The goal of the MEP is to empower the community with the skills to create safer workplaces and reduce harm in the English Theatre sector in Quebec.  This is a multi-year and multi-phase project.

In order to create systems where artists are empowered to reduce and disclose harm, QDF needs to deepen its anti-colonial, anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-ableist practices, ensuring that the organization has the skills to elevate all artists’ voices. QDF serves some of the most vulnerable artists in the theatre sector: minority-language artists that are non-unionized. Many of these artists come from Equity-Priority groups and face further barriers in workplaces. After membership consultations, meetings with other organizations and discussions with consultants, QDF decided to lean on the expertise of professionals and community members to design strategies that go beyond written policies and build holistic pathways that are multi-faceted, focusing on community well being, education and restorative justice efforts.

First, in order to build a foundation for the projects, the following steps are required:

PHASE 1: COMMUNITY CONSULTATIONS

The Community Consultations achieved to:

  • Provide a tool in learning more about the barriers faced by artists in the areas of accessibility, equity, diversity, social justice and decolonization

  • Provide an opportunity to brainstorm solutions and share experiences as a community

  • Encourage artists to voice their needs

  • Offer artists and companies a channel in which to be heard and validated

  • Provide an avenue to disseminate data and ideas to the community.

  • Create opportunity to share findings and new knowledge with the community, post-consultation

  • Provide context and guidelines for Step 2: Industry Research

  • Inspire QDF’s future programming

Consult the MEP Phase 1 Report:

Listen to the Audio of the Report:

serving up knowledge: community consultations findings

January 27th, 2025 (6PM to 7:30PM)

Co-op Bar Milton-Parc (3714 Parc Ave)

*Venue accessibility: The co-op is located in front of the 80 and 129 bus stops. There are no steps to enter and we have a wheelchair accessible bathroom.

Cost: Free

After publishing our Community Consultations report surrounding our preliminary work on QDF’s ongoing Membership Empowerment Project, we are excited to walk through some important points from the document with our community and membership. Join Project Facilitator, Crystal Harrison, and Project Coordinator, Meagan Schroeder, on January 27th at 6PM as they outline the process and considerations of the consultations, key data points and findings and QDF’s next steps. Join us in person, or watch the live stream on Youtube (the link will be available soon)!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to Canada Council for the Arts for funding Phase 1 of the MEP and to our Project Facilitator, Crystal Harrison, and Project Coordinator, Megan Schroeder. For more info about them, click here.