Apply to be a Diversity Bridger!

Diversity Bridgers address a range of challenging and crucial issues such as structural racism, lack of equality and accessibility. As change makers and organizers, Diversity Bridgers offer ways to reflect, to connect, to develop tools, and to implement ways we can work towards a more equitable society. In this yearlong Diversity Bridger course special attention is given to recognizing structural racism and introducing anti-racist practices. The course encompasses lectures, meetings, and an accountability partner program with other course participants as well as within your own organization.
 
Culture for All Service with the support of The Ministry of Education (OKM) brings the Diversity Bridger course to a wider audience across Finland. The course is coordinated by Culture for All Service, an organization committed to equity, inclusivity, accessibility, and diversity in all its activities and in the recruitment of new staff, and the organization supports the Finnish art and culture field in these issues. Culture for All Services and OKM support all genders and people belonging to different minorities, regardless of e. g. gender or gender identity, ethnic background, various abilities, religion or age. 
 

Target Group
Diversity Bridger course is open for professionals already working and employed in an organization. This could be an arts and culture institution or a municipality. We are looking for municipality workers with an interest in the arts and culture and deep motivation to implement anti-racist practices and diversity. The course languages are English and Finnish; we also welcome applicants with knowledge of other languages. Those with experiences and/or an education from outside of Finland are also appreciated.

 
Learning Objectives
The aim of the course is to offer tools for developing, implementing, and maintaining anti-racist practices and diversity in the workplace.
 
After the course, participants

•  will be familiar with key concepts such as anti-racism, diversity, equity, equality, accessibility, norm criticism, structural racism and inclusion 
• will have knowledge about the arts and culture sector in Finland as well as cultural policy
• will get familiar with tools and techniques required in facilitating a process of change towards a more diverse and equitable arts and culture field 
• will know how to identify racist structures and how to address them in the workplace 
• will know how to address and facilitate difficult conversations within the community and in the workplace 
• will have met experts in the field of arts and culture, diversity, anti-racism, equity and organizational change 
• will know how to bridge communities, concepts, and practices between various parties, such as institutions, individuals, and organizations, and 
• will have practical and firsthand experience of strengthening Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEI&A) in municipalities and in the Arts and Culture Sector.

Course Content
The course introduces participants to topics and practices related to anti-racism and applying a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in an institutional context. Participants will become familiar with current issues and debates within the arts and culture sector and cultural policy in Finland related to diversity and equity. The course includes virtual meetings, clinics and lectures as well as being an active participant in an accountability partner program. The aim is to provide participants with practical and immediately applicable anti-racist tools and to build a network of municipality workers as well as professionals in arts and culture organizations.
 
The accountability partner aspect of the course provides an opportunity for Diversity Bridgers to get to know other Diversity Bridgers and the various institutions they work in as well as ways they function. Building allyship and a support network is crucial in implementing and maintaining diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism practices within communities.
 
Course assignments involve working with an accountability partner and preparing a final work. The course assignment is that participants will for example, develop or conduct a training, mock intervention, etc. with an individual or group. It could also involve creating a 2-year plan for structural change.

 
Implementation
Participation is free of charge. The course is held remotely via Microsoft Teams. Active attendance is required upon admittance to the course. In order to receive certification, one must attend and complete 90% of the meetings, lectures and complete the assignments.

 
Timetable
The application for the Diversity Bridger course opens on November 1, 2023, and closes on December 20, 2023. You will be notified of your acceptance by email by January 15, 2024. You will have until January 22nd to confirm your commitment to the course. Cancellations made between January 29th and February 8th will be charged a fee of 50€. If you cancel a course without a valid reason, we will charge you a fee of 80€.


Application
Please fill in the online application form by December 20, 2023. You can apply in Finnish or English. If you need help filling in the form, please contact: arlene.tucker@cultureforall.fi, +358 451160518.
 
Link to the application form (you will be transferred to Google forms)


Selection
Diversity Bridger course can accommodate up to 50 participants. If there are more applicants than places, applications will be assessed by the Culture for All Service. The selection team may ask the applicant for an interview or further explanations. Applicants will be informed of the selection decision by e-mail by January 15, 2024.
 

Course meetings and clinics
February
9.2.2024 from 9-11am
1st meeting – introductions, course plan, introduce foundations of nonviolent communication, choose accountability partners within the group.
 
March
8.3.2024 from 9-11am
2nd meeting - co-creating safer space guidelines, more about DEI&A and Belonging.
 
22.3.2024 from 9-11am
Attend diversity clinic – Intercultural Dialogue, Facilitators: Svenja Fassbender & Irina Duskova.*

April
5.4.2024 from 9-11am
3rd meeting – introducing Unconscious biases & Awareness of Power & Privilege.
 
19.4.2024 from 9-11am
4th meeting – reflecting together through case studies.

May
10.5.2024 from 9-11am
5th meeting – defining role of a Diversity Bridger - obstacles and joys of being one. Identifying one’s strengths and where we need to put more attention.  Introduce the final assignment which will officially start in September.
 
31.5.2024 from 9-11am
Attend diversity clinic - Accessibility, Facilitators: Aura Linnapuomi & Adriana Minhoto.*
 
August
16.8.2024 from 9-11am
6th meeting – Start actively preparing and carrying out the final assignment.
 
30.8.2024 from 9-11am
7th meeting - Dialogue cards introduction & facilitation workshop in breakout groups with diversity agents.

September
13.9.2024 from 9-11am
8th meeting – checking in with your needs and self-accountability.

27.9.2024 from 9-11am
Attend diversity clinic – Audience outreach & engagement, Facilitators: Laura Gazzotti & Ilaria Tucci.*
 
October
11.10.2024 from 9-11am
9th meeting – production meeting, info session, furthering the development of the final assignment.
 
25.10.2024 from 9-11am
Attend diversity clinic – Work culture, Facilitators: Lisa Kalkowski & Tatiana Solovieva.*
 
November
8.11.2024 from 9-11am
10th meeting – presentations of participants’ findings and final assignments.
 
22.11.2024 from 9-11am
11th meeting – closing and certificates.
 

*If you are not able to attend a clinic, compensation work will be given based on the clinic’s topic.

Background
In December 2023 Culture for All Service was awarded by The Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM) to bring diversity and culture activities to municipalities on a national level. The goal of the project Diversity as a starting point for municipalities' art and culture activities in 2025 is to respond to the need on the municipal side for increasing diversity and equality expertise by, among other things, offering training, consultancy, and other support to cultural activities of the municipalities as well as art and culture professionals working in municipalities. The diversity agent network and cultural diversity and sustainable development dialogue cards developed by OKM and The Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) are used throughout the project in the training and consulting activities. 
 

For further information about the course contact
Arlene Tucker, project director, diversity expert and educator, Culture for All Service, arlene.tucker@cultureforall.fi, +358 45 116 0518
 
Niina Kettunen, Executive Director, niina.kettunen@cultureforall.fi

The Diversity Bridger course is part of Diversity as a starting point for municipalities' art and culture activities in 2025 project.