inclusion

chapter 2

31. PRINCIPLE

Inclusion involves educational and cultural mediation approaches to target the active participation of groups that are geographically distant from cultural venues. Inclusion can refer to both participation as an audience and ongoing engagement in artistic creation projects. These activities form connections between cultural organizations and grassroots socialization institutions such as families, school groups and social/community groups.

INCLUSION OF FAMILIES AND CHILDREN

32. PRINCIPLE The family is the first vector of cultural transmission for children and provides ongoing access to art outside school by means of cultural products based on cultural reference points that are specific to the family members and their identity. In this regard:

33. APPROACH
Cultural institutions must prioritize the sharing of cultural experience among family members in order to sustain the chain of transmission.

To implement this article, it is necessary to :  Offer a cultural program and an environment that is suitable and accessible to children and their families.

This can mean:

  • Offer family-friendly pricing, for example through family discounts, or free or low-cost events for children.

  • Offer family activities with modified schedules, for example on weekends or during school vacations (spring break, summer, holidays, etc.).

  • Create spaces dedicated specifically to children and families, with devices and furniture designed for families (seats, bathrooms, drinking station).

  • Make daycare and breastfeeding spaces available during performances, especially when it is not possible to bring children.

34. APPROACHCultural experiences must be understood as moments for learning and exchange for the entire family, in which the family members’ viewpoints and knowledge interconnect before, during and after the experience, resulting in stronger connections within and among families and the formation of family identities by creating new memories and common referents.

To implement this article, it is necessary to :  To develop projects adapted for children and families, which help develop a taste for art and culture in the whole family by encouraging sharing between generations.

This can mean:

  • Host multi- and inter-generational workshops allowing for reflection and creation between children and their parents, grandparents or other family members.

  • Create guided tours in museums with multi- and inter-generational mediation, promoting sharing and transmission, making sure to offer activities adapted for all family members.

  • Review presentation codes and standards to make the pieces more accessible to families (sound volume, brightness, etc.), for example by offering  relaxed performances adjusted to the families' flow, and allowing them to leave the rooms as needed.

35. APPROACHCultural mediation strategies must be adapted to produce common and positive cultural experiences, while helping create a sense of belonging and legitimacy.

To implement this article, it is necessary to :  Communicate and promote cultural activities in a family-friendly way for the whole family, including children.

This can mean:

  • Offer a local cultural program for families, spread out in cultural and community places in the neighbourhoods (library, parks, community halls, etc.).

  • Actively reach out to families outside of traditional audiences, especially by offering an artistic program (shows, exhibitions, creative projects) that includes the cultural references of families from minority or popular cultures, who have lived through immigration experiences, or other similar situations.

  • Engage young public figures as youth ambassadors with whom children can identify.

  • Offer supports and tools for parents, such as e-mails in preparation for a visit, video capsules or a "families" section on the website with various resources.

36. APPROACH 
Children must be free to express and develop their cultural choices, tastes and interests.  

To implement this article, it is necessary to :  Encourage expression and active participation from children.

This can mean:

  • Encourage amateur artistic endeavours, allowing children to express their view of the world through art, by offering accessible and adapted workshops.

  • Blend spheres and models, for example by linking arts and sports, to meet the movement needs of young people and engage their interests.

  • Hold consultation workshops with children and families to develop a tailor-made program.

INCLUSION OF SCHOOL GROUPS 

37. PRINCIPLE Education and culture co-exist and complement each other: cultural mediation approaches connecting these two spheres can contribute to students’ educational, personal and social success as well as foster greater equity among social classes with respect to culture. In this regard:

38. APPROACH 
Art in schools fosters openness and better relations among students. It stimulates reflection, action and expression, and goes beyond words to help students share their cultural universes and discovering other perspectives on both the world and themselves.

To implement this article, it is necessary to :  Offer programming adapted to school groups

This can mean:

  • Develop a range of school trips to cultural venues, based on the   programs of Quebec's cultural policy.

  • Offer cultural programming in schools, working in collaboration with teachers, for example by offering educational workshops in schools, complementing the educational program.

  • Offer guided tours of the premises during visits to institutions, allowing them to become familiar with the cultural venue.

  • Develop extracurricular activities in the evenings, on weekends and during school vacations, such as artistic day camps, introductory workshops, special creative projects, etc.

  • Provide opportunities for meetings and dialogue between artists and school audiences, in order to demystify creation and offer a privileged connection to young audiences.

  • Enable students to experiment with a wide variety of artistic approaches, particularly through collaborations between cultural organizations and through the development of cultural projects involving several artistic disciplines, such as dance, theatre and visual arts, for example in the context of a creation in the performing arts.

  • Take into account the specific needs of the most vulnerable populations, by offering projects aimed, for example, at boys in a situation or at risk of dropping out of school, at schools experiencing various forms of marginalization, with special education groups, etc.

39. APPROACH 
Guidance tools must be developed to facilitate and amplify the impacts of art and culture on the lives of students, particularly in terms of how they reflect, how they manage their emotions and how their resilience, perseverance and open-mindedness can be enhanced.

To implement this article, it is necessary to :  Co-create, develop and make available pedagogical tools and resources suitable for teaching.

This can mean:

40. APPROACH 
To ensure complementarity between the teaching approaches used in schools and the mediation approaches employed by cultural organizations and institutions, both approaches must be supported by political, philanthropic and institutional funding that fosters their development and implementation in the medium and long terms.

To implement this article, it is necessary to :  Strengthen the connection between education and culture by developing the ties between cultural and educational institutions.

This can mean:

  • Offer formulas (rates, schedules, mediation activities, etc.) adapted for education and schools and incorporating flexibility to adapt to the specific contexts and needs of each school.

  • Establish ties with teacher training programs, in order to offer privileged access to the arts for future teachers during their university education.

  • Offer  specialized training to teachers, tackling the integration of the arts in their pedagogical approaches.

  • Continually influencing those in positions of power in government and institutions to encourage support and development of connections between the arts and the school environment.

INCLUSION OF SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY GROUPS

41. PRINCIPLE
Culture is a vector of social dialogue that goes beyond conflict; it can unite and bind people together by fostering respect, communication and acceptance, as well as by combatting isolation and discrimination, provided that culture is shared equally and includes a diversity of voices. In this regard:

42. APPROACH 
Cultural mediation projects must help form or strengthen social connections through the issues they raise. They must also question how we act and live together, through moments of sharing during which isolation can be dispelled and personal dignity and autonomy recovered.

To implement this article, it is necessary to :  Develop and strengthen ties with community groups

This can mean:

  • Use  community media to promote programming and connect with the communities that use them.

  • Integrate artistic initiatives within existing socialization spaces, such as community dinners, to promote complementary tasks and to allow cultural and community organizations to meet.

  • Offer activities in close proximity between audiences and artists, for example like the model of  Journées de la Culture.

  • Promote artistic actions in the public space (parks, subway stations, etc.), in order to raise awareness of the arts and social issues, for example by taking inspiration from  QuAnd l’arT pasSe à l’Action (ATSA).

  • Develop a sponsorship system between subscribers and new audiences, to foster mutual understanding between these audiences and to encourage the passion for art to be passed on to others.

43. APPROACH
Cultural mediation projects must facilitate revisiting one’s relationship to the world, particularly through the emotions they engender, the new perceptions they create and the potentially transcendent experiences they offer.

To implement this article, it is necessary to :  Experiment with initiatives that promote the cultural involvement and participation of community groups.

This can mean:

44. APPROACH 
Proposed activities must recognize and take into account the realities of target groups, particularly in terms of schedules, transportation and the conditions under which the activities take place.

To implement this article, it is necessary to offer appropriate support before, during and after the cultural experience.

This can mean:

  • Offer practical information and online orientation tools to allow for an introductory discovery of art forms and expectations within the cultural setting.

  • Create spaces for dialogue and sharing about the arts, such as talks, pre-concert chats or post-performance discussions with artists.

  • Familiarize oneself with the realities of the audiences being reached, in order to respond adequately to their needs while avoiding situations of undue discrimination or infantilization.

  • Avoid an overly disciplinary framework in cultural settings, in order to welcome and encourage various forms of personal appreciation and reactions from audiences, while respecting the work of artists and creators.