EVENTS

25/03-19/11/2026 — It takes a village: from bystander to engaged peer

REGISTRATION HERE

It Takes a Village: From Bystander to Engaged Peer is a one-day workshop for cultural workers and artists ("peers") who want to contribute to a cultural field that is not only safer, but more sustainable and flourishing. With the tools we provide, we aim to collectively shift from bystander culture towards a sector built on shared responsibility, accountability and solidarity. This workshop is organised in different disciplines and welcomes everyone who is professionally active in the specific subfield. All roles are welcome (technicians, artists, organisation staff, etc.), we are all peers.

More info about the program:

The workshop day consists of two parts. In the morning, we introduce the Colour System. This tool is a first step toward developing a shared language for talking about transgressive behaviour within professional art contexts. It provides practical guidance to approach situations - that are often perceived as ambiguous - in a more analytical and objective way. Participants work with criteria that can help examine and articulate why something is or is not okay in a specific context. These are then practiced through example situations. (The Colour System was developed by Sociaal Fonds Podiumkunsten in collaboration with Sensoa and Engagement Arts.)

In the afternoon, the focus shifts towards knowledge-sharing. We look at the psychological and structural barriers, as well as sector-specific risk factors, that play an important role. We explore what caring work environments can look like, map out the rights of artists and cultural workers (what does the law say?), and examine the available support network. All of this is made concrete through strategies for engaged peers, which are applied to a number of example situations discussed in the morning.

Practical info:

• Date: depending on discipline (listed in registration form)
• Duration: 9h30 - 16h30
• Lunchbreak: 12h30 - 13h30 (lunch is provided)
• Audience: everyone who is professionally active in one of the disciplines, all roles are welcome (technicians, artists, organisation staff, etc.)
• Participation: free → registration required via registration form
• Maximum participants: 15 (selection based on ‘first come, first served’, in case of high interest we will limit to 1 person per organisation)