Email from Country Dance and Song Society

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Hello! You are receiving this email because you are a contact for the CDSS Affiliate . If this is incorrect, please email ben@cdss.org, and we will update our records. Thank you!

Come to Camp!

Registration is open for our 2023 camp programs in Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Michigan! Your group can benefit from supporting members of your community to participate in our camp programs. Our camps provide high quality instruction for new and experienced callers, musicians, and organizers from some of the best teachers. We aim for participants to go home at the end of the week feeling inspired and bringing new skills to put into practice in their local communities.

Priority Admission

As a CDSS Affiliate, your group may designate up to two people to receive priority admission to any camp program(s). Priority admission nominations must be submitted before the lottery deadline (March 20, 2023). If a lottery is held for the selected program(s), your designated registrants will automatically be awarded space at the program. Priority admission is available for intensive courses; the registrant must meet any participation requirements noted in the course description (where applicable). The lottery deadline for intensive courses is March 13, 2023. Use this form to make priority admission nominations.

Matching Scholarships

CDSS matches contributions made by CDSS Affiliates sending their members to camps. For example, if your group offers $200, we will match this amount, and the camper will receive $400 total aid. CDSS offers a guaranteed match up to 50% of the camp fee, so if your local group can cover half of the fee, then the camper's fee will be covered! Find more information and the application here on our camp website.

Help Advocate for Participatory Arts

Here are two ways you can advocate for the arts, in both the U.S. and Canada, this month!

1. Oppose massive fee increases for traveling artists' visas

The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed rate increases that would make touring in the United States for international artists significantly more expensive. The Canadian Federation of Musicians has identified 2 ways in which you may be able to help this cause:

Canadians: please reach out to all US buyers, venues, artists, associations, etc., you may work with, to seek their assistance in this effort.
Americans: please lend your voice to this cause of action – as it will be US business that the US government will primarily consider comments from. Comments are due March 6 at 11:59 pm ET. Click here for more information about the changes and and recommendations to make this advocacy task easy and effective. (The web page emphasizes a February 2 meeting, but comments are still being accepted.)

2. For U.S. Affiliates, participate in an important organizational survey about the economic impact of the arts

Check your organization emails, you may have received an invitation from Americans for the Arts to participate in the Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 Project, which studies the economic impact of spending by nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their Audiences. If you did, we encourage you to read it and participate.

Americans for the Arts conducts this survey every five years, and it’s important that our sub-sector of the arts be represented. The outcome of the survey will be used in advocacy efforts to encourage bipartisan support for arts funding in years to come.

The Organizational Survey opens February 22 and closes at the end of April. There are different versions of the survey depending on the size of your organization. You can read more about the project and download previews of the version that fits your organization here.

Affiliate Renewals Opening Soon

Keep an eye out for renewal information, coming to you via email in March. Any services you have through CDSS (affiliation, insurance, non-profit exemption) renew at this time.

Help us share the News!

We'd love to send you some extra copies of the CDSS News to put out at your local dance or event. Interested? Just put your name down here and we'll send some your way when it prints in mid-March! This issue features articles about teaching folk songs to kids, Bob McQuillen's centenary, COVID protocols for indoor camps, shooting good dance videos, and more!

Add Your Events to the Community Calendar

Have you checked out our new website? An updated feature of the new website is the community calendar, which lists both in-person and virtual events.

List your events here! Local dances, special events, festivals, concerts, and more are all welcome.

Next webchat March 7: Recruiting and Keeping Volunteers!

Reach out to Katy if you have questions you'd like answered or success stories to share - katy@cdss.org. Additional information will be coming via email later this month.

Camp photo by Ben Schreiber.