INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, AND EQUALITY POLICY
Vision is POWA
POWA's vision is to create music through paid opportunities for an underrepresented demographic in the music industry: women. We see a correlation between a lack of inclusivity and diversity in the UK music scene, and the highly reported discrimination made against women in their workplaces due to their gender. POWA's vision is to break the glass ceiling for women in the music industry. We must work together to create more opportunities for women's voices to be heard. During all of POWA’s activities, we promote equality of opportunity by seeking to remove barriers, eliminate discrimination and ensure equal opportunity and access for all groups of people. In the absence of any human resource policies in the music industry for freelancers, and or regulatory authority or compliance officers to monitor policies which are made within the arts, these principles of equality, diversity and inclusion are considered by POWA as fundamental and vital to the core of both our musical projects and online member space.
We are doing industry research and collaborating with similarminded groups in our network to better understand the context and demand for change. We include in our musical project all people who identify as female. We understand that intersectional discrimination should not be tolerated in our music scene, or wider society, and that a particular focus must be paid to supporting people who fall into more than one underrepresented demographic. We must work together to decrease instances of discrimination, and raise the standards of our working conditions in music.
Community is POWA
POWA's Community Guidelines are as follows:
POWA’s online and offline community guidelines strictly prohibit the following:
abusive language towards members
criminal activity
bullying of any kind
Please alert POWA via a message to us if you see anyone breaking our guidelines so that we may promptly process this.
Policy is POWA
POWA’s own internal policy at POWA for all participants, commissioned artists, and POWA members: POWA's Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy; we will seek to always:
facilitate respectful communication and cooperation between all participants and members of POWA
promote under-represented groups in particular paying attention to intersectional inclusivity
accommodate open communication to ensure participant and member's varying needs
welcome participant feedback
POWA uses the 7 Pillars of Inclusion to ensure inclusivity in our practice
ACCESS: Our online environment is carefully and considerately prepared and managed. Our guidelines are clearly displayed. Our membership space is open to all genders. ·
ATTITUDE: We research the industry and why it is not willing to take meaningful action.
CHOICE: We don’t pressure participants or members to join - anyone is free to leave and join as they wish. PARTNERSHIPS: POWA strongly aligns its self with the list of partners and sister organisations listed on our website.
COMMUNICATION: It is important that respectful communication is maintained at all times. Our guidelines are clearly displayed for all members and participants to read on our website.
POLICY: POWA’s internal policy is clearly displayed on our website for members, participants, and the public. OPPORTUNITIES: POWA is dedicated to creating opportunities for underrepresented demographics.