Funding Author Visits for Schools
By Rukhsana Khan
(Preamble) Although the resources I have
listed here are primarily available to schools in Ontario and Canada, I
hope this article will be of benefit to anyone looking for ways to fund
such enriching and rewarding programs as author and storyteller visits.
One public librarian once told me that children will cherish the memory
of an author visit for a long time if not indefinitely. Author visits
are vital ways in which children make the connection that books are
written by real people. Not only can author visits influence children to
seek out and read the books of the author who visited, but they can make
kids look at all books in a different light. As such they are a vital
tool to promote literacy. Unfortunately it's primarily the more affluent
schools, with active PTA's, who benefit the most from author visits
because they can afford them.
With all the cutbacks in funding, the schools (both private and public)
are finding it even harder to bring in artists to enrich the learning of
their students. And artists can do just that.
Through the use of the resources I've mentioned below, even schools in
less affluent neighbourhoods can afford the benefits of author visits
and artist interaction.
Art education is a vital and yet often neglected aspect of most school
learning experiences. The cash-strapped nature of most public schools
make it appear as if author visits and art-enrichment programs that
other schools enjoy are beyond the means of poor schools, but this does
not have to be the case. There are many wonderful programs available to
enrich your school's art program through subsidies that fit various
budgets. These are just some of them. I highly recommend all schools to
utilize these resources. These funds are largely available through tax
dollars.
The Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council is federally funded. You can apply to have an artist
or author come and do a reading at a venue. Sometimes they will even pay
the artist's fee and travel costs but in order to do this you need to
have a public reading (open to the public) and in a public venue not in
the school.
For more information:
The Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa, Ont. K1P 5V8
toll free: 1-800-263-5588 ext. 5060
(613) 566-4414 ext. 5060
Fax: (613) 566-4390
Email: info@canadacouncil.ca
Website: www.canadacouncil.ca
Ontario Arts Council
This is a provincial organization with an excellent program called
Artists in Education. In this program, for a nominal cost ($300 and up)
a school can bring in an artist (author/illustrator/performer) to spend
five days teaching a group of students and enriching their art
education. The Ontario Arts Council covers the majority of the expense.
Normally it would cost anywhere from $200 to $500 day to bring in an
artist for just one day. This is an excellent program that I highly
recommend and have been involved in (as one of the artists) in the past.
For more information:
The Ontario Arts Council
151 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, Ont., M5S 1T6
1-800-387-0058 or 416 961-1660
fax: 416-961-7796
Email: info@arts.on.ca
Website: www.arts.on.ca
The Writers' Union of Canada
This organization has a special service. It has certain grants available
that will subsidize an author visit to a school. It's called the Writers
in the Schools program. The great benefit of this program is that it
will subsidize an author visit by $100 for a half day or $150 for a full
day presentation, plus it will pay for the author's travel and
accommodation costs where necessary. An excellent program but one where
the funds quickly run out. The funding year begins in April so it's best
to apply early.For more information:
The Writer's Union of Canada
24 Ryerson Ave.
Toronto, Ont. M5T 2P3
416-703-8982
Fax: 416-703-0826
Website: www.swifty.com/twuc
Writers in Electronic Residence (W.I.E.R.)
This is a program that works online. For
approximately $500 you can enroll a classroom for a term where an author
will critique and work with students on a one-to-one basis from across
Canada. An excellent program. W.I.E.R. is also involved in creating new
programs that will benefit a wider audience.
For more information:
WIER
317 Adelaide St. W
3rd Floor, Suite 300
Toronto, Ont. M5E 1C7
416-504-4490
416-591-5345
Website: www.wier.ca
Email: wier@wier.ca
The Royal Conservatory of Music
This organization takes a three pronged approach to art in the
classroom. They pair a musician, a visual artist and a literary artist
(storyteller) to enhance art education.
For more information:
The Royal Conservatory of Music
273 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, Ont. M5S 1W2
416-408-2824 x 470
Fax: 416-408-3096
I have included information on storytelling
because it is usually neglected in school curriculum and yet it is vital
to improving communication skills (both listening skills and verbal
skills) in children.
The Storytellers' School of Toronto
This is an organization with a program called Storytellers in the
Schools where they will help subsidize a storyteller visit in a school
for up to $250 for a full day, where the school has to provide the
remainder of the storyteller=s fee. Usually $250. For those teachers
interested in improving their teaching skills through use of
storytelling technique there are also some very reasonable and excellent
storytelling courses offered through this school as well as a venue
where you can practice in front of an audience (called 1001 Friday
nights of Storytelling).
I encourage all teachers and educators to
invest in learning storytelling technique. Even when you cannot afford
an author visit, using storytelling technique to present books to
children can make all the difference between engaging an audience of
restless children and alienating them.
For more information:
The Storytellers' School of Toronto
791 St. Clair Ave. W.
2nd Floor
Toronto, Ont. M6C 1B7
416-656-2445
Fax: 416-656-8510
To practice (or just enjoy) storytelling attend 1001 Friday Nights of
Storytelling, every Friday night from 8:30 pm to 11:00 pm, at St. George
the Martyr Church by the Grange. Located at 205 John St. (North of Queen
St.). It only costs $4 to attend.
In conclusion, literacy is a goal that all
schools aim for. It is best fostered through a love of reading and that
in turn, is fostered by a love of story and storytelling. They are all
intimately connected. It is my wish that along with story reading,
storytelling as an art form, will be reborn within the school community.
I hope to one day see schools come together and put on storytelling
festivals. Not only could they raise much needed funds through ticket
sales (which parent wouldn't pay to see their child perform?) but they
could foster a sense of community and multiculturalism and at the same
time improve their students' communication skills.
This
article is copyrighted by Rukhsana Khan and cannot be transmitted or
produced without her express written permission.