On December 1, 2017, approximately 30 committed individuals gathered at Equity’s National Office to share their concerns about bullying, discrimination, and personal and sexual harassment in the live performance industry with Equity Councillors and senior staff.
The participants, largely made up of members of Equity, praised the direction of the Not In OUR Space! campaign while proactively offering well-prepared suggestions about initiatives and areas requiring attention. The bylaws were given particular focus with excellent questions, observations and ideas put forward.
It was incredibly rewarding to hear such organized and thoughtful feedback from Equity members about our Association’s recent work on anti-harassment issues within our industry, including our
Not In OUR Space!
initiative. Several of our bylaws were identified as needing updated language to make them more accessible to members, considering the complaint process when they encounter workplace harassment. We’re targeting three areas for improvement: bylaw changes, member outreach and engagement, and outreach to post-secondary educational institutions. This kind of feedback from members is exactly what we need to make Equity more effective and responsive. I look forward to continued brainstorming within our community and bringing new ideas into action.
Moving forward, the attendees have committed to working in collaboration with Equity Council and staff with purpose and thoughtfulness. They will draw upon their considerable network for feedback on potential changes that build upon and strengthen Equity’s existing materials and campaigns.
Initial meetings have been organized and information generated from those meetings will be shared with membership. Members will have opportunities to be involved at a later date. More to come.
Further reading:
Meeting Attendees:
