In an effort to cultivate the community's cultural literacy, the department has organised 923 arts education and audience building activities within the community. In 2005, a total of 229 202 people participated in the schemes.

In Schools

Various arts education programmes are organised at schools to encourage students to develop an interest in the arts and to foster cultural literacy in their early years.

The department collaborates with local performing groups that are experienced in arts education to implement the School Arts Animateur Scheme. The scheme provides an in-depth introduction to different types of performing arts for students in schools. Students demonstrate their learning in the final performances after completing the scheme. In 2005, eight projects, covering modern dance, multimedia arts, musicals and drama, were co-organised with the City Contemporary Dance Company, the Hong Kong Ballet, Zuni Icosahedron, the International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong), DanceArt, Prospects Theatre, Exploration Theatre and the Shu Ning Presentation Unit.

	The final performance of the 'Wanna Dance! Workshop' of the School Modern Dance Animateur Scheme, which was co-presented with the City Contemporary Dance Company.

The School Culture Day Scheme mobilises primary, secondary and special schools to bring students to the department's performance venues, museums and libraries during school hours to take part in arts and cultural activities that are specially arranged for them. The programmes provide opportunities for interactive learning and integrating arts, history and science into the student's learning process and everyday living. The scheme has been well received.

	Contemporary Man, Contemporary Dance, a performance by the City Contemporary Dance Company in the School Culture Day Scheme.

In the Community

At the community level, the audience building programmes include the Artist-in-Residence Scheme, the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme and the District Cantonese Opera Parade.

The Artist-in-Residence Scheme provides opportunities for the community to gain insights into the work of artists by participating in interesting educational activities conducted by artists during their residency at performance venues. Twelve groups of artists conducted their projects under this scheme in 2005, including the On and On Theatre Workshop, the Ming Ri Institute for Arts Education, the Class 7A Drama Group, the Hong Kong Dance Federation, the Hong Kong Drum Ensemble, Ng Hiu-hung, the Shu Ning Presentation Unit, Theatre Fanatico, InTuition Creative Learning, the Hong Kong Composers' Guild, Hsin Hsiao-ling and the Hong Kong Puppet and Shadow Art Centre.

	The final performance of Drumming Voices 5: The Body As a Community by Theatre Fanatico as part of the Artist-in-Residence Scheme.

Outreach activities under the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme make the arts more accessible to the community. Participating artists organise activities in public spaces such as parks, shopping malls, community centres and venues of voluntary agencies. Arts groups/artists that were featured under this scheme in 2005 included Y-Space, the Hong Kong Ballet, the Emily Music Forum, Wai Yin, Hsin Hsiao-ling, the Hong Kong Ling Nan Orchestra, Prospects Theatre, the Spring-time Experimental Theatre, the Theatre of the Silence, Greensco, the Ming Ri Institute for Arts Education, the Kim Sum Cantonese Opera Association and the Love and Faith Cantonese Opera Laboratory.

	A touring performance of Cinderella Magic by the Hong Kong Ballet as part of the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme.

The District Cantonese Opera Parade helps promote Cantonese opera in districts and offers public performance opportunities for budding Cantonese opera troupes and artists.

The department continues to implement the Cultural Services Volunteers Scheme, encouraging people to make better use of their leisure time by providing voluntary work in promoting arts and culture.