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Youth in Culture Pilot Program

Cultural Funding Support Section Values

The Cultural Funding Support Section (CFSS) assists independent, local, not-for-profit organizations, as well as professional artists and heritage professionals in the presentation of arts and heritage events and activities that reflect a broad representation of communities within Ottawa.

The City of Ottawa supports cultural activity that is inclusive of Ottawa’s diverse community, including people from a diversity of ancestries, abilities, ages, countries of origin, cultures, genders, incomes, languages, races and sexual orientations.

The City of Ottawa is built on unceded Algonquin Anishinabe territory. The Cultural Funding Support Section honours the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation as host nation.

Submissions from applicants reflecting Ottawa’s diversity, as well as First Nations, Inuit and Métis are welcome and encouraged.

The City of Ottawa recognizes both official languages as having the same rights, status and privileges, and therefore accepts applications in both English and French.

About the Youth in Culture Pilot Program

Individuals Aged 18-30

Program Objectives

  • To support cultural development of youth aged 18-30 towards professional careers in arts, culture, and heritage.
  • To empower youth to identify needs and gaps in their career development, and to support initiatives that lead to or benefit the applicant’s career in culture
  • To support activities that address the priorities identified in the Renewed Action Plan for Arts, Heritage, and Culture in Ottawa (2013 – 2018).

Youth in Culture Pilot Program

This program is intended to help cover living expenses and/or project expenses relating to:

  • Arts, culture, and heritage creation, production, and presentation projects
  • Arts, culture, and heritage festival and agricultural fair administration and/or management training opportunities
  • Training and mentorship opportunities for youth to work with established cultural workers and professionals within the arts, heritage, festivals and fairs sectors

Youth in Culture Committee Vision Statement

The City of Ottawa’s new Youth in Culture Committee (YCC) was created to provide insight into professional development issues facing youth, including the gaps and needs related to training initiatives to pursue careers within the arts, culture or heritage sectors.

The overall goal of the YCC is to nurture and empower youth living in Ottawa and Algonquin Anishinabe youth living in the Ottawa area, and to map out related strategies and actions. The YCC upholds the Youth in Culture Pilot Program’s objectives of providing direct funding to eligible individuals to support their development in becoming arts, culture and heritage professionals. The Committee will assess the applications submitted to the Program in accordance with the stated assessment criteria in these guidelines and will strive to help youth overcome barriers and prioritize needs. The YCC hopes to create more space for the voices of marginalized youth and strongly encourages first-time grant applicants to submit their projects.

Deadline Dates

The 2018 deadline date is:

Monday, September 17, 2018 at 4pm

Read more.