| C-Jazz gets boost
C-Jazz has become a member of Jazz Festivals Canada. This will result in bigger jazz acts coming to Calgary and more of an opportunity to promote local artists on a national scale, says Pat Maiani, president of C-Jazz.
Jazz Festivals Canada currently has 17 members and it books musicians to play at all of its members’ jazz festivals. As part of the organization, Calgary will be able to bring major artists to the city for cheaper rates because the artists will also be paid to play at other festivals across the country, says Maiani.
"Bigger acts, better acts, pretty much anyone you can name there’s a possibility (they could come to Calgary)," says Maiani.
Maiani is also enthusiastic about the idea of being able to promote local artists through Jazz Festivals Canada. He says he’ll now be able to suggest local musicians when members of the jazz festival meet to discuss which artists they want to tour the country.
"We can hopefully expand the horizon for Calgary players and give them way more opportunities," says Maiani.
He points out that Calgary has some very talented jazz musicians, including Gib Monks and Simon Fisk.
"There are people living here in Calgary that most people aren’t even aware of how good they are," says Maiani.
Film fest needs volunteers
The Calgary International Film Festival requires movie lovers to work as volunteers at this year’s festival, that will run from September 22 to October 1.
The deadline to volunteer is August 31. The festival is still looking for volunteers to work as theatre attendants, artist liaisons, box office assistants, administrative assistants, and in marketing, conducting surveys and special event services. If you’re interested in volunteering you can contact volunteer co-ordinator Selina Clary at sclary@calgaryfilm.com.
Literacy Alberta wants action plan to address low literacy
Literacy Alberta says the provincial government needs to implement a comprehensive plan to address low literacy rates in the province.
According to Statistics Canada research, 753,000 working-age Albertans do not have the literacy skills necessary to reach their full potential in the current knowledge-based economy, 25 per cent of young Albertans don’t complete high school within five years and 200,000 immigrants in Alberta have literacy skills that are lower than considered necessary to fully function in the workforce. Average literacy skills in Alberta have not increased since 1994.
Literacy Alberta is organizing a Literacy Think Tank, which will take place on September 8. Those in attendance will create an action plan to address literacy issues, that will then be presented to government. For more information you can go to www.literacyalberta.ca.
Post-secondary endowment fund grows
The provincial government is contributing another $250 million to its newly created Access to the Future endowment fund that will be used to fund innovative post-secondary projects and matching grants to encourage donations to post-secondary institutions. The endowment fund is now worth $1 billion.
Meanwhile, the Council of Alberta University Students (CAUS) is hoping the government will act soon to implement an affordability plan for post-secondary students. CAUS is recommending that tuition fees only be allowed to increase at the rate of inflation and that they be pushed back to below 2004/05 tuition levels. CAUS also wants the government to overhaul the student loan system and increase financial aid for students in order to reduce student debt loads.
The provincial government is currently reviewing recommendations from the Learning Alberta steering committee, which spent the last year reviewing the post-secondary education system. The government is promising that a comprehensive affordability policy will be in place by September, 2007.
Ten Thousand Villages sending school supplies to war-torn countries
The Mennonite Central Committee is asking for help sending school supplies to children in poor and war-torn countries.
Interested Calgarians are asked to buy pencils, rulers, erasers and notebooks and to bring them to the Ten Thousand Villages store at 220 Crowchild Trail N.W. The school supplies will then be distributed to children in Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Ukraine, Burundi, Liberia, Haiti and El Salvador. |
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