Culture, in all of its forms, is beneficial to our lives, whether it’s heritage, the arts, multicultural or ethnic culture, or whatever it is.
Thus, we have the opportunity to celebrate culture in Weyburn in all of its various forms with Culture Days, on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28 and 29.
There will be some really interesting different activities for people to enjoy or take part in, including workshops for elementary school-aged children on Friday, a reception for wearable art in the evening at Signal Hill, then all day Saturday at the Soo Line Museum will be a whole host of activities and events.
There will be a T-shirt decorating station, with a variety of things you can do creatively with a shirt, along with ethnic food and dance, a station to make dream-catchers, displays to look over, not to mention free admission to the museum on both Friday and Saturday.
One of the cool things about Weyburn’s events is that Culture Days activities are being held all across the province and Canada at the same time, and I’m sure there will be some truly amazing events to visit or watch on TV.
So, does culture make a difference to people? Does it make our lives better, more varied and colourful, or does it just not really matter?
As it happens, there have been a number of studies done that show arts and culture do have a positive impact on the lives of people, including on children as they are learning and developing their interests and creativity.
There are studies that show students who have a well-rounded education that includes arts and culture do much better all the way around in their lives, including in academic subjects.
A study done in the U.K. found that students who study arts subjects are more employable and more likely to stay in their jobs.
They also found that people are more likely to report good health after attending a cultural event or place.
There are also postive results for people who have dementia, Parkinson’s or depression, if they take part or are exposed to culture in some form.
I know in the case of my kids, I have three very creative daughters who love to sew, paint and draw, and write or do graphic design, and they were very much into arts and culture all through their growing up years in school.
Culture is not just for creative people either, but those of us not so creatively inclined can appreciate the thought and talent that goes into a song or a painting or a dance performance.
We can also be appreciative of our heritage, and the cultures of different ethnic origins, with food, music, dance and traditions. There is so much to enjoy and learn about — so enjoy!
