VANCOUVER, Nov. 15, 2012 /CNW/ - Elections BC and Emily Carr University of Art + Design have come together to engage British Columbia's youth in voter registration, the importance of voting, and democratic participation.
An Elections BC pilot project to reach out to BC's creative community has resulted in a special topics course created through Emily Carr's Faculty of Culture + Community, 'Designing for Democracy', taught by Chris Hethrington, Assistant Professor who has been working with nineteen students of varied disciplines since September to provide Elections BC with a multi-faceted program in advance of the May 2013 General Election.
Elections BC approached Emily Carr early in July with a proposal to engage youth in preparation of developing a public awareness campaign for the scheduled May 2013 General Election.
"We're interested in improving the overall quality of the voters list in BC, and particularly among 18 to 24 year olds," notes Chief Electoral Officer Keith Archer. "We are now developing promotional materials to assist in our voter registration drive that will take place during March 6 to 23, 2013. Creative youth working to engage their peers is a logical path to building awareness about the upcoming election and the opportunities to participate."
"The project, Designing for Democracy is a perfect example of a partnership that speaks to Emily Carr's values of community engagement and social responsibility," says Susan Stewart, Dean, Faculty of Culture + Community. "Engaging youth to vote is a real world issue that both faculty and students were eager to take on. We welcome the opportunity to work with innovative community partners, such as Elections BC in such a meaningful and beneficial way."
Following a review, Elections BC will look to integrate the group project concepts and materials into its public awareness campaign around early spring enumeration activities and in a lead up to the May 14, 2013 General Election.
Elections BC is a non-partisan Office of the Legislature responsible for the administration of the Election Act, Recall and Initiative Act, and conduct of referenda under the Referendum Act.
Emily Carr University of Art + Design, established in 1925, is a world leader in education and research. Encouraging experimentation at the intersection of art, design, media and technology, our learning community merges research, critical theory and studio practice in an interdisciplinary environment. Alumni and faculty are internationally recognized as award-winning creators and thought leaders who have enormous impact on both the cultural sector and economy. We engage students, industry, and society to continuously explore and think differently about creativity and how it shapes our world. Find out more at ecuad.ca.
Video with caption: "Video: Designing for Democracy, a collaborative project between Emily Carr University of Art + Design and Elections BC". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20121115_C8339_VIDEO_EN_20723.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20121115_C8339_PHOTO_EN_20723.jpg&clientName=Emily%20Carr%20University%20of%20Art%20%2B%20Design&caption=Video%3A%20Designing%20for%20Democracy%2C%20a%20collaborative%20project%20between%20Emily%20Carr%20University%20of%20Art%20%2B%20Design%20and%20Elections%20BC&title=Designing%20for%20Democracy%2C%20a%20collaborative%20project%20between%20Emily%20Carr%20University%20of%20Art%20%2B%20Design%20and%20Elections%20BC&headline=Designing%20For%20Democracy%20%2D%20Elections%20BC%20and%20Emily%20Carr%20University%20Collaborate
SOURCE: Emily Carr University of Art + Design
For further information:
Don Main
Communications Manager
Elections BC
Tel: 778-678-0181
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.elections.bc.ca
Roxanne Toronto
Communications Officer
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Tel: 604-844-3075
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.ecuad.ca
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