Since September, the Cultural Safety Working Group (CSWG) has been working, in collaboration with the Canadian Heritage Arts Society (CHAS) Board of Directors and the College Directors, to encourage, facilitate and promote open and honest conversation regarding cultural safety and social justice issues among those directly impacted by the cultural landscape at CCPA.
In addition to creating a safe and confidential channel to raise concerns with the Cultural Safety Working Group, and selecting a student Cultural Safety Liaison to act as representative, the CSWG, CHAS Board and College Directors have been formulating a series of conversations that can solicit feedback on emerging issues, new initiatives, and programming. These conversations will set the framework that the College will use to move forward.
We are committed to continuing to be transparent about the necessary work and providing space for our community to engage in a facilitated dialogue where we can consider the good work being done and the work that still needs to be done at CCPA.
Over the coming months and years, we are prioritizing engaging with all College stakeholders to continue this critically important dialogue through ongoing conversations.
This first conversation will take place with internal stakeholders of the College (students, staff and faculty) and external facilitator Michele Decottignies. It will consider where we are presently.
Subsequent conversations will welcome alumni to consider the College’s accountability for harms of the past, as well as engage our colleagues and the public in a broader dialogue that will consider how we, as an arts sector, can work on in collaboration to create a more equitable industry.
Sincerely,
Barbara Greeniaus, Alana Hibbert, & Caleb Marshall
on behalf of the Canadian Heritage Arts Society Board, the Cultural Safety Working Group, and CCPA
