Call for
Demonstration
Projects

The Canadian Museums Association welcomes applications for demonstration projects that use the museum as a resource for literacy. Successful applicants will receive up to a maximum of $7,500 to cover project costs. A project can involve adults or families and it must include the participation of a local literacy organization or program. Museums can seek advice from literacy councils and provincial literacy coalitions if they are looking for partners. Museums wishing to apply must be members of the CMA. Literacy organizations and programs are also encouraged to approach museums. For contacts check the National Adult Literacy Database at http://www.nald.ca.

Projects are awarded on a competitive basis by a selection committee made up of museum and literacy professionals. Projects are assessed in terms of their innovative aspects, their benefit to learners, their usefulness as models for other museums and their value and effectiveness as community-based partnerships.

A Variety of Possibilities
Several recent projects illustrate the types of initiatives that are possible. Families working with the Dunlop Art Gallery and the Regina Public Library produced "Creatures In Our Midst," a self-guided tour about animals and mythic creatures found in local architecture. At the Northern Life Museum in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, adult learners worked with teachers and elders to record and preserve traditional knowledge and skills. At the New Brunswick Museum, learners from Read Saint John are making and displaying storybooks based on the museum's collections.

Project Expenses and Duration

• Funds may be used for the development or cost of materials, such as a publication, for expenses incurred by learners, such as transportation, and for staff time for museum personnel and/or literacy educators.

• Projects may vary in length but must be carried out between January end dune 1999.

What to Include in an Application
There is no application form but each submission must contain:

• A clear description of the project, including its goals, collaborative aspects, time frame, program components and its benefit to learners and to the community at large;

• a detailed budget

• the names, titles and brief biographies of staff working on the project; and

• information about the participating literacy program or organization, including a letter of support.

All awarded projects must provide appropriate public acknowledgment of the CMA's "Reading The Museum" program and the National Literacy Secretariat. Applications must be received by October 15, 1998. Announcement of the awards will be made no later than December 1, 1998.