“Count me in!”
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Belonging in the seat of arts festivals.
The European Festivals Association (EFA) invites festivals to share their practices and understand together the diversity of approaches and possibilities of the many actions that are taken (or not yet taken) by festivals around Europe and beyond.
JUNE 2024 - April 2025
Aligned with our 70-Years-On Agenda, EFA is excited to launch the DEIAB campaign “Count me in!” to elevate awareness, highlight the knowledge, best practices and pioneering efforts of festivals committed to advancing equity and inclusion and also identify gaps and challenges of why the topic is (or is not yet) at the core of festivals’ daily business. The “Count me in!” campaign builds on the “Go Green, Festivals” initiative addressing sustainability challenges. EFA acknowledges that environmental sustainability, social justice and community cohesion are deeply interconnected, festivals have an impact and are crucial in advocating for a sustainable environment and fostering social cohesion.
We invite you to amplify your knowledge, experiences and efforts. We want to hear what your festival is up to and listen to your needs. The campaign “Count me in!” includes a survey and a call for stories. Through these two actions, we aspire to learn from each other and create awareness about the role of arts and culture in addressing societal issues. We encourage all arts festivals, from the biggest to the most intimate, to share experiences and contribute to this collective effort. We are accompanied in this process by Ceyda Berk-Söderblom – arts manager, curator and festival programmer specialising in social inclusion, diversity and inclusion management.
European Festivals Association
photo: courtesy of EFA
Ceyda Berk-Söderblom:
“It’s been a privilege for me to support the EFA team in this journey. We started by working closely with the team, beginning with a strategic exercise. And the foundation of our process was the overarching concept of belonging, which guided us in breaking down key themes of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility into clear goals and actionable steps.
Our intense work transformed it into a dynamic, living document with multiple levels of focus. We’ve taken a deeper dive into understanding who the EFA community is. This includes the EFA office, governance, EFA Board, the festivals network supports, the people behind those festivals, and the broader network of stakeholders.”