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Objectives
The CNCAC develops employment and business opportunities for arts and culture professionals, increases opportunities for community activities that concern themselves with youth and the diversification of cultural activities, and develops partnerships that support its mission.
Who We Are
Board
Maria Cristina Serje bio
Renaud Arnaud bio
Julie Hodgson bio
Alejandro Gomez bio
Consultants
JP Melville bio
Miguel Angel Sanchez Navarro bio
Silvia Alfaro bio
Volunteers
Chiko Chazunguza
Marcia Mathoo
What We Do
The Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture provides information, professional technical support, and marketing / promotion services to new immigrant individuals and communities working in arts and culture and, by doing so, stimulates the economy, diversity, and the synergy of arts and culture in Canada.
- fast track information
- links to existing arts and culture services and organizations
- access to space 24/7 for community groups
- funding and other resources
- development of sector-specific employment information
- links to employment services
- partnership with mentors
- researches and maintains sector-specific employment information
- event planning support
- marketing and promotion
- promotes arts and culture as a viable career
- increases visibility of community arts projects and programs
- encourages the participation in arts and cultural activities among newcomers and the broader population
- maintains a proactive outreach strategy to new immigrants and related associations
- maintains proactive relationships with potential funders
- business
- modeling and planning for individuals, groups
- development of business plans for independent non-profit organizations
- youth programming
- partnerships with other youth organizations
- increases opportunities for marginalized immigrant youth to experience and contribute to their cultural background and to Canada
- coalition sustainability
- efficient administration by reducing duplication for new immigrant community groups
- promotion of Coalition activities and events
- partnerships with other arts and culture organizations based on identified common interests
- national, transnational, and international partnerships
Members
CNCAC members include immigrants and refugees and their associations that have a mandate related to arts and culture. Membership in the CNCAC remains open to those are committed to its mission, including representatives of organizations likewise committed to the mission. Founding members of the CNCAC have actively encouraged cooperation with Aboriginal communities.
Benefits of Membership
Individuals
- Canadian work experience, jobs, opportunities to perform or display their work in public, sense of belonging
Youth
- Opportunities to learn and share cultural traditions, to perform in public, to raise self-esteem
Community Partners
- improved business opportunities by connecting with a rapidly-evolving demographic
- increased opportunity for creative cultural development and to promote multiculturalism
Canada
- a constantly improving quality of life for everybody, increased recognition on the world stage, economic growth through national and international partnerships
Background
Towards the end of 2004, the Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO) realized that as the population of Ottawa was growing, there was a corresponding increased demand from new immigrant arts and culture professionals and communities for services and opportunities in the Ottawa area. While Ottawa’s profile is similar to that of Canada’s largest urban centres, arts funding from all levels of government is among the lowest in Canada, even though residents in Ottawa spend more per capita on culture than the residents of any other metropolitan area in Canada.
OCISO was in a position to respond to this new demand through their Community Development Program, which provided organizational capacity building, proposal writing, and access to space to groups interested in arts and culture. The Community Development Program also fostered partnerships with local organizations including the Broken English Theatre, SawVideo, the Cross Cultural Sound Exchange, the Ottawa Folk Festival, and MASC.
A concerted effort was started early in 2006 to determine the scope of opportunities available to new immigrants interested in arts and culture and, from this, a Coalition evolved. Original Coalition members wanted to encourage Aboriginal people, the established Anglophone and Francophone communities, and young people to join the Coalition. Bylaws were developed, a Board of Trustees was formed, and the CNCAC submitted a formal registration request to the federal government in April 2008.
The CNCAC’s general mandate is to provide service to all groups and individuals in new immigrant communities who are interested in arts and culture. The CNCAC focuses on employment and business opportunities as well as community-based activities, especially those that work with youth. The CNCAC seeks private sector support for individuals or small groups and specializes in arts and culture sector funding and resource opportunities for its client group, as well as the marketing and promotion of their general interests across Canada.
The CNCAC was incorporated as a non-profit organization in April 2008. The CNCAC had received two grants: an Art Funding Grant through the Diversity in Arts Pilot Project from the City of Ottawa in July 2007, and a second grant from the Newcomer Settlement Program Sector Development from the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, Province of Ontario in May 2008.
CNCAC gratefully acknowledges the financial support of:
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