EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY POLICY
AIM
Art in the Park is a charity devoted to enriching Londoners’ lives and environment through the visual arts. We run art, performance-based and heritage projects, education and training workshops and are involved in community, studio and public art projects. Our well-resourced studios and training space are located in the centre of Burgess Park, London and run by a team of experienced and talented artists.
Accessibility
1. All our meetings and events are held in our studio venue that is accessible to wheelchair users.
2. When we organise classes and events we welcome carers of participants who can only attend if they bring a carer.
3. We are committed to ensuring that anyone, regardless of age or ability, is able to attend our activities, so we will reassess our access requirements to meet the needs of new participants. This includes developing a pool of registered volunteers who can help those who need some extra assistance.
Diversity
Art in the Park welcomes all who are interested in its activities. We aim to organise a range of events and activities to suit the interests and meet the needs of a wide variety of people.
For example, we work doing regular art projects with local communities, several local residential homes for older people and we also work alongside local youth workers to provide creative activities for young people.
We also aim to include within our charity trustees, artists and volunteers from diverse cultural backgrounds, artforms and age ranges.
Art in the Park should be open to new ideas, and particularly prioritise opportunities for participants to share their cultural heritage with one another, which we regularly do in our art projects.
Inclusion and respect
Every participant should be made to feel equally welcome and included at all Art in the Park meetings and events.
Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise offensive and inflammatory remarks and behaviour are not acceptable. These constitute harassment, and have no place at Art in the Park.
Dealing with discrimination and harassment
If any participant, volunteer, artist or trustee feels they have been discriminated against by Art in the Park or harassed at an Art in the Park event they should raise this with the board of trustees.
The board will investigate the complaint, listening to all the people involved. (If the complaint is against an artist, volunteer or trustee, that person will not be part of conducting the investigation).
If the complaint is against a particular individual, this person will have the opportunity to express their point of view, accompanied by a friend. The person making the complaint will also have this opportunity.
If the complaint is against the Art in the Park as a whole, the Board of Trustees must work to ensure that such discrimination is not repeated in the future, and must inform all those who are involved with Art in the Park of how they propose to do this.
Any decision to exclude a person from the organisation due to discriminatory or harassing behaviour will be made with reference to the Association’s constitution. The organisation will support people who feel they have been harassed or discriminated against, and will not victimise or treat them less well because they have raised this.