The Matched Funding Initiative time. The energy and enthusiasm of the band, dancers, teachers and onlookers made for a delightful afternoon. Several of the new dancers are now attending our Tuesday night class and are enthusiastic”.
Cecile Hascoet, RSCDS Retail and Membership Officer, reports on the Matched Funding Initiative to encourage new and young people.
Sydney Branch ran a Community Ceilidh as a way to reach out to newcomers. Advertising was a challenge for Sydney. They made a public event on Facebook, put up posters in the local area and sent out a press release to the local free paper. The ticket sales suddenly shot up in the few days before the event. The ceilidh was well supported by Scottish country dancers from the Northern Beaches region who were delighted to find a live music event practically on their doorstep. Plenty of non-SCD locals, including five children, came along and had a great time dancing to Iain Mckenzie’s music, with Diana Hastie calling a fun-filled programme of simple dances. Diana Hastie and Anna Underhill reported that there were over 60 dancers.
Last year all branches were invited to apply for Matched Funding. Half the cost, up to £250, of a local initiative to teach newcomers or encourage young dancers or raise the profile of SCD would be met from the Development Fund. Seventeen branches applied and were given grants to support some fantastic local projects. North West Craven Branch has been introducing Scottish dancing to Hest Bank Primary School children, just north of Lancaster, England. The branch project was to run a ceilidh dance at the school hall inviting the children and their parents. Trevor Clarke, chair of his branch, writes that the event attracted about 30 people, which included 12 children (6 to 10 years old). It was such a successful event that the school wants to continue with the classes and repeat the event.
Sydney’s Community Ceilidh
In March Banffshire Branch started a Children’s Festival. The local Music Festival had folded so the Branch stepped in to run its own festival, thus giving the primary schools in the area something to work towards. Belfast Branch ran a family ceilidh. Birmingham Branch ran a series of workshops. Edinburgh Branch advertised for a children’s class. San Diego Branch ran a DAA course aimed at intermediate dancers. Exeter Branch ran a Burns Night Ceilidh at a school. The Youth Branch used the grant to run an event for young dancers in Budapest.
The children from Hest Bank Primary School
The Youth Weekend Away in Budapest
Montreal Branch decided to make their afternoon social an ‘intro to Scottish country dance’. Their class sponsored a lunch to draw people in and they devised an easy programme of dances to get beginners dancing. They used their Meetup site for advertising. Montreal ended up with 20 regular dancers who had attended the workshop and approximately 40 people who were new to SCD. Holly Boyd wrote, “At the end of the day we still had four sets on the floor. Everyone had a really good
Other branches who took part in the Matched Funding Initiative were South Argyll, Somerset, Queensland, Melbourne, Exeter, Toronto and Forres. Well done to all! It will be good to report the results of all those initiatives in a future issue, especially if they resulted in new recruits. If your branch needs financial support to promote a SCD event in your community, you can apply to the Development Fund by emailing: info@rscds.org.
www.rscds.org
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