Calling All Artists!

As a regular feature, we're hoping to have artist profiles and images to post online. If you are a member of YAPNG and would like to have a posted feature about you or your organization, please contact community@coc.ca and let us know all about you!
Not a member? Leave a comment and we can get in touch!

Welcome to YAPNG!

We are the Youth Arts Programming Networking Group

Here's what we're all about:

DRAFT of YAPNG MADNDATE

Youth Arts Programming Networking Group

MISSION: YAPNG is an emerging network of individuals, artists, communityorganizations and arts-based organizations involved in theintersection of youth and arts programming in the Toronto area. Weare working to improve the sector through creating forums fordiscussion and advocacy, vehicles for mutual support, informationsharing, analysis, resource sharing and outreach.

VALUES: Members of YAPNG:

- are committed to promoting the value of the arts.- see the arts as essential to youth development, and worktoward increasing youths' access to creative resources.

- believe in fostering excellence, creativity and innovationin youth arts programming.- seek opportunities for the meaningful participation ofyouth – including underrepresented, diverse, at-risk and homelesscommunities, as well as youth-run groups – in all aspects ofprogramming.

- are, as a sector, working together to ensure the best use ofexisting resources through inter-organizational supports,partnerships, information sharing, program cross-promotion, sharingsurplus donations, and more.

WHO ARE WE?

YAPNG is made up of individuals (youth, artists, advocates,programming staff, administrative staff, fundraising staff,educational staff) and organizations (projects, programs, socialservice organizations, arts organizations, educational bodies,advocacy bodies, collectives, collaboratives, social enterprises)involved with community-based youth arts programming in Toronto andthe surrounding areas.

ACTIVITIES

YAPNG is a new network, which began meeting in the summer of 2006.We started by sharing information about the organizations, projects,programs or other initiatives we are involved in. We then developeda listserv to circulate programming information, as well as time-sensitive announcements such as events. This has allowed us to more effectively pass this programming information on to participants inour programs, make referrals and develop partnerships.Our short-term goals include:

- Outreach: YAPNG members will develop a website which willfeature a comprehensive calendar of local events, listing all youthand arts programming in a searchable database, in otrder to makeprogram information easily accessible to staff, artists, youth orparents.

- Information sharing: YAPNG members will support each otherthrough sharing information on funders and other resources, throughdiscussing best practices, and through problem-solving issuesrelated to the youth arts sector.

- Liaising: YAPNG members plan to take stock of the resourcesthat we have accessible to us (funding, volunteer resources,materials resources, community support) to find ways that they mightbe shared so as to better serve our programs and participants.

- Partnering and mutual support: Involvement in YAPNG willgive each member the opportunity to collaborate and partner witheach other on programs, projects, events or other initiatives.

Our long-term goals include:

- Compiling a database of arts facilitators who work in thecommunity arts or youth arts sectors.

- Initiating a hotline which artists, staff, youth or parentscan call to receive information on youth arts programming.

- Developing a set of best practices for the youth arts sector.- Creating a newsletter to share sector news, information, andfacilitate discussions among members.

- Surveying individuals and organizations working in thesector to identify organizational challenges, gaps or overlaps inthe sector, what youth populations are being underserved, and otherissues of interest.

- Developing advocacy initiatives to help address issues thataffect the sector, such as funding and social issues. Liaising withfunders and other organizations to discuss how our group mightcollaborate with them towards improving the sector.

- Developing initiatives that work on identifying andaddressing systemic gaps in all our programming in order to betterserve Toronto's youth.

- Expanding our membership to include more diverse voices, anddevelop a presence as the voice of the sector.

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This photo is from our April meeting held at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People.

Check back for upcoming posts featuring artist / organization / resource profiles.