Recognising the importance of ensuring that a range of perspectives are heard and understood (from both within and beyond the Society), three think tanks were established in 2020 with a focus on racial diversity, LGBTQI+ and gender, and disability inclusion. Each think tank included representatives from Staff, Faculty Committees, Members, Trustees, and external stakeholders. In 2023, the Think Tanks came together for a practical workshop in which they mapped entry and progression routes with the Society, identified barriers and recommended solutions for overcoming these. The output from this workshop was used to formulate the Society’s EDI policy commitments for 23-24.
With the aim of supporting ISTD’s strategic development by gathering and sharing views and feedback from under-represented stakeholder, in 2024, we formed a combined EDI Advisory Group which will meet twice a year to advise on ways to improve access to the Society, suggest opportunities to raise awareness and share lived experience of EDI with members and the broader dance community and identify future EDI training needs to inform programming.
