I will use existing social media and connections to build up the number of LYF members and begin the search for leaders who will be the primary force behind its progress.  The leaders should be in the same age target as the group, which includes college students and beyond, up to the age of 40.  I will provide guidance, leadership, and resources to make the group a success, but the direction needs to be determined by the group, itself.  Initial interest in the group will come from two social media locations:

1. Young Friends Group on LocalArtsLive.com - This will be used for group discussions, and will contain pages with information of specific interest to the group such as web links to other young friends programs.  All LYF members may participate in the discussions.
2. Young Friends Facebook page: - This will be used for current information of particular interest to the group.  Several LYF members will have authority to add items to the page.
3. Some informal gatherings may be planned if there is interest within the group.

 

Longer term plans

The goal is to establish a growing and dynamic group by the end of the 2011-2012 school year.  A group of leaders will also be in place so they may continue planning and discussions over the summer.  A 2012-2013 season showcase called Fall Overture will be planned for early September that will be open to the public and it will include a variety of presentations to inspire attendees to think about what concerts they'd like to attend, and who they'd like to see.  4 other LYF member only events will be planned throughout the season by local organizations. LocalArtsLive will work with those organizations to plan and promote the events. Connections to local organizations made during the summer will also be used to create discount ticket programs that will be available to the group.  The details and schedule of the longer term plans will vary depending on the availability of funding.  Without funding, the process will take much longer.  With funding, additional resources such as advertising and paid bloggers and interns will be available.

 

If you would like to be involved in this exciting initiative, please sign up for the Young Friends group here, on LocalArtsLive.com, or like the LYF Facebook page.