Cultural Strategic Plan

What does the future of culture in Kamloops look like?

On April 9, 2024, City Council adopted the You Are Here Kamloops Cultural Strategic Plan 2024-2023. The City of Kamloops initiated the review and update of its Cultural Strategic Plan in fall 2022 to provide a blueprint for cultural development in Kamloops over the next 10 years. Last updated in 2003, the Cultural Strategic Plan identified many strategies and recommendations that have shaped the community we live in today.

You Are Here Kamloops Cultural Strategic Plan 2024–2034 is a 10-year vision for Kamloops’ cultural sector and creative communities. Whether you are a creative entrepreneur, an artist, an event organizer, a venue operator, or someone who simply enjoys the cultural experiences our city has to offer, the plan offers strategic directions to support our local cultural sector's vitality and resilience and the city's livability.

Between June 2022 and September 2023, the following engagement activities took place:

Community conversations - four sessions
Community working group (key stakeholder representation) - three sessions
Internal planning team workshops - two sessions
You Are Here exhibition and cultural mapping research lab at the Kamloops Museum and Archives - 1,900 visitors
Cultural survey - 487 responses

The plan outlines six strategic directions that emerged from community and stakeholder engagement:

Strengthen tourism, social, and economic impacts through cultural development
Improve arts infrastructure and invest in cultural capital
Attract and support cultural workers and creative entrepreneurs
Reduce barriers to arts access and cultural participation
Celebrate and share stories of this place
Animate spaces through creative placemaking

Read the final plan: You Are Here Kamloops Cultural Strategic Plan 2024–2034.

News Feed

Who's Listening

Dušan Magdolen

Cultural Services & Events Manager

Patricia Huntsman

Consultant

Julia Cyr

Museum Supervisor, Kamloops Museum and Archives

Project Timeline

Timeline item 1 - complete

Mapping the Future of Culture in Kamloops

You Are Here, an exhibition at Kamloops Museum and Archives is a free space for all individuals to share their vision for the cultural direction of the City of Kamloops. Individual and small group discussion in the Museum’s Cultural Mapping Lab. Open until September 24, 2022.
Timeline item 2 - complete

Community Survey Open Until October 16, 2022

Community input will be collected online through the Cultural Planning Survey along with a virtual exhibition of You Are Here. Open until October 16, 2022.
Timeline item 3 - complete

Launch of Key Informant Interviews

One-on-one mapping and extensive interviews with key stakeholders. Fall 2022.
Timeline item 4 - complete

Planning and Assessment

The project team will work with interested parties and the community through vision sessions, focus groups and forums, workshops, and more to understand the community needs and analyze the You Are Here exhibition findings.
Timeline item 5 - complete

Cultural Plan Development

Data collected from the community and interested parties are used to develop a draft plan to facilitate the update and creation of the new Cultural Strategic Plan.The draft plan will be presented to Council at a Committee of the Whole in Q4 of 2023 for review and consideration.
Timeline item 6 - complete

Feedback Opportunity

Residents are invited to complete a feedback form to indicate their level of support for the six strategic directions and supporting actions of the draft You Are Here Kamloops Cultural Strategic Plan 2024–2034. The feedback form will be available until 8:00 am on February 26, 2024.
Timeline item 7 - complete

Final Report

After a final opportunity for residents to provide feedback is completed, the plan will be brought back to Council in early 2024 to share any proposed amendments to this final draft and for adoption