The Government of Canada in collaboration with the Inter-American Committee on Culture (CIC) of the Organization of American States is organizing a youth arts policy forum called "Ignite the Americas", which will take place in Toronto, Canada on September 15 – 21, 2008. This youth forum will bring together young artists and practitioners from the 34 Member States of the OAS (2 per country, their participation will be sponsored by the Government of Canada), policy makers and private sector representatives to discuss and exchange information on programs, policies and projects that have culture tools at their base and that aim at increasing youth social inclusion and at preventing and/or reducing gang-related violence. The forum will take place alongside with the MANIFESTO Festival, a hip-hop festival that brings together artists for 4 days of music and arts in the city of Toronto.
Ignite The Americas is seeking passionate, experienced and innovative young artists and leaders such as yourself to participate as delegates in the forum. We need the best and the brightest from across the Americas to bring their ideas, their wealth of experience, their networks, their strategies, their lessons learned – to come together to work collaboratively towards shaping the future and unlocking the potential of youth arts as a catalyst for cultural, creative and economic growth across the Americas.
Applications and more information may be found at: www.ignitetheamericas.ca/index.html. The deadline for application is August 8, 2008.