Engaging Audiences is at the Core of Culture Days

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• Culture Days features individual artists, diverse cultural groups, organizations, municipalities, and festivals old and new that come together to catalyze and inspire greater participation in arts and culture by featuring free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to the behind-the-scenes world of artists, creators, and historians.

• Through thousands of free activities across the country, Culture Days promotes inclusivity, awareness, participation, and engagement in local arts and culture.

• Culture Days bridges the gap between arts communities and the greater public, highlighting the notion that anyone can be creative and engage with arts and culture, regardless of age, geography, background or income.

• Through its various mediums, Culture Days places a spotlight on the essential contribution that a vibrant arts and cultural life brings to the economic and social well-being and development of all communities across the country throughout the year.

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Create. Advocate. Educate.

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Each year, emerging artists are selected from across the province to present an activity during Culture Days and act as a spokesperson in their community, creating valuable connections and opportunities for collaboration. In 2019, we also added a new component to the program by offering a mentorship with an established artist; the mentorship lasts 3 months (approx. time commitment of 8 hours per month).

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Deadline to apply: March 3

Create. Advocate. Educate.

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Priority will be given to applicants from outside Metro Vancouver or from rural and remote communities. Artists who self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), Black, a Person of Colour, racialized, disabled, Deaf, hard of hearing, chronically ill, mad, trauma-impacted, neurodivergent, gender diverse, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ are strongly encouraged to apply. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list of racialized, disability, and equity-deserving identities.

📌https://culturedays.ca/en/bc/2025-call-for-ambassadors

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Six Ambassadors

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$2,000 Event Budget + Artist Fee

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$1,500 Mentorship Fee

• Group workshops

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• Media Training

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• Monthly virtual check-ins with BC Culture Days staff and fellow ambassadors

Eligibility Requirements

• Reside in B.C. (minimum 12 consecutive months) AND are a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada

• Self-identify as an emerging artist

• Are in the early stages of your artistic career 

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• Devote a minimum of 24 hours per week to your art practice

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• Have demonstrated experience in actively engaging your community through the arts 

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• Are available to participate in a mentorship from the months of May-August 2025

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Eligibility Requirements

• Are available to act as a spokesperson in your community during the months of August-October 2025, with the understanding that your image, bio, and artistic process will be shared on the BC Culture Days website and social media channels (i.e artist spotlights, project documentation, event promotion etc.)

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• Have strong communication and time management skills 

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• Are not applying on behalf of an organization, collective, or business

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• Have not been previously engaged as a

BC Culture Days ambassador

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NETWORKING AND MOBILIZING

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• Networking with the local community to share knowledge and spread awareness of Culture Days, reaching out to community members such as individual artists, arts organizations, cultural organizations, heritage organizations, and businesses encouraging them to offer activities during Culture Days.

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• Networking with fellow ambassadors, BC Culture Days staff, and arts and culture representatives through monthly virtual check-ins and periodic workshops.

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ORGANIZING

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• Registering, coordinating, and presenting a Culture Days activity for the public. Ambassadors are responsible for managing their own project budget and time schedule.

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• Collaborating with at least one organization in the local community that will assist with the facilitation of the ambassador’s public event (eg. mental health organization, educational institution, equity-based charity, arts centre, municipality, arts council, community collective, cultural society, friendship centre, neighbourhood association, and so on).

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Ambassador Responsibilities

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REPRESENTING

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• Receiving media training to prepare for the role of BC Culture Days spokesperson.

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• Acting as a spokesperson and media contact for BC Culture Days from August to October. The ambassador may be asked to participate in either in-person or virtual TV, radio, and newspaper interviews on behalf of BC Culture Days.

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MENTORSHIP

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• Participating in a paid 3-month (approx. 8 hrs/month) online or in-person mentorship with an established artist (with at least 15-20 years of professional experience).

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• Engaging in a professional relationship with the artistic mentor, focusing on building diverse skills in relation to artistic practice, professional development, community engagement, and more.

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REPORTING

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• Providing regular updates and communicating with BC Culture Days staff about their work, event planning, and mentorship.

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• Completing a final report by October 31, 2025.

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• Submitting an impact statement one year after completion of the Ambassador Program and mentorship.

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Key Program Dates

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• March 3, 2025 (11:59PM PT) - Deadline for applications
• March 10-24, 2025 - Interviews with shortlisted candidates
• April 2025 - Selected ambassadors are notified and matched with mentors
• Early May - Ambassador Orientation Session via Zoom
• May 2025 - Mentorship event planning, professional development workshops, and outreach begins
• June 30, 2025 - Deadline for registration of ambassador events
• July 2025 - Mentorship ends
• August 2025 - Media training
• August-October 2025 - Media Interviews
• September 19-October 12, 2025 - Presentation of Culture Days events
• October 31, 2025 - Final report deadline
• October 31, 2026 - One year impact statement deadline

Being a Spokesperson for Arts and Culture

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BC Culture Days provides tailored

Media Training to artists in the Ambassador Program.

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From August onwards, ambassadors act as spokespeople and media contacts representing Culture Days in their regional areas. Ambassadors may be invited to participate in TV, online, radio, newspaper interviews, and more.

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Ambassadors are also responsible for local promotion to their own networks through social media, email, and word of mouth.

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The 2025 Events Theme

The CARE Series

Each artist will develop, coordinate, and present a free community-based arts event in their local area, featured as part of the BC Culture Days CARE (Community Arts Reimagining Equity & Wellness) Series for Culture Days.

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The proposed event must be low-barrier in nature and encourage public participation in a creative process. All events in the series will be free for the public to attend, with the option to accept Pay-What-You-May donations in support of local mental health or equity-based charities.

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Through the CARE Series, BC Culture Days hopes to foster peer-supported environments through creative events that will offer equitable access to arts-based activities and safe spaces where participants are supported in their journey towards improved mental health, especially in cases where cultural barriers may create a sense of isolation or inhibit participants from addressing mental health challenges. At each CARE Series event, a mental health professional will be available onsite, as a resource for the ambassador presenting the event and as an active listener for participants when needed.

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Event

Ideas

🌟Collective creations: e.g. collaborative mural, dance, song, photography, video or literary project, where the public contributes to a larger artwork. Collective creations can be related to food, cultural heritage, cultural practices, social practice, environmental practice, and more.

🌟Community artmaking sessions where participants are encouraged to engage in a communal and creative activity, leaving with something that they can take home or share with others.

🌟Cultural storytelling, sharing, and teachings: e.g. weaving, beadwork, tapestry, traditional dance, percussion, music, and so on.

🌟Site-specific art experiences that encourage the public to engage in a creative activity designed for a particular location, forming a dialogue with its environment or surroundings: e.g. artist and heritage walks, urban sketching tours, land art, and so on.

🌟Immersive performances: e.g. spoken word sessions, open mics, improv, music jams, and more.

Event Ideas

In the application to the program, you will be asked to:

• Provide an artist biography and CV.
• Describe why the theme of CARE (Community Arts Reimagining Equity & Wellness) is important to you as an individual and artist.
• Provide a detailed explanation of your event idea and creative activity, including a proposed venue.
• Ambassador events must engage the public in a participatory activity that offers them the opportunity to express their own creativity.
• Outline what a participant can expect from your event and the creative activity that will take place.
• Outline the desired venue, event length (can be between 2-5 hrs), and any community partners (such as local arts and culture organizations, mental health and wellness organizations, or equity-based organizations) with which you’d like to collaborate.

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• Provide a point-form outline of the planning steps that you would need to take in order to see your proposed event project through.
• Describe why you want to pursue an artistic mentorship at this time and why it will be beneficial to your artistic development.
• List up to three potential mentors. Mentors must be artists residing in Canada with at least 15-20 years of professional experience.

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• A mental health worker or active listener will be present at each CARE Series event. BC Culture Days will also assist with additional accessibility expenses such as ASL interpretation.

• Please refer to the 2025 CARFAC Standard Rates when determining artist fees.

“The mentorship through BC Culture Days afforded me the opportunity to work with a highly respected and accomplished professional in the arts industry. It has allowed me to improve my writing practice and expand my professional connections.”

— Shelley Stein-Wotten

Mentorship

The mentorship is invaluable for growth, and the ability to recommend an ideal mentor to BC Culture Days really allowed me to make a pointed choice about where I’d like to expand my artistic practice.”

— Alex Chen

• Ambassadors will be matched with an established artist mentor who has at least 15-20 years of experience in their art discipline.

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• Applicants are welcome to apply with the intention of working with past mentors, instructors, or colleagues, in addition to any established artists with whom they do not have an existing relationship.

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• While we aim to place ambassadors with their desired mentors, mentors are not always available to participate. If an ambassador’s choices are unavailable,

BC Culture Days will place them with a mentor based on their desired outcomes and interests.

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Choosing a Mentor

Here are some key elements that we look out for when reviewing applications:

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✨A clear event proposal that meaningfully embodies the theme and demonstrates how participants will engage in a creative process.

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✨An explanation of how the proposed event will be actualized with the given budget.

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✨A showcased desire to pursue a mentorship and an explanation as to why mentorship will be beneficial to your artistic and professional goals.

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✨A list of potential mentor choices, with clear reasoning for each choice.

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✨A demonstration of strong communication skills and availability to actively participate in the program from the months of May to October 2025.

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The Application

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Please complete our online application

by March 3, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.

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Shortlisted candidates will be invited to join a one-on-one Zoom interview with BC Culture Days staff in mid-March.

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If submitting an application via Word document, video, audio recording, or another alternative method is more suitable for you and your needs, please feel free to contact us before Monday February 24, 2025 to make arrangements.

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For online form submissions, make sure to please review your application before submitting. Applications with unanswered questions will not be considered.

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The Application

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If you need assistance at any point during the application process, please contact us at bccommunications@culturedays.ca.

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Even if the ambassador program is not a fit for you, there are lots of ways to get involved with Culture Days!

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Subscribe to the National Culture Days and BC Culture Days newsletters!

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Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @BCCultureDays.

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Anyone can register and host an event for Culture Days as long as the event is free or pay-what-you-may admission

and takes place between

September 19 - October 12, 2025.

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Registration for Culture Days typically opens in May. Follow our social accounts or newsletter for updates!

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Many of our organizers are in need of volunteers, so feel free to browse the events registered on our website to get connected.

Submit a question in the

chat box!

Thank you for

joining!

Visit our website to learn more about Culture Days

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https://culturedays.ca/en/bc