Statement of Intention upon Reopening

After two weeks of processing, listening, reflecting, and strategizing, we have decided to reopen this Wednesday, May 22nd. We want to be transparent about this decision and share as much as we can about the next steps and longer term action plan for addressing the concerns raised about safety and inclusion at 10 Forward as a community space.

We take the feedback and concerns shared by the community seriously as individuals and as a team, and we are making substantial efforts to address them.  With the help of external facilitators trained in restorative justice, we are reaching out to set up conversations between people who have voiced that they have been hurt by the actions of members of our team and the 10 Forward staff members in question. Several staff members will be taking steps back from public facing roles to focus on these restorative processes and healing work. If you feel that you could benefit from a mediated conversation with someone on staff, please let us know. 

We are taking this moment of shifting staff roles and responsibilities to continue to move towards collective and horizontal leadership. Co-operatization has been the long term goal of 10 Forward. That entails making the space profitable for artists and employees, building revenue and trust, and then applying to be a cooperative when the business and its community recognize that they are equipped to make that decision.  

We have worked very hard this last year to make 10 Forward financially self-sustaining.  In order to implement the changes we know need to happen, we have to have the space in which to practice them. The unfortunate truth of this hellish capitalist reality is that if we don’t reopen now, we will close, and the potential to make this space better is extinguished. 

While the actions of some individuals have not represented our views as an organization, we recognize that we have not done enough to implement policies of accountability and practices informed by the most marginalized members of our communities. In an attempt to remedy this, we are seeking sensitivity training for our entire staff, reaching out to and collaborating with QTBIPOC community members to create events that lift up, and are safe and fun for the most marginalized among us, and seeking appropriate facilitators to set up affinity groups. 

We have also come to the decision through much deliberation amongst ourselves and with facilitators and mediators practiced in this work that we need to have restorative conversations with individuals who were harmed before it is appropriate to hold a public forum. Without the internal and interpersonal work first being done, a community forum of that kind has the potential to cause more harm than good to those impacted by the venue’s actions and we want to do this right. While we consider the best format for an in-person forum, we encourage you to share your feedback through our online form (which corresponds to a public-facing sheet for transparency) or directly with staff while at the venue.  We want and need to hear any feedback that you wish to give.

Thank you,

10 Forward

For more information on how this plan came to be, keep scrolling to see the notes from our Meeting of the Facilitator Minds.

 
 

Restoration and Action Planning Session

Notes & Next steps

Objectives of the Meeting:

  • Develop a comprehensive action plan for operational and community-focused activities.

  • Facilitate plans for mediation, internal restructuring, training, and conflict resolution. 

Norms:

  • Culture of Honesty and Confidentiality: Emphasizing open, honest communication within a confidential framework.

  • Assumption of the Best Intentions: Maintaining a positive outlook on participant contributions and intentions.


Collaboratively Established Goals:

  • Action Plan Development: Crafting steps for reaching out and implementing feedback mechanisms.

  • Facilitation Plan: Setting up structured approaches to meeting management and participant engagement.

  • Community and Personal Mediator Plans: Formulate plans for individual and community mediation to address conflicts.

  • Learning and Training: Incorporate lessons from external examples like The Majestic to improve processes.

  • Staff and Patron Agreements: Revisit and set a regular review cadence to maintain relevance and effectiveness.

Action Plan

  1. Personal Mediation

  1. Initial outreach by the mediator

  2. Personal meetings with the facilitator first with note-taking

  3. Addressing individual grievances.

  4. Conversation between various parties (individually, with the facilitator)

  5. Meetings between those parties and anyone else employed by 10 Forward, if deemed necessary 

Immediate Next steps: 

  • Who can help try to make these mediations happen in terms of reaching out?

2. Feedback Integration

Facilitated by RJ practitioner:

  1. Information and data gathering through the google form

  2. Calling in the Who

  3. Deciding on the What and What’s Next

  4. Taking those next steps (deliberately and intentionally):

    • Individual meetings with RJ practitioner first with notetaking. 

    • Setting up the dialogue with an eye for being fruitful and productive. 

      1. Identifying patterns or in/consistencies in the information gathered

    • Note from facilitator during meeting: While full safety can't be guaranteed, efforts should be made to create a secure environment for all participants.

  5. Use themes from dialogs to strengthen community relationships and trust.

Immediate Next steps: 

  • Continue looking at the google form feedback with help of trained facilitators

  • Reaching out to who needs to be a part of these conversations  with help of trained facilitators

3. Affinity Spaces

Groups: as needed, naming BIPOCQT, Transfemmes re: feedback in IG comments.

Location: subject to group needs

Next Steps:

  • Identifying and organizing group leaders.

  • Ensuring the safety of potential attendees

4. Codifying Internal Processes

Enhance diversity with inclusive practices. Explicitly communicate the processes we’ve already been doing in addition to adding to them and actively collecting feedback on the process themselves in order to continue to shape them. 

Next steps:

  • Document and share current practices. 

  • Adjust processes based on active feedback.

  • Continuing to codify equitability. 

  • We spoke about scholarships and organizations like resource generation to help get financial backing for the bar so that we can worry less about profits and more about community. 

5. Sharing/Transparency of Processes

Actions

  • Share details of staff meetings

  • Promote collectivization and shared ownership

  • Big step back from ang = offload and delegate responsibilities

  • Eliminate singular leadership roles.

6. Continuous Relationship Building and Trust Restoration

  • Continual Feedback Loop: Ensure ongoing collection and integration of feedback to refine and improve processes.

  • Equity and Inclusion: Maintain focus on developing practices that support diversity and inclusivity with the staff through trainings and reset of norms and procedures

  • Learning and Training: Incorporate lessons from external examples (like The Majestic) to improve processes.

  • Staff and Patron Agreements: Revisit and set a regular review cadence to maintain relevance and effectiveness.

  • Monitor Feedback: Keep an eye on social media to gauge public sentiment and respond appropriately.

  • Impact Assessment: Evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies in improving your relationship with the community and in achieving business stability.

Integrated Reopening with Healing, Communication, and Inclusive Practices

A work-in-progress action plan that outlines a clear path for reopening our organization, emphasizing the importance of healing, transparent communication, and a strong commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable environment. 

Key Principles:

  • Healing: Prioritize open communication and restorative justice practices to address past challenges and rebuild trust within the community.

  • Communication: Maintain clear and consistent communication with staff, volunteers, and the broader community throughout the reopening process.

  • Inclusion and Equity: Implement strategies to ensure all voices are heard, valued, and represented.

  • Programming: Develop a programming schedule that reflects the diversity of our community and allows for innovation while we rebuild trust.

Phase 1: Laying the Groundwork

Step 1: Individual Restorative Conversations 

  • Action: Secure a facilitator trained in restorative justice practices.

  • Action: Schedule individual restorative conversations with key stakeholders

  • Action: Affinity Group creation

Step 2:  Outreach to Booked Acts

  • Action: Identify acts or events booked on the calendar through the summer. 

  • Action: Develop a communication plan for reaching out to booked acts. email template that includes CTA for replying all + booking email.

  • Action: Reach out to booked acts to discuss options and next steps. Focus on open communication and understanding their needs

Phase 2: Continuous Improvement (Ongoing)

  • Action: Hold regular staff meetings with a clear agenda and commitment to transparency. 

  • Action: Analyze feedback received through restorative conversations and the feedback form. 

  • Action: Develop and implement a plan for ongoing DEI training and improvements to our organization.

For continuous consideration:

  • Budgetary implications for restorative justice facilitator and DEI training.

  • Communication channels for ongoing updates with the community.