Integral to the Americas Cultural Summit are collaborative spaces designed to encourage active participation of all delegates. This series of themed breakout sessions will provide more intimate opportunities to share, explore, debate, and perhaps even co-design practical approaches towards achieving more sustainable, equitable, and inclusive futures in the Americas and beyond.
Each breakout session will have a Lead Facilitator who will guide the discussions over one hour. Delegates will be required to pre-register for the session they wish to attend and identify if they are able to participate in a bilingual (English and Spanish) breakout session or monolingual session (English only or Spanish only).
The breakout room themes – and possible questions or paths which may be explored – include:
1. AGENCY AND VOICE
As we culminate discussions on equitable approaches, ways to shift that dial and the importance of self-determination, we will ask how we can ensure that our diversity policies and practices include active and diverse voices, and do not speak on their behalf. In this breakout session we will reflect on whether our current policies and practices inhibit or foster inclusion, equity and agency for collaborating partners, grant recipients and communities. We will also consider what it may look like to achieve this in different contexts, for different cultural groups, communities and countries?
2. INCLUSIVE CULTURAL GOVERNANCE
As set out in UNESCO’s Monitoring Framework (2018), Goal 1 of its 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions is to support sustainable systems of governance for culture; and in its most recent Global Report (2018): Re|shaping cultural policies, it states that national policies and measures should contribute to informed, transparent and participatory systems of governance of culture. The report also indicates that the goal can only be achieved if civil society can play a strong role, because it offers a key vehicle for people’s participation and can be pivotal to accountability and transparency, which together make it more likely that cultural policies and measures reflect and serve the needs of citizens (Firmin, Global Report 2018, p.87). In this breakout session, we will reflect on how we can – and do – re-shape our governing structures for culture, including policies, procedures, practices, and behaviors, to achieve inclusive governance models. How do we work with different tiers of government, non-cultural sectors and partners to achieve better informed, transparent, participatory systems that reflect the needs and aspirations of diverse communities? And how do we shift the focus from access to participation, towards full participation in cultural life?
3. INNOVATION AND DIVERSITY
There is much discussion on the benefits of diversity and innovative practices. In general terms, the more diverse the group, the broader the scope to address a specific problem and/or find innovative solutions. At the same time, there seems to be resistance to opening the doors to different approaches and thoughts to achieve such innovation. How do we create opportunities for innovation informed by a diversity and inclusion agenda? This breakout session will focus on both the barriers to achieving diversity in innovation, as well as what can be – and has been – achieved once that dial is shifted.
4. STRUCTURAL REFORM – POLICY AND SECTOR
After hearing from speakers sharing insights into broad topics of diversity, inclusion, and levelling the playing field, in this breakout session we invite participants (from across the cultural ecology) to reflect on policies and practices in arts and culture – including within their own organizations – that inhibit the achievement of more inclusive and healthy cultural communities. How can we surface detrimental approaches, and what steps might we each take in our own contexts to dismantle them? What barriers might we encounter as we seek to achieve this change?
5. WHOLE OF GOVERNMENT APPROACHES TO INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY
Many governments around the world have highlighted equity, diversity and inclusion as key drivers in their administration, including in the USA as indicated above with the Executive Order. Moreover, a sustainable and equitable future for the cultural and creative sectors will rely on leadership at the highest level; agility, flexibility, resilience and adaptability; sound understanding of the cultural and creative ecology and its operating environments; diverse public investments and actions, including sector-specific measures; dialogue with stakeholders across the cultural value chain; and valuing the rights and roles associated with protecting and promoting the diversity of artistic, cultural and creative expressions. In this breakout session we will explore how best to navigate this environment, considering how we (from our various vantage points) can encourage and/or lead in a whole of government and societal responses to equity; and how we might move our goals for diversity and inclusion forward in a government setting where such goals may be seen as a low priority.
6. SHARING POWER
The International Federation of Arts Council and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) is a global network of arts councils, ministries of culture and government agencies that advance arts and culture. As leaders of public agencies, National Member executive leaders have an important responsibility and authority over a public resource. While acknowledging that with this comes great accountability and transparency, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the critical dialogue required with all stakeholders to manage major crises, such as those experienced in the last 18 months. The opportunity before us all is to shift the paradigm of our work and to become more diverse, inclusive, and equitable in serving our constituencies. This breakout session will focus on bringing more voices and perspectives to our planning, priority setting, and decision-making processes. How do we support and enable the sharing of power and responsibility? Who might be our partners in achieving this shift?
7. ENGAGING WITH OTHER SECTORS
The movement to achieve justice, diversity, inclusivity, and equity is not limited to the arts, cultural, and creative communities. Rather, it is society-wide. This breakout session will explore other sectors – both within and beyond government – that are engaged in this effort, from and with which we might partner and learn. Are there multi-sector collaborative platforms in place to support such partnerships?
8. WHAT’S THE STORY? NARRATIVES INFORMED BY EVIDENCE AND EXPERIENCE?
An equitable society relies on the ability of its people to see themselves reflected in their environment, arts and culture; and articulating people’s stories and experiences – both positive and negative – is central to understanding where action is required. Information is at the heart of any narrative and the ability to capture, monitor and evaluate information is imperative for researchers and policy makers who want to understand the needs of the people they serve, as well as actors throughout the cultural ecosystem. In this session we will explore different approaches to gathering evidence and insight into experiences; as well as the opportunities and challenges these approaches entail.
