September 23, 2008 by STOMP
Hi all,
The STOMP Festival needs interested persons / community groups to bring project ideas to the table and make them happen! The only way the Festival can grow is for complimentary projects to take place in conjunction with the core Festival day activities but also during the year as a way of maintaining interest and participation and to promote the cause of community development in Newcastle and the Hunter Region. The times are a changin', local governments have been given a new mandate to serve the people they are supposed to represent and community development has become an accepted by-word in bureaucratic circles rather than an acknowledged means for change. The effort put in by everyone involved with STOMP this year was enormous and this showed in the quality of the event and the feedback from participants and punters alike but the question still hanging over its continuity is sustainability, the need to have people who can dedicate themselves to the process of engagement, networking and development. STOMP has a great standing in the community over many years but it needs a more consistent approach to truly representing the diversity and the most pressing issues affecting people in the community. I believe this involves tapping into the experience of people working in social services, education and other community based activities who can bring the social realities to this process of creating a more equitable society. STOMP offers a creative outlet and a way forward in these critical moments of defining a new perspective of Newcastle and its people, how the community chooses to define itself through social interaction and cultural expression rather than infrastructure and bricks and mortar! I would like feedback from anyone interested in these concepts and the future of the Festival. What do you think of the theme and the proposed date? For 2009, we are looking for interested people to bring their energy and creative vigour to the process of exploring the theme of "Be The Change". The festival will take place again in Civic Park on Saturday June 6 2009 in conjunction with World Environment Day June 5. I'm going to submit a grant application to Arts NSW to build a creative director / development role into the Festival structure, but also there is an opportunity to submit applications for creative projects. Unfortunately they have restructured the grants program and so applications are due on October 10 which isn't long but if you have an idea and would like to tie a project into STOMP please contact me ASAP. Look forward to hearing from interested people soon. Thankyou. -- Cheers, Richard De Martin Festival Director Cultural STOMP Festival 2008 Saturday May 17, Civic Park Newcastle, 9am to 9pm Ph: 0249270470 or mobile: 0401534610 Email: stomp@octapod.org Web: http://octapod.org:8000/stomp/2008/ Forum: www.culturehunter.org On Facebook: Friends of the Cultural STOMP Festival Newcastle The Octapod Association Upstairs, 3/231 King St (cnr Auckland St) NEWCASTLE NSW 2300 (near Civic Park) Please consider the environment before printing this email
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