Advocacy Week 2022
Sept 19-23, 2022
Supporting arts, culture, and heritage organizations across BC to become advocates for change!
Local governments across British Columbia are holding elections on October 15, 2022.
Join the BCMA, BC Alliance for Arts + Culture, and Arts BC as we explore strategies for building relationships with local governments, empowering not-for-profit boards to become advocates, and creating change within your community.
Looking Ahead
Survey Results Coming Soon| Arts Vote BC
The 2022 Municipal Elections are just around the corner and the BC Alliance for Arts + Culture collected your opinions about the current state of your local arts and culture community!
The 2022 Civic Election Advocacy Survey was created in partnership with 221A, ArtsBC, BC Museums Association, Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, Le Conseil culturel et artistique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, and Vancouver International Film Festival. The survey aimed to identify key priorities of the BC Arts and Culture sector leading up to the municipal election.
Tuesday
September 20
Podcast | Local Government 101 with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs
Have you ever wondered what a regional district is, what a CAO does, how to connect with local government decision-makers, or how to ask for funding for your organization? We’ve collected local government questions from arts, culture, and heritage professionals and have sat down with Marijke Edmondson, Strategic Advisor, Local Government at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to talk about everything you’ve wanted to know about local governments in BC but didn’t know who to ask.
Wednesday
September 21
Resource Highlight | Elections Primer 2022
As communities across the province continue to focus on recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, advocacy is more important than ever. The 2022 BC local government elections are a critical opportunity to tell the story of the impact of our sector and to urge governments across the province to take action to ensure museums, galleries, and cultural centres can continue to support their communities. This primer is meant to provide our members with facts, tips, and strategies to make arts, culture, and heritage a central issue now and in future elections.
Elections Primer 2022
An Essential Guide to Elections and Advocacy| Making the Case for Museums, Galleries and Cultural Centres in your Community
Thursday
September 22
12:00pm – 1:00pm PDT
Panel | Bold Board: Building Stronger Relationships With Government
Advocacy, research, and communications build awareness about the value and impacts of our members and the BC cultural sector among policymakers and the general public. Advocacy can be carried out by institutes large and small and through various initiatives. Join the BCMA for a panel discussion where we explore how boards can be stronger advocates by building good relationships with local governments. Boards can energize their arts, culture, and heritage organizations by being active, engaged, and bold in advocacy.
Hear from our panelists Joshua Seymour, Councillor for the Lheidli t’enneh, Brian McBay, Director of 221A, and Katherine Scouten, Business and Economic Development Consultant and previous board president of The Exploration Place.
Friday
September 23
Resource Highlights
Joint the BCMA on social media to highlight important advocacy resources including:
If 9 Out of 10 Canadians Agree that Museums Matter, Why Don’t We Fund Them Like They Do?
Canadians say they trust museums more than their governments, more than the media, and even more than schools.
Advocacy Toolkit: Making the case for your museum
There are hundreds of museums, galleries, and heritage organizations across the province and many receive some form of investment from local governments. Building strong relationships and lasting partnerships with local government officials is the first step on this path for support. It can be hard work – but it is also very worthwhile.
Three expert tips to level up your advocacy writing
Charity Village: If you find yourself drawn toward this work, or you have already started but aren’t feeling very confident in your efforts, here are three specific strategies to help with your advocacy communications and messaging.
How to build successful partnerships with local governments
How to build successful culture and heritage organization partnerships with local governments and advocate for your institution within a municipal context. Panelists: Charlayne Thornton-Joe, City of Victoria Councillor Mayor Suzan Hewat, Village of Kaslo Tracy Calogheros, The Exploration Place
Advocacy Template: Telling the story of why museums matter
Do you want to help advocate for the transformational power of museums? Download this advocacy template created by the BC Museums Association and email an elected representative or your local media today!
How Much Power Does a School Trustee Have? A Tyee Election Explainer
Do you have questions about what school trustees are and what their role is in school districts? The Tyee offers a great explainer resource.
