partnership called “Culture Days @ the Library” that welcomes more than 85 Toronto-based artists and cultural groups into 48 library branches throughout the city. On Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1 the public is invited to take part in free, hands-on and behind-the-scenes activities where artists will share their creative process, inspirations and techniques.

“The great variety of cultural activities at Library branches – from  Bollywood dance to Serbian choral music, to poetry, storytelling, painting, bookbinding and stone carving – is testimony to the artistic talents in our city,” said Toronto Public Library’s Senior Services Specialist Miriam Scribner.

Culture Days @ the Library matches Toronto-based artists and groups with library branches as a grassroots way of connecting artists to the public in their own neighbourhood.  The partnership allows artists to bring their work out of the studio and engage directly with the public.  Most activities are family-friendly, and all are free and interactive.

“Toronto Public Library is one of the best library systems in the world, but what makes it special to us is its accessibility. We jumped at the chance to present our traditional Tibetan dresses and music at such a community hub,” said Gelek Badheytsang, co-director of Tibetan arts group Drebu, which is participating in Culture Days for the second time.  “We enjoy being part of a movement that celebrates local arts across the whole country.” Drebu presents their activity Tibetan Chuba at Parkdale Library.

Search by keywords “Toronto Public Library” in the advance search to find Culture Days @ the Library activities. Or visit www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/culturedays for a complete list of activities at Toronto Public Library branches.

About Toronto Public Library

Toronto Public Library is the world’s busiest urban public library system. Every year, more than 18 million people visit branches in neighbourhoods across the city and borrow more than 32 million items. As cornerstones of their neighbourhoods, our libraries connect people to each other and to their community, inspiring the spirit of exploration, the joy of reading and the pursuit of knowledge for people of all ages and backgrounds. To learn more, please visit www.torontopubliclibrary.ca or call Answerline at 416-393-7131.

About Neighbourhood Arts Network

Neighbourhood Arts Network is the place where arts and community engagement meet. NAN helps artists and community organizations do what they do best: enrich Toronto and transform it into a more vibrant, beautiful, and liveable city. We catalyze new relationships and conversations, collect research and share information. We envision a Toronto where all residents are empowered to discover and shape the cultural life of their communities. Neighbourhood Arts Network is a project of the Toronto Arts Foundation. To learn more, please visit www.neighbourhoodartsnetwork.org

View Comments | Posted in Ontario, community organizers, role of arts and culture, uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

Volunteers Can Make All the Difference!

September 2nd, 2011 by Culture Days

Nazanin Shoja, OAC’s Ontario Culture Days Animator/Coordinator, interviewed Gina Rim, Volunteer Coordinator Reel Asian International Film Festival, about how to recruit, train and show appreciation for your Culture Days volunteers. The Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival  is Canada’s Premier Pan-Asian International Film Festival. The 15th Anniversary Edition takes place  November 8-13 in Toronto and November 18-19 in Richmond Hill. Check out their 2011 Culture Days event “Meet the Festival.”


Nazanin Shoja – How far in advance do you post a call for volunteers? Where do you advertise?
Gina Rim – Since the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (Reel Asian) holds year round events, I post monthly calls through our volunteer e-bulletin. For the film festival in November, I post a call for volunteers in September by inviting them to our Culture Days event, ‘Meet the Festival’. It’s a great way for all our potential volunteers to meet the entire staff, learn what happens behind-the-scenes, and hear about the roles they will be playing during the festival. I also advertise volunteer postings through our various social media, such as Facebook, and I spread the word through local community and student groups as well.

NS – What incentives do you give?
GR – We offer free volunteer t-shirts, vouchers for any of the films at our festival, and a letter detailing their contributions.

NS – What draws volunteers to the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival in particular?
GR – Volunteering at Reel Asian is a great way to interact with film and the industry, as well as a great opportunity to meet people. Every staff member at Reel Asian including myself, is a previous volunteer for the festival so we treat all of our volunteers like family.

NS – What is involved with training to become a volunteer?
GR – Training varies depending on their volunteer roles but our general training sessions are done at the theatres that we use during the festival. Chris Chin, our Operations Manager, did a walk-through of the venues with the volunteers, gave them an overview of the night, examples of questions that may be asked, and what to do in certain situations. We try to train all our volunteers with as much information as possible so that they feel confident in what they do and have fun while they volunteer with us!

NS – What role do the volunteers play at your festival? What tasks are involved?
GR – Like any other film festival, Reel Asian relies on the help of dedicated volunteers for various tasks – from office help to ushers and front of house support, industry series and special events hospitality.

NS – How do you communicate with your volunteers and determine scheduling?
GR – I have a one-on-one scheduling session with each and every volunteer. This allows me to get to know my volunteers better, what their background and interests are, and see if what we have available for them suits their schedule.

NS – How do you ensure their commitment?
GR – During our volunteer orientation and the one-on-one scheduling session, we make sure that the volunteers clearly understand that they play a very important part in our festival and that they are the ones who puts into action the months of work and planning.

NS – How do you show your appreciation to volunteers? How are they recognized?
GR – We have a volunteers appreciation party with food, drink, music and some great prize giveaways a week after the November festival. This year, Reel Asian will also have a screening just for the volunteers before the party as well. We realized that last year, a lot of our volunteers didn’t have time to watch many of the films because they were volunteering instead. To appreciate such participation from our volunteers, we decided to have a screening of one of the festival selections just for them as our way of saying thank you.

NS – How do you ensure that your volunteers return year after year?
GR – The most important thing is for the volunteers to have a positive experience with us. If the volunteers enjoyed their experience and had fun during their previous shifts, they are more likely to return to volunteer with us again this year. We already have a few volunteers from last year who volunteered with us on our pre-festival screenings this year!

View Comments | Posted in Culture Days 2010, Ontario, for activity organizers, uncategorized, ways to get involved | Tags: , , , , ,

Waabi-ma’iingan (Grey Wolf) Traditional Teaching Lodge – Thunder Bay, ON

August 12th, 2011 by Culture Days

Nazanin Shoja, the OAC Culture Days Ontario Animator/Coordinator spoke with Cynthia Coons, Assistant Coordinator of the Waabi-ma’iingan (Grey Wolf) Traditional Teaching Lodge about what they offered the residents of Thunder Bay, ON during Culture Days 2010.

Culture Days – Who are you and what do you do?

Cynthia Coons – Waabi-ma’iingan is a teaching lodge which reconnects people with their spiritual side. We have ceremonies 4 times a year, Elders and Youth Gatherings once a year and a sharing circle every two weeks. At Waabi-ma’iingan, we encourage tolerance and offer a comfortable environment where non-aboriginals can learn about Aboriginal culture as well.

CD – What made your 2010 Culture Days activity unique?

CC – We held an Elders and Youth Gathering entitled “Voices from the Past, For Tomorrow.” We had Elders come from 50 different communities, from all over Ontario. Many people were invited to come to the lodge to listen to the Elders speak.

CD – What inspired or surprised you about Culture Days?

CC – The event was very successful. People kept asking when the next one would be happening.

CD – What do you feel is the impact of culture in your community?

CC – There has been a very positive impact. On the last day of the event, the youth were invited to speak. They discussed issues such as racism and expressed their desire to learn more about their culture and reconnect with their native language and heritage. As a result of these discussions, the lodge has been going to St. Pat’s high school, where an Aboriginal counselor visits with the students and teaches them about Aboriginal culture and traditions. They are also in the process of arranging a sweat lodge for them, since they had no access to that before.

View Comments | Posted in Community spotlight, Culture Days 2010, Ontario, community organizers, opinions, seen, uncategorized | Tags: , , , ,

Self-Promo and Marketing Info Session – Summary

August 3rd, 2011 by Culture Days

Thanks to all who participated in last week’s Info Session on Self-Promo and Marketing!

This Info Session was the first in a series dedicated to self-promotion, so if you weren’t able to join in, mark these upcoming sessions in your calendar:

- Tuesday, August 16 at 2pm ET – Self-Promo: Public Relations

- Tuesday, August 23rd at 2pm ET – Self-Promo: Marketing Tools and Social Media

Be sure to reserve your spot for these sessions here.

Last Tuesday, we reviewed some of the FREE Culture Days marketing tools now available for download off the Culture Days web site, including: logos, e-flyers, web banners, and web badges. You can maximize the use of these tools by uploading logos to your social media profile, sending e-flyers via email, or posting the web banners and badges on your website or blog; all you have to do is simply copy and paste the provided embed code!

Culture Days will continue to release free marketing tools, including customizable posters, post cards/flyers, web banners, and more! Stay tuned for the release dates of these items, along with a PR Tool Kit, which will be made available over the next couple of weeks.

Also discussed during the Info Session was how word of mouth is a powerful and effective tool, as seen in the Culture Days elevator pitch. This pitch was created as a guide to help activity organizers explain the Culture Days movement and spread the word. There has been some great feedback about the pitch and many are creating their own! Feel free to share your pitch with the growing Culture Days network in the “Comments” section, here.

Those who participated in the Info Session also posed questions about how to find a venue and how to “hub”. In both instances, the best place to start is on the Culture Days web site. Check out the “Looking for a space to share” page – this is where available venues are listed. Also, use the search functionalities on the web site to search for other activities happening near you and see if you can work with other organizers to share venue space and resources. You can also contact your regional representative – they can connect you with other organizers and also make suggestions for possible venues.

One of the key marketing tools available to you is your activity page. With an engaging title, clear description and an enticing photo, your activity page will be ready for its close up! To learn more about how to write a captivating description, check out this informative blog post. Not sure how to upload a photo? It’s quick and easy! Click here to learn more.

Did you know that your activity page has built-in social media tools? Maximize your activity’s visibility by “liking” the activity and have it automatically shared with friends on Facebook and Twitter. Social media is a great resource when wanting to share a message to many in a short period of time – you can copy the URL for your activity page (the address for your page at the top of your web browser) and send it out to your network of friends, family, colleagues, and whoever else via email, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform. Don’t forget to  ”like” and “follow” Culture Days on Facebook and Twitter, as well; Culture Days encourages cross-promotion and wants your activity to become a success, so be sure to use the Culture Days social media channels made available to you!

View Comments | Posted in Local marketing & promotions, community organizers, for activity organizers, marketing & PR, uncategorized | Tags: , ,

Geocaching – Plans for Culture Days in Picturresque Bay Roberts, NL

July 21st, 2011 by Culture Days

The Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation shared recent developments in their plans for this year’s Culture Days celebrations with Newfoudland and Labrador Culture Days Coordinator Laura Bruijns (laurabruijns@culturedays.ca). Hiking, local culinary specialties, music, storytelling and prizes are in the works for this fun-filled, family-friendly weekend. For more details and contact information at the BRCF, click on the full activity descriptions here:

Plans for Culture Days 2011

Although we are still in mauzy May in Newfoundland and Labrador, we are excited about Culture Days this fall.   The Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation [BRCF] has planned three main events so far: Shoreline Heritage Walk Geocaching Weekend, a Mussel Boil with Traditional Music at the Three Sisters, and ‘A Feed for Foodies’ at the Visitor Information Centre.

Shoreline Heritage Walk Geocaching Weekend.

The 4km Shoreline Heritage Walk in Bay Roberts East winds through the earliest settled part of the community.  Until the mid 20th century, the area was home to a thriving community.

French's Cove, 1920 - Bay Roberts Heritage Society

At that time, people left the area, moving closer to transportation routes.  Today, along the walking trail it is possible to see cleared land where home once existed, root cellars, and rock walls built by our ancestors.

Participants will be given a Passport at the Visitor Information Centre.  They will have to answer a heritage question found in each geocache and stamp their passports.  On Sunday afternoon, they will return their Passports to the Visitor Information Centre and prizes will be awarded after a draw.

Here are photos which have taken by visitors to two of the geocaches with our disposable cameras:

Mussel Boil with Traditional Music at the Three Sisters

The Three Sisters is an amazing site which has been visited ever since early French setters in the 16th century, who named our town Baie de Robert , dried their fish on the flat beach rocks.  We have held mussel boils there before.

Mussel Boil at the Three Sisters

A ‘Feed’ for Foodies

The ‘Feed’ for Foodies will be a new event.  It will be held at the Bay Roberts Visitor Information Centre.  The event will feature local chefs preparing a variety of dishes which are based on traditional ingredients; however, each item will be prepared with a new twist.  Our taste buds are anxiously waiting to see how creative our chefs can be!

And… we are hoping to add an OLD TIME COMMUNITY CONCERT.

The Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation [BRCF] kicked off the 2011 season on May 25th with an Old Time Community Concert.  The Bay Roberts Concert was the final in a series of three, initiated by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in communities on the Baccalieu Trail.

The MC  was ‘Aunt Lizzie’ [Francie Barrett, who was featured in ‘A Time in Pigeon Inlet’ in 2010]  The mysterious Perrinina Bowers was a special guest, sporting a new hat from her recent visit to London for the Royal Wedding.

Storytellers included Dale Jarvis, who told a Fairy Story from Britannia on Random Island, Randy Smith of Bay Roberts who recited two stories, and Dennis Flynn of Colliers who told “yarns” about people in the community.

There were skits, and musical performances by fiddlers, accordion players, and soloists, including David Fitzpatrick, who concluded the show with the song Mad Rock from his new CD.  Mad Rock is a very well known feature on the Bay Roberts Shoreline Heritage Walk. The show was so successful, that we are now hoping to include an Old Time Community Concert as an event during Culture Days. We will be adding it to our events as plans progress.

Exercise Drill Featuring BRCF – Each letter had a verse

Dennis Flynn – His Memoires as a Child in Bay Roberts

David Fitzpatrick Performing “Mad Rock.”

Aunt Lizzie: MC. Fiddle Players – Danielle Bowering & Luke Welsh

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