Cultural financial assistance programs for youth
Young people in Quebec are creative, dynamic and open to the world. The Government of Quebec's role is to support them and provide them with the necessary resources for them to take their place and achieve their full potential. Although young people can access most programs, certain financial measures target them specifically to support them in cultural careers.
The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec (CALQ) offers grants to artists and writers. The Societe de developpement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) offers financial assistance programs that specifically target young people doing cultural work, be it in film and television, books, fine crafts, visual arts, music or variety.
Furthermore, several programs are proposed by the Les Offices jeunesse internationaux du Quebec (LOJIQ), whose mandate, as a group of international youth mobility organizations, is to foster the professional and personal development of young Quebec adults by giving them the opportunity to carry out a project internationally.
The CALQ offers grants to the next generation of artists to help them start their careers by supporting them through their first professional experiences. These grants can be used to support research, creation and exploration projects as well as professional development workshops or internships. They also allow these emerging artists to accept invitations from inside or outside Quebec to participate in activities related to their craft.
The SODEC offers various programs that specifically target young people. The following are a few examples:
- The Young Creators Support Program for film and television is targeted towards screenwriters, directors and producers aged 18 to 35 with the goal of supporting the next generation of artists and integrating young creators into the film and television production circuits.
- The purpose of the programme d'aide aux ecoles ateliers en metiers d'art (link available in French only) is to support schools in planning and carrying out research, dissemination and professional support activities that contribute to the development of Quebec's fine crafts. There are currently 12 fine craft workshop schools.
- The objective of the programme de sensibilisation a la chanson et de diffusion pour le milieu collegial (link available in French only) is to encourage student's awareness of French song by supporting dissemination activities.
- The objectives of the programme d'aide aux artisans et aux entreprises en metiers d'art, volet aide aux artisans et aux entreprises en demarrage (link available in French only) is to allow artisans, craftspeople and start-up businesses to acquire the appropriate equipment for their production needs and strengthen their position in the Quebec market by supporting their marketing activities.
Lastly, the LOJIQ supports projects that allow young people to access international networks to exchange expertise and know-how, develop skills or participate in personal development. For example, it gives young artists, artisans and craftspeople the opportunity to carry out an artistic creation or dissemination activity.
In 2014-2015, the LOJIQ supported 492 young Quebeckers in the cultural sector, which makes up about 20% of its program participants. As part of the professional development program, which supports young people in developing skills through professional improvement activities, expertise exchanges or integration into international networks, of the 203 young people involved in the program, 88% were from the arts and cultural sector. The arts and cultural sector still plays a leading role in this program.
Among the projects supported by the LOJIQ is one in partnership with SODEC where four emerging producers and directors from Quebec participated in the Cannes Film Festival in May 2014. This project allowed these young film professionals to reach the large film market and begin to integrate the international programming, distribution and co-production circuit.
Through various financial assistance programs, the SODEC supports young artists, artisans, craftspeople and cultural businesses. For example, in 2014-2015, 53 young people or businesses benefited from the Young Creators Support Program (for screenwriting and production), and 103 businesses received a grant through the programme de sensibilisation a la chanson et de diffusion pour le milieu collegial.
Data not available.