An incubator for young creative minds in St. Albert will survive another day, after city council assigned dollars to the Amplify Creative Youth Development Program.
Funds for the program were set to expire this year, and no financial commitments were made beyond 2019. But on Thursday, St. Albert councillors agreed to continue funding the program, which runs the annual fall Amplify Festival.
However, youth organizers will have less to work with in coming years after council decided on gradually decreasing funding in the hope of phasing out reliance on the city and transitioning to a cost-recovery model.
“Over the next three years, whatever the funding ends up being, it’s got to be clear to them that money doesn’t just grow on trees and it can’t be just handed to them as they need,” Coun. Jacquie Hansen said during budget deliberations. “But I really think this is a fantastic leadership program. I think when we are providing leadership skills to our kids in the way of arts and culture, it’s very empowering.”
Amplify will see a 40-per-cent cut to their funding in 2019, from $100,000 in 2019 to $60,000 next year. Council agreed to reduce that to $45,000 in 2021 and $30,000 in 2022.
Running since 2013, the Amplify Creative Youth Development Program creates opportunities for youth ages 12 to 21 to nurture their artistic talents through mentorship with fellow artists and runs workshops on various art forms throughout the year. Each October, a weekend-long Amplify Festival provides a space for young musicians, visual artists, writers and dancers to showcase their work.
In 2019, Amplify engaged 350 artists and 2,016 youth, while drawing about 2,200 in ticket sales. This year’s festival saw 525 people attend, an increase of 66 people from 2018. Typically, the festival itself costs $30,000, and administration said the majority of remaining funds cover costs of city staff helping to facilitate the program.
Coun. Natalie Joly, who submitted the amended motion, said council was expecting to see a transition plan in front of them this year but instead got another request for funding.
“This provides enough support to really see them fly,” she said. “I would love see them having an experience with looking at their budget and really making conscious decisions and taking ownership of this project.”
Coun. Sheena Hughes said Amplify could do a lot with “very little additional assistance,” and added a lot of high school clubs and programs “would kill” for annual funding from the city.
Last Monday during city council’s regular meeting, a series of speakers with Amplify asked council to continue funding the program.
Julia Sorenson, a poet and musician who has been involved with Amplify from its beginnings, made the case that Amplify provides a necessary space for young artists to make mistakes and learn from them.
“The people who make Amplify a reality work tirelessly to hold up mirrors and say, 'Hey, you’re worth it,' to kids who avoid all other reflections,” Sorenson said.
“This festival makes us shine. I’m not exaggerating when I say Amplify gives life and saves it.”
Hansen made the initial push for council to again support Amplify in a motion to fund it to the tune of $75,000 in 2020, $60,000 in 2021 and $50,000 in 2022.
Afterward, Joly proposed a successful amendment to Hansen’s motion, reducing the yearly amount and requiring a plan for transitioning into a self-sustaining program by October next year. Amplify’s reliance on city staff to help facilitate programming will also be limited.
