Youthopia , Youth for Inclusion Program

In 2011, as part of its BUILDING VITAL COMMUNITIES grant program, the Guelph Community Foundation  awarded $4,450 to Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington for its Youthopia , Youth for Inclusion, program.

Youthopia set out to engage newcomer youth through the arts with spoken word, drama and media, while building leadership skills and broader engagement in the community.

“Moving to a new school is difficult enough for youth, now imagine being new to the country, city, neighbourhood, and having to function in a second language,” said Roya Rabbani, Executive Director of Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington.

Over a period of six months, participants met with trained youth facilitators to work on a variety of activities. This process led to a core group choosing to work on a live production to honour the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination . Another group continued to meet weekly to work on smaller arts projects. Youth also participated in community and civic engagement activities in the Guelph community.

What did it mean to youth participating?

Youthtopia’s RiseUp! event poster said it best: “life is no longer about hiding in the shadows or trying to get by – it’s about laughing and crying, and all the things in between; it’s about the opposite of disappearing. Watch as we come out of our cocoons …”

Roya Rabbani, who recently spoke at the Foundation’s Fall Community Celebration, told the audience that two-thirds of Canada’s growth is coming through immigration. Like trees, these newcomers are uprooted from their homelands and transplanted here, and that is a difficult process. “A caring community allows those trees to take root, to flourish and bear fruit,” she said.

Spoken word was one of many activities undertaken.   To view a short clip from one of Youthopia’s Spoken Word sessions, click here.

Andrea Olson is Executive Director of Guelph Community Foundation

Peter Buffett wows Halifax, endorses Community Foundation model

By Allison Kouzovnikov

The Community Foundation of Nova Scotia is still celebrating the resounding success of its recent Concert and Conversation with Peter Buffett.

This was the first event in the Foundation’s five year history and could not have been more perfect, with an excellent sponsor (RBC Wealth Management Dominion Securities), a sold-out venue and record-setting book sales.

Photo (from left): CFNS Executive Director Allison Kouzovnikov, Peter Buffett, Dennice Leahey, CM, Board Chair, Robert Orr, Vice Chair

Foundation staff had the privilege of spending extra time with Peter both before and after the event and we were all touched by Peter’s ability to put everyone around him at ease. It truly felt like all had known each other for years.

We especially appreciated Peter’s unsolicited endorsement of our work from the stage mid-concert, which was later summed up by Peter as follows:  ”A community foundation is a vital ally in sustaining a healthy, vibrant region. The Community Foundation of Nova Scotia does the important and necessary work of keeping its ear to the ground and its eye on a vision that donors can participate in – fostering a better world for all within its reach.”

Allison Kouzovnikov is Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia

TV partner helps Victoria Foundation spread the word about Vital Signs

By Stephanie Slater

On Sunday, Jan. 22, CHEK TV News aired a special feature story about the 1000 x 5 Children’s Book Recycling Project in Greater Victoria’s Saanich Peninsula.

The next morning, the phones started ringing at The Victoria Foundation, which had sponsored the story – the first in a weekly series called Vital People. 

1000 x 5 is a project supported by the foundation that aims to ensure every child in their region has a minimum of 1,000 books read to them by the time they are five years old. Callers wanted to donate books – and not just a few! Two callers each had collections of hundreds of books. Jim Munro, owner of Munro’s Books, asked for a meeting with the 1000 x 5 project leader. Other callers asked about replicating the program in their communities. One call came from an organization that works with people who have developmental disabilities. They arranged to bring some of their clients to the weekly sessions where the books are cleaned and sorted.

All this from one, three-minute television story! It was an immediate affirmation of the value of the project – a partnership between the foundation and CHEK TV. For a fraction of the regular cost of advertising, Vital People provides a weekly profile of people and organizations working on the vital issues outlined in Victoria’s Vital Signs® report.

“Vital People spreads the messages highlighted in the Vital Signs reports about needs and opportunities to make a difference in our communities,” said Sandra Richardson, CEO of The Victoria Foundation.

The series not only keeps Vital Signs alive throughout the year, it reinforces the community report card as a project of The Victoria Foundation, helping to boost awareness and understanding of the foundation’s breadth of work.

Vital People stories are posted on the foundation’s website and are also available to the organizations profiled for posting on their websites. These stories will also be featured as part of the soon-to-be-launched Community Knowledge Centre – the searchable database that will showcase registered charities that have received grants from the foundation. Stay tuned for more developments!

For another example of bringing the Vital Signs message forward, see the new Vital Signs checklist featured in the January edition of The Victoria Foundation’s Philanthropy page – a monthly newspaper feature sponsored in partnership with Black Press.

Stephanie Slater is Director of Communications with The Victoria Foundation

CFC’s Benjamin Moore program provides facelift, inspiration

By Michelle Stefan

The Summerland Asset Development Initiative (SADI) is an organization that provides opportunities, activities and resources for Summerland youth.

Volunteers paint up a storm at the SADI centre

We are housed in a building provided by the District of Summerland. This building provides us with the opportunity to run activities, leadership programs and an after-school program for youth. Each year we try to focus on a new building improvement project that improves our building, but also enhances community spirit through these positive changes.

Last year, SADI heard about CFC’s Benjamin Moore Community Restoration Program, which awards cash grants of up to $4,000 plus Benjamin Moore paint valued up to $750 to qualifying community organizations.

We thought it sounded like a great opportunity to spruce up the building and make it a source of pride in our community. We worked with our local Community Foundation of the South Okanagan to find out more about it and put together our proposal. Then we crossed our fingers.

Work in progress at the SADI centre in Summerland

Soon after, we received word that we would receive cash and paint to make our vision a reality. We set to work involving a local painter and SADI supporter, selected two colour schemes and asked the youth what they thought. They were unanimous in their decision and we set to work. We organized volunteers of all ages to help with the painting of a stucco building – no easy task!

It didn’t take long before our building was transformed before our very eyes. Shades of blue, green and orange were tastefully combined to create a fun, vibrant and aesthetically pleasing new space. Youth were so inspired they couldn’t stop painting, and continued to paint all the tables in our lounge area.

Feedback from the community was instantaneous and we heard positive comments for months. Some even suggested it should be the new design scheme for our town. We feel that this project helped us build spirit and pride, not only in our own building and in our youth, but in the community as a whole.

A big thank-you to Benjamin Moore, Community Foundations of Canada, The Community Foundation of the South Okanagan, Summerland Builders Mart, Feels Like Home by Jamie, and the many volunteers who made our vision a reality!

The process was easy and helped us accomplish something that might otherwise not have been possible.

Michelle Stefan is SADI Program Manager

In difficult times, we still need to protect our cultural identity – CIW Director

By Bryan Smale

In the recent research findings released in Canada’s Vital Signs, we see an interesting comparison of the percentage of people attending cultural events in different cities across Canada. Notably, cities such as Victoria, Calgary, Montréal, Toronto, and interestingly, Kelowna, show up consistently as reporting comparatively higher percentages of people taking part in these activities.

Just as notable is the absence in this top group of the many other Canadian cities included in the General Social Survey. Are their residents just not interested in the arts?

The variable patterns of attendance among the cities are frequently explained as a function of differences in the demographic profile of the population. For example, in Victoria, the higher proportion of older residents in that city is pointed to as the reason underlying their higher percentages of attendance to the performing arts. Similarly, the relatively higher attendance at cultural or artistic festivals in some cities is tied to the size of the cities, where larger cities (e.g., Montréal) report higher percentages than smaller cities (e.g., St. John).

However, there is another factor to consider. In a report on Leisure and Culture released last year by the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW), it was reported that “both total and average attendance at performing arts performances have declined steadily since 2001, although average attendance rebounded somewhat in 2006, in part due to the fewer number of performances available.”

So, the patterns of decline we see in attendance among Canadians are just as much a function of the availability of performances, events, and especially the venues where they are presented.

When coupled with the recent cuts in support for the public agencies and non-profit and voluntary groups typically responsible for these activities, this decline in engagement is even more troubling for the wellbeing of Canadians and their communities. Deliberate losses in our capacity to develop and provide meaningful venues and opportunities for the performing arts and cultural activities threaten the wellbeing of individuals, communities, and society at large. We must strengthen our resolve to ensure that our capacity to sustain and further develop such resources is maintained.

We must avoid “blaming ourselves” for declining attendance at arts and cultural performances and events. We must demand more from our elected officials and bureaucrats to protect those places where we celebrate our culture, our humanity, our sense of ourselves. Without those places, we are less well as a nation.

Please visit our website on October 20 to read the first-ever CIW composite index report ‘How are Canadians Really doing?’ and ask yourself what progress means to your wellbeing.

Explore the infographic to see what areas of wellbeing are improving or getting worse, and watch the video to be inspired to start the conversation with your colleagues, with friends and families, and with elected officials.

 Bryan Smale is the Director of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) and a Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo

 

Community investing: Hamilton Community Foundation takes it to the next level

There’s much talk these days about community investment, and Hamilton Community Foundation is putting its money where its mouth is.

Canadian charities have historically had difficulty finding financing for expanding services and facilities, and this lack of funding for core operations, growth and diversification inhibits what they can accomplish.

That’s why the Community Foundation has launched the Community Investment Fund, putting aside $5 million from its unrestricted fund to invest in local charitable projects – instead of the stock market. . This amount includes $2 million available as loans to the non-profit sector, through a partnership with the Community Forward Fund, an innovative loan and investment fund that provides loans to nonprofits and charities.

The new Hamilton Artists Inc. facility was completed with help from a loan by HCF's Community Investment Fund

“We expect community investment to go beyond traditional granting and fill an important gap and go a long way to strengthening the charitable sector and the city,” says Terry Cooke, President & CEO.

The first loan was issued this summer to Hamilton Artists Inc., a long-standing artist-run centre that supports and reflects the diverse environment of the community. It means the group can complete a building project that will contribute significantly to downtown revitalization and a burgeoning arts scene.

“It’s a stunning transformation at one of Hamilton’s most visible corners,” says Cooke. “They will be able to complete their project on time while awaiting the promised financing that has been delayed.

“I’m thrilled that HCF is able to use more of its assets in unique ways to support positive change in the community.”

Collaboration works in philanthropy, and in performing arts

By Jini Stolk

Creative Trust’s recent survey of nearly 3,700 audience members – intended to help performing arts companies enhance their audiences’ experience and stimulate attendance – did all that and more.

The most powerful result was learning how very deeply people who attend live theatre, music, opera and dance care about the work they see on stage.

The Audience Engagement Survey – a first-time, collaborative initiative by 20 mid-size and small creative companies – made it possible for participants to hear directly from their audiences.

It found a healthy overlap in attendance at a variety of performances; reinforced the importance of early participation in the arts on future attendance; emphasized that audiences are becoming increasingly interested in hearing more, primarily through the web; and, busting through walls separating “high” and “low” culture, revealed that 50% of dance audiences enjoyed watching dance competitions on TV! Not a big surprise to us So You Think You Can Dance Canada enthusiasts.

Then came our follow-up interview sessions, which found artistic and administrative staff from 18 companies hearing face to face from more than 80 respondents about their audience experiences.   The lessons learned are too numerous to document here, but they are invaluable for all involved.

One that will no doubt resonate with the community foundation movement involves the importance of a collaborative approach, across disciplines, to audience development. Encouraging and facilitating new experiences, with your own company or another, is clearly a good investment in Toronto’s cultural development.

Creative Trust has been using collaboration and shared learning to help performing arts companies build capacity, audiences and spaces since 2003. The Toronto Community Foundation was an early contributor to our work, and we went on to win a Vital Ideas grant in 2007.

With the Audiences Project, we are helping Toronto’s creative performing arts companies remain sustainable during a time of significant political and social change.

And we hope we are contributing to making Toronto a truly creative city, where the transformational power of the arts is understood, deeply valued and – most importantly – available to everyone.

More details can be found in our profile on the Toronto Community Foundation’s Community Knowledge Centre or on our website.

Jini Stolk is Executive Director of Creative Trust

Jazz Sudbury hitting all the right notes

Believing that a strong performing arts sector enriches the community both socially and economically, the Sudbury Community Foundation set out to build and support its local arts scene.

Greater Sudbury’s Vital Signs reports indicated that Sudbury was lagging behind other cities in its commitment to the performing arts. It was clear that more needed to be done, so the Sudbury Community Foundation embarked on a new leadership initiative, Jazz Sudbury, to support and promote the wealth of talent that was growing in Sudbury, and to encourage the community to get behind its budding performing arts sector.

A very warm response to Jazz Sudbury’s kickoff event demonstrated that there is a pent-up demand for jazz music in the north. Cabaret 2009 was widely attended last March and gave us confidence to push forward with the Jazz Sudbury Festival. There are so many talented artists who have moved to bigger cities to flourish. We wanted to show Sudburians that we’ve got world-class performers who need our support, and a festival to showcase our great local talent seemed like a natural decision.

The first ever Jazz Sudbury Festival, headlined by Michael Kaeshammer was held in September 2009 to rave reviews.

The success of Jazz Sudbury in its first year confirmed that people in the community wanted cultural activities and a rich arts scene. “Seeing a project that was informed by Vital Signs come to life is very rewarding and encouraging,” notes SCF president Elyse Clements.

The next step for the Foundation is bringing together a Jazz Sudbury steering committee, not only to undertake festival organization, but to develop a long-term sustainability plan for the festival that will serve the community going forward. A continuing goal of our Vital Signs report is to engage citizens and inspire leaders to act.  What better way to show others what can be done than by setting the example?

Others in the arts community have pointed to the Vital Signs report to help their cause. The Sudbury Arts Council used the indicators in Vital Signs to secure more funding for arts and cultural programs in the city – the most funding it has received in the last 30 years.

Having quality research that is readily available to all Sudburians provides an important starting point for other community organizations and active citizens. Along with the Sudbury Community Foundation, they are working towards establishing social innovation projects in Sudbury that will bring together all sectors of the community.

Carmen Simmons is Executive Director of the Sudbury Community Foundation