Q&A
DVS outreach strategies for informing veterans about arts and cultural programs
0:42:24
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153 sec
Council Member Robert Holden inquires about the Department of Veterans Services (DVS) outreach strategies for informing veterans about available arts and cultural programs. Commissioner James Hendon and DVS staff members Curtis Dorval and Ellen Greeley respond with details about their approach.
- DVS's strategy is based on the mission to connect, mobilize, and empower veterans
- The agency uses social media and newsletters as primary information hubs for outreach
- DVS staff attend events where veterans are physically located to drive community and culture development
- The agency highlights veterans in the arts through their 'Veterans in the Arts' section, promoting shows, performances, and artistic endeavors
- Additional outreach methods include public announcements, veterans advisory board meetings, community engagement sessions, and council hearings
Robert Holden
0:42:24
No.
0:42:24
Good.
0:42:25
Okay.
0:42:25
So or the intent, as the administration uses.
0:42:27
But, let me go into, the the hearing, topic, the outreach strategies that you have in DVS to, that you use to inform veterans about available arts and cultural programs, that they could obviously join or or participate in.
0:42:44
And how does the agency ensure that veterans from all backgrounds are aware of and feel welcomed by these opportunities?
James Hendon
0:42:52
I want to say a little bit and throw it to to Curtis and to Ellen.
0:42:56
Broadly, the strategy of our agency, it's embedded within the mission.
0:42:59
It's connect, mobilize, and empower.
0:43:01
And so a lot of it, the connect piece is that's how can we find these veterans and identify the folks, those who are in the shadows or who are not.
0:43:09
And then mobilize is making them aware of what's available to them.
0:43:11
And then empower is to serve them or to make sure that they are served.
0:43:14
And so when we look at arts and culture, how it fits into this, it's among other things, it's a healing modality, yes, and has a lot of other things that are benefit.
0:43:23
It's also that shiny thing that motivates our brothers and sisters to come out and to be a part of things.
0:43:28
And so we try to work with our arts and culture community to be that, that, that beacon where folks say, look, I want to come be a part of this.
0:43:35
I'd like to contribute to that.
0:43:37
And that brings our brothers and sisters, their families out and then we can be able to connect with them.
0:43:41
So strategically, that's what's going on.
0:43:43
I wanna defer to Ellen and to Kurt.
0:43:45
Just kinda talk in the weeds on how we go the next step.
Curtis Dorval
0:43:50
Yeah.
0:43:50
Very simply, chair, the main thing we use is our social media and newsletter.
0:43:56
That is our greatest proponent of, this kind of information.
0:44:02
That being said, Yeah.
0:44:08
That that that's our that's our that's our information hub.
0:44:11
That and not being on the ground, at these spaces, where veterans, are physically located, that has been, the the best driver of community and culture development.
0:44:23
But, yeah, that information that we try to push out there, whether it's through our newsletter, whether it's through our social media, really tries to highlight, especially in our artists select like, our veterans in the arts section, which will highlight potential shows that are for free to veterans or veterans specifically in the arts that are doing something in the artistic space, whether it's, you know, performances, whether it's poetry, whether it's graphic design, any of the above, we will we will utilize that to highlight specific veterans in our community and provide a space for them to, you know, potentially move up in the professional world.
