News
My Ptarmigan/Pender Island Work Trip
When other people go on “work trips” they are usually saddled with the experience of crowded airports, cement cities, generic hotel suites, and meetings held in board rooms about as inspiring as the colour beige. When I go on a “work trip” to work with my favourite client – Ptarmigan Music and Theatre Society – I get to sail across an ocean on a ferry, have meetings on beaches, and sit at a desk with the view you see in the picture to the left. I am blessed.
An Amazing Letter From Ptarmigan Teammate Bryce Woollcombe
In the past few years, I’ve done many things with Ptarmigan. I learned to have fun with the mundane grant applications and bookkeeping, and I learned just how open and transparent a good charity needs to be. It’s hard, but worth it. Organising and playing at community events has been an ongoing joy, especially when we can bring something new to a community that would otherwise do without. Working with Ptarmigan to bring mentors into my school music classes has probably made the most long-term impact; some of our mentees are heading off to careers in the arts, which can be a tough thing coming from a small island.
Ptarmigan Press!
The following article was written by Sara Monteith & will be appearing in the Sooke News, Peninsula News, Black Press and Victoria Foundation. We’ll make sure to update this or future posts with active links to the publications themselves as they become available. Until then, feel free to read the article below – we are thrilled to have young journalists like Sara in our corner to help spread the Ptarmigan word!
Mosaic Update From Teammate Alison Vardy
We are so blessed here at Ptarmigan to have team member, Alison Vardy, holding down the Victoria end of our Taking Flight & Mosaic programs. We recently asked her to update us on some of the happenings with Mosaic, which you can now read about below. And soon we’ll get to hear all about her Taking Flight adventures, too! Thanks, Alison! Had a full day of school workshops (6 groups of students) at Cloverdale school (K-5) yesterday.Took in 2 harps and a HD and there were lots of questions and interest and time for each group to make a din on the instruments at the end. Fiona Thomson, the music teacher in charge wrote these comments for us:
Update From Strength Within Leader – Samantha Taylor
After 8 months, the Strength Within sessions are still going strong. It has been quite a journey for everyone – our fabulously creative, fun and positive participants and their families, as well as the program’s team of exceptional artists and administrators. Although our numbers have fluctuated, our core group has been very committed and engaged in the program. We’ve had the opportunity to work with many guest as well as regular instructors, each of whom have brought to the program great insight, skill and energy. Theatre games, puppet making and performance, dance, music, filmmaking, script writing, and improvisation have been just some of the artistic disciplines that that have been explored.
Letter From Patrick Smith, Artistic Director
Hi Ptarmigan Team: I think you’ve all been able to tell that Ptarmigan has been really building momentum lately. Phew, I’m having trouble keeping up with my do-list. Just this morning, Lisa and I remarked how rewarding it is to be on this end of things and to feel what an excellent team has come together for us. Each of you has done tremendous work and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it.
Strength Within 2012 VIDEO
In October 2011, I spent the day at one of our Saturday Strength Within sessions in Vancouver. I was lucky enough to sing and dance and act along with our wonderful participants, and capture some of the magic that went on in the room. I share that magic with you now. To get more of an idea of what our free program for kids (and their siblings!) who are dealing with serious illness/disabilities, press play on our new Strength Within video below:
Wrapping Up 2011 With A Smile
It has been a good year here at Ptarmigan. The last few months have really created a momentum that we hope to leverage in 2012. In this past twelve months, we have broken our own records for funding contributions, we have launched a new website, and we’ve started our Strength Within 2011/2012 sessions with help from the formidable leadership of Samantha Taylor. But that’s not all!
What I Learned From My Day At Strength Within
I worked with Ptarmigan back in 2006, and one of my jobs during that contract was to help produce a a Strength Within summer camp for Survivors Of Childhood Cancer. The camp was a true labour of love, and I enjoyed every second of both the prep and the week itself. You can see a few pics of our adventures HERE. But I knew when I was invited last month to attend one of the new Strength Within ongoing sessions that Ptarmigan has been delivering in Vancouver, that the kids being asked to join this time weren’t just survivors of serious illnesses, but kids that were still facing intense health concerns. I won’t lie, it made me nervous. As an experienced theatre professional, and someone who has taught performing arts to kids of all ages, I wondered how someone like myself could possibly be qualified to spend time with sick kids.
Spots Still Open For Youth In Strength Within Program
Ptarmigan would like to send an invite out to all children/youth who are survivors of, or currently living with, a serious illness & who love the performing arts. Strength Within is a multi-disciplinary arts program that offers free sessions every second Saturday in Vancouver, BC. Professional artists spend two hours exploring many different art forms, with a focus on fun and inclusion. Having just attended one of the sessions recently, I was overjoyed to see the high quality of the instruction, as well as the humour and talent that came out of our current participants. Keep your eyes peeled, for we’ll be uploading pictures and videos from that session shortly! For more information, click on the poster image to the left, call 1-866-859-0634 or our Strength Within program coordinator at make.arts.work@gmail.com.