CULTURE IN THE SCHOOLS

Introductions
Documents
School Eligibility
Financial Assistance
Artists' & Writers' Qualifications & Resource
School Board Cultural Commitees

Introduction

From the program’s website:
The Culture in the Schools program makes financial assistance available to school administrators and teachers to support the organization of arts and culture projects at school. The objective of the program is to produce citizens who are actively involved in cultural life by increasing the number of cultural experiences offered to students through the collaboration of the artists, writers and professional cultural organizations listed in the Répertoire de ressources culture-éducation, a unique directory listing over 1850 artists, writers and organizations.

The program enables artists to visit students in their classrooms and explain how they approach the creative process; it also makes it possible to organize cultural outings that may provide an opportunity to share the emotion of a play or the ingenuity of a dance choreography. Students are encouraged to play an active role that will result in long-lasting benefits, such as learning to be part of a team and developing creativity, self-esteem, and a critical and aesthetic sense. This will allow students to become receptive adults who are more likely to participate in the cultural life of their community.
Schools must submit their projects in early fall.

DEADLINE: Project submissions are due in early fall.

Documents

All the Culture in the Schools documents and forms are located here.
(These forms are usually updated every June, for the following school year.)

School Eligibility

From the program’s website:
The program targets all public and private French and English schools offering preschool, elementary and secondary education (youth sector). Projects must involve cultural and educational activities that take place at school or during cultural outings. They also include preparation and transfer-of-learning phases.

To be eligible, projects must meet all of the following conditions:

• Be the initiative of a teacher, a group of teachers, a school board, an artist, a writer or a professional cultural organization
• Be presented by a school, a group of schools or a school board
• Include preparatory activities and transfer-of-learning activities related to the proposed activity
• Involve the active participation of teachers and cultural resources
• Involve financial contributions from various partners
• Involve the active participation of students in the preparation, implementation and transfer-of-learning phases of the project

The projects must also:

• Be presented using the Cultural Activities Project Submission Form, which must be signed by the principals of the schools involved and the person responsible for each project
• Be incorporated into the institution’s regular timetable for the [current] school year

The following activities are not eligible:

• Activities focused solely on teaching students a technique or theoretical knowledge
• Activities that are routinely offered by the teacher of the subject
• Extracurricular activities
• Shows put on at the school, including performance workshops
• Exchange trips and practicums
• Fundraising activities for a school or school board project (e.g. benefit show, fundraiser)

Financial Assistance

Up to 75% of allowable expenses, depending upon your regions’ demand and available funds.
Allowable expenses include:

• Transportation costs for a cultural outing
• Artist, writer, or organization fees to visit your school (professional fees, transportation, perishable materials, specialized equipment, meals and/or living expenses)
• Preparation and administrative costs (up to 15%) for: preparation, organization, office materials & printing, and substitute teachers

Artist's Qualifications

Artists, Writers and Cultural Organizations included in the Répertoire have been accepted based on their applications and professional status. Additionally, artists must have completed formal training (or equivalent), been practicing their artistic discipline for at least 2 years, and must have professionally presented their work in the past 5 years. Writers must have been published or produced professionally in the past 7 years. A selection committee must have reviewed and accepted their work on a professional basis as well as how it is relevant to the Culture in the Schools program.

For a resource of available artists, writers and cultural organizations see:
Répertoire de ressources culture-éducation

School Board Cultural Committees

Another aspect of the Culture in the Schools program is financial support (up to $4,000 for the 2011-2012 school year) for School Board Cultural Committees, for items such as: office expenses, travel expenses for members of the cultural committee, substitution costs, and costs associated with advertising a cultural event.

Integrating the Cultural Dimension at School

Customized Training Sessions are available. For more information on workshops and training sessions available to help you integrate arts and culture into your school’s curriculum, contact the special arts education projects team at the following address: DP-PPFA@mels.gouv.qc.ca
For more information, see here and here.