Submitted. The Mission Arts Council is gearing up for a Steampunk Spectaculorium, thanks to more than $53,000 in funding from the provincial government for a Job Creation Partnership that is providing work experience for three people.
Pictured at right: Marilyn Davies, Job Creation Partnership participant; and Cassy Crawford, Mission Arts Council board member.
The Saturday, Feb. 21 event at The Stage is a biannual fundraiser for Mission Arts Council and is a celebration of all things steampunk: from colourful
costumes, inventions, roving entertainers to live and silent auctions. It’s Victorian-era high fashion meets sci-fi chic.
In addition to organizing the steampunk festival, the trio of workers have also been building an event marketing plan, co-ordinating volunteers,
including creating a volunteer database, and creating a volunteer handbook over the 40-week project. These workers have helped put together an artists’
directory, a marketing plan for the Fraser Valley Children’s Festival and a haunted house attraction last October for Halloween. They have also created a pop-up gallery featuring local artists. The Job Creation Partnership wraps up on March 6.
Job Creation Partnerships are part of the Employment Program of BC’s Community and Employer Partnerships, which fund projects that increase employability and share labour market information.
To date, more than 500 job seekers have benefited from work experience and 130 projects have been funded throughout the province.
The Community and Employer Partnerships program is featured in B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint that helps align training and education with in-demand
jobs and provides more support to people who are struggling to gain a foothold in the job market or who face unique challenges.
“The Mission Arts Council was fortunate to receive funding from the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovations through the Job Creation
Partnership program. The funds gave us the opportunity to have the participants develop a much-needed artist directory for our many local talented artists, volunteer handbooks, marketing binders for our special events such as the Steampunk Spectaculorium, and learn how to present special events. We hope that the skills the participants gained while being at the MAC will assist them in their careers. We had a fabulous team and we wish
them all well.“Mission Arts Council executive director Nancy Arcand
“As volunteer co-ordinator, I was very active in special events such as the Steampunk Spectaculorium. My duties included, recruiting volunteers for these events, taking a lead role in recruiting volunteers for the Haunted Attraction, revamping the volunteer forms and to creating handbooks for
Mission Arts Council volunteers. I also assisted the executive director, Nancy Arcand, create volunteer programs for the arts centre. Being involved
in the community has been a very rewarding experience.”Participant Marilyn Davies