The Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation has
launched a pilot project on the Great Northern Peninsula to help
community-based heritage organizations build their capacity, improve
operations and services to residents and visitors, and better promote
the region's heritage attractions as a collective experience.
"This innovative project involves 15 heritage
organizations and will focus on increasing standards around financial
management, governance, collections management and visitor experience,"
said the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and
Recreation. "Small, community-based heritage organizations around the
province all face similar challenges in terms of developing policies and
procedures that ensure the sustainability of their organizations. It is
encouraging to see cooperation amongst heritage organizations all along
the Northern Peninsula on this initiative, which is designed to find
ways to share ideas and best practices, and better present and market
the heritage attractions of the entire region."
The Provincial Government, through the heritage
component of the Cultural Economic Development Program (CEDP) has
committed $205,000 for this three-year pilot project, dubbed the
Heritage Cluster Pilot Project. Detailed information about the pilot
project can be viewed at:
www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/heritage/heritage_cluster_pilot_project/index.html.
The pilot will be led by the RED Ochre Regional Board
Inc., headquartered in Parsons Pond, in consultation with the Department
of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and an advisory committee composed of
the Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Association of
Newfoundland and Labrador Archives and the Association of Heritage
Industries.
"Throughout this project our goal will be to advance
the heritage committees in areas of human resources management, product
development, organizational capacity and marketing," said Gloria Toope,
Chair of the RED Ochre Regional Board Inc. "This, in turn, will
strengthen the committees� ability to preserve and present the cultural
assets of our region."
Participating heritage organizations, spanning from
Trout River to St. Anthony are: the Trout River Heritage Committee; the
Woody Point Heritage Committee; the Bonne Bay Cottage Hospital Heritage
Committee (Norris Point); the Dr. Henry Payne Museum Heritage Committee
(Cow Head); the Nurse Myra Bennett House (Daniel�s Harbour); the Torrent
River Heritage Committee (Hawke�s Bay); the Big Droke Pre-Historic
Cultures Foundation (Bird Cove); the Port au Choix Heritage Committee;
the French Shore Historical Society (Conche); the Green Moose National
Heritage Interpretation Centre (Roddickton); the Town of Englee Heritage
Committee; the Ashton House Heritage Committee (Bide Arm); and, the
Grenfell Historical Society (St. Anthony). Also included are two Parks
Canada Sites � L�Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site and Port au
Choix National Historic Site, both of which will provide in-kind support
including office space and technical expertise.
An orientation session for all participants will be
held November 26.
Budget 2010: The Right Investments � For Our
Children and Our Future provides approximately $2.7 million through
the CEDP to support arts, cultural and heritage initiatives throughout
the province, with $1.5 million earmarked for the arts and culture
sectors and $1.2 provided to the heritage sector.
