Jazz Finland’s equality policy 2021-2023 was completed in autumn 2020. Each year, we implement a new action program in order to ensure we reach our goals.
The objective of the Jazz Finland equality policy is to advance equality in all our activities and to prevent discrimination in any form. The 2022 action list includes taking preventative measures against inappropriate behaviour, in other words establishing guidelines for a safer space at Jazz Finland, both at an organisational level and across all our events and functions. We also expect our collaborators to commit to these shared principles. In addition, we will adjust our general organisational rubric to respond to any related guidelines, such as reporting and addressing inappropriate behaviour. We will nominate a Jazz Finland representative who can confidentially receive reports of harassment or abuse, and who will be available to discuss any related incidents.
Our entire staff and management team will seek further training in equality issues. We will offer our members training events on how to advance equality in working environments and concert productions. During the first such events, held in autumn 2021, we covered creating guidelines for safer spaces and discussed issues of diversity in the jazz sector. Our recent Jazz Café event, which catered for the entire jazz sector, featured discussions on topics such as safer spaces, work health and safety, harassment, responsibilities, and legislation.
Jazz Finland has signed thesis statements on advancing equality, diversity and equitability in the music industry, as well as the European Jazz Network manifesto on gender balance in jazz and creative music. The Jazz Finland communication strategy identifies accessible and equality-strengthening communication as one of our three main communication objectives; we want to ensure that everyone has easy access to information about jazz. We monitor our progress in achieving our goals through a Jazz Finland equality working group which was established in 2020, as well as utilising other measures such as conducting surveys.
Have we now done enough to attempt to remove discrimination and harassment in our sector, given that we are also involved in joint music industry ventures and campaigns for a responsible and more equitable music sector? No. The work towards an equal and equitable working culture across the whole sector is ongoing and involves continually identifying everyday work situations where we could act better, take responsibility, listen, and learn more. We can continue to increase our own professional knowledge and know-how in order to build a more equal society, and also to share our information with others.
Through our equality policy, we have set an ambitious goal for ourselves: Jazz Finland wants to lead by example and inspire the whole jazz sector to follow suit. This is a motivational goal, which also serves as a reminder to each one of us in our everyday choices: we can only proceed towards this goal through concrete and mutually agreed steps.
Jazz Finland is a member of the Culture for All Service, supported by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.
Maria Silvennoinen
Executive Director
Suomen Jazzliitto/Jazz Finland
Photo: Maarit Kytöharju