Guelph Arts Council is pleased to announce the deadline for the Youth Opportunities Award, which is made possible through the GAC Youth Opportunities Fund at The Guelph Community Foundation. The 2017 application deadline is Wednesday, November 15, 2017 at 4:00 pm (paper application) or 11:59 pm (online application). The award’s terms of reference and application instructions are posted at guelpharts.ca/gac-awards-bursaries. Apply online here.
Local artists, not-for-profit groups, and youth are eligible to apply for programs that initiate, enhance or expand opportunities for children and youth under age 25 to experience or become engaged in the arts in Guelph or Wellington County. Local youth are particularly encouraged to apply.
Guelph Arts Council’s Youth Fund was established through the financial success of Youth in Performance presentations that GAC sponsored between 1980 and 1990. Additions to the fund were made over the years, and in 2005 Guelph Arts Council turned over the capital of the fund to The Guelph Community Foundation to create the GAC Youth Opportunities Fund. Since 2009, with revenue generated by the fund, GAC has supported arts opportunities for youth.
The amount of the award(s) varies annually. For 2017, up to $500 will be awarded. To review the applications and select the award recipient(s) each year, Guelph Arts Council appoints a volunteer award jury composed of community representatives from arts and youth. The awards are announced by the end of the year.
The 2016 Youth Opportunities Award was shared by two applicants who offered opportunities for Guelph and Wellington County children and youth to become engaged in the arts: artist/educator Jessica Jang, and Shelldale Better Beginnings, Better Futures.
Jessica requested support for her “Print Power Project!” to offer a free, community-based, weekend-long printmaking learning experience for youth aged 14 to 19. Shelldale Better Beginnings, Better Futures applied for assistance in providing a new art program for girls in Grades 7 to 12 in the Onward Willow neighbourhood area of high-density housing and a large immigrant and refugee population.
For more information about the Youth Opportunities Award and Guelph Arts Council, please visit guelpharts.ca, phone 519-836-3280, email administration@guelpharts.ca, or drop by our new home at 10C Shared Space, 42 Carden Street, Guelph.
About Guelph Arts Council:
For over forty years, Guelph Arts Council has been dedicated to supporting, stimulating and promoting arts and culture in Guelph. Guelph Arts Council is funded in part by The Guelph Community Foundation and City of Guelph. We also acknowledge the support of the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario, and our annual sponsors Meridian and Gary Stewart of CIBC Wood Gundy.
