September 30, 2006: Victoria Lifelong Learning Festival Program Launch:
“Want to Learn some New Tricks”

The Children’s Global Arts Foundation was represented at the first Victoria Lifelong Learning Festival, held outside at Centennial Square on Saturday, October 30th. This was a new annual event for the City of Victoria, and we had was a beautiful, sunny (albeit very windy) Fall day. Despite the strong winds and scarce attendance, we had an inspirational day at the festival launch. This City of Victoria initiative - in partnership with the B.C. Ministry of Education, and the downtown Victoria Community Alliance - included a host of well planned and diverse main stage performances, learning demonstrations, and community group displays, for children and community members of all ages!

The Foundation set up an attractive display featuring: 1) an exhibit of children’s artwork and photographs from Iraq, Afghanistan, Zanzibar Island, New Delhi & Deenabandhu India, Belize, and Canada; 2) a colourful information board with a large world map highlighting the global art exchanges to date; and 3) a creative arts table with an invitation for “the child that lives inside all of us” to share their own messages of “the world we live in” and/or “the world we want” through a variety of art mediums (pastels, crayons, markers, sketching pencils, poetry, magazine/newspaper collage, and clay). People of all ages visited the booth and shared their stories. Bob Dalton’s accordion display board again provided a great backdrop for discussion and reflection. A number of compliments were paid to the Foundation for the work it is contributing to and to the connections and interrelationships it is promoting. Victoria mayor, Alan Lowe, escorted by our youngest board member, Jeffery Pitcher was given a thorough introduction to the project, and was sincerely enamored by Jeffery’s articulate delivery and inspiring world view. A few new “Friends of the Foundation” were recruited, including another very enthusiastic youth board member. The City of Victoria kindly donated the art supplies to the Foundation which had been purchased for the art station. These resources will be used in future Global Arts events and presentations.

Friends Represented at Festival: Helen Hughes, Jeffrey Pitcher, Joe Karmel, and Nadine Cruickshanks