Take good care of yourself
‘Many podium artists have difficulty making ends meet. It’s up to us to change that’, says core teacher of the Fair Practice module, Gabriela Acosta Camacho who is also study director of the AHK Art Education master and researcher for the lectorate Social Justice and Diversity in the Arts. ‘In a thematically ordered series of five lessons you gain insight in how the work field is structured and obtain concrete tools and tips. These will help you to protect your interests and those of others later in cultural practice.’

Pie with a unicorn
Gabriela starts her class, Fair share with a picture of a pie. It’s someone’s birthday! How do you divide the pie? Students shout: ‘Ask who wants some!’

‘Everyone should get a large slice’ Surely that’s easy enough? But then she shows us a more intricate pie, one decorated with a unicorn. How to divide it? Students: ‘Take off the unicorn!’ ‘Cut the unicorn in pieces!’ ‘Let’s raffle it!’ Or: ‘Give it to the person whose birthday it is.’ Suppose you know there’s two people in the class who’ve had very little to eat lately, what is an honest way to divide it? Gabriela uses this method to slowly introduce the complexity of the notion fair share. She likes to quote the Amsterdam Labour Party councillor who said: ‘You have to divide things unequally to promote equality.’

Customized per study
The Fair Practice module is based on the values fair chain, fair pay and fair share from the Fair Practice Code. At the request of students who had participated in two successful pilot editions, fair value and fair time were also included. Gabriela explains: ‘The great thing is that this series of classes is linked to the practical field where ATD students will eventually work’.  A customized version of the Fair Practice module will be offered to each study programme on request. This allows third year students of Dance in Education, SNDO, ECD, ATKA, Theatre in Education and the Production Podium Arts study programme to follow this module immediately. With funding from quality resources, former director Jan Zoet collaborated with Simone van Bennekom to develop the module. ‘Later, together with project coordinator Wendy van Os and philosophy teacher Sophie van Hoorn, I was asked to help in brainstorming  about how to improve the module on the basis of our individual fields of expertise.’ 

Tony Chocolonely
Back to the class. The transition from pie to money is easily made. Gabriela has some “news”: she’s just won one million euros and wants to divide it equally with the class. How should she do it? And what about the people who are off sick? ‘To students “equal sharing” isn’t quite as straightforward as you might think.’ Gabriela often shows off a Tony Chocolonely bar that you can only divide in unequal parts. It serves to illustrate just how unfair the division of pay is organised in the chocolate production chain. ‘These examples help trigger debate in the class and stimulate students to discuss norms, values and involuntary prejudice.’ 

Fair traineeship allowance
Gabriela has noticed that the module, meant for third-year students, has had immediate results. ‘Students insights change during their traineeship, for example, during the negotiation of their traineeship allowance.’

You often hear of trainees who teach cultural subjects at secondary schools and only receive a minimum allowance, even though they work independently. However, trainees who teach Math or Dutch do receive standard remuneration. Another often heard complaint is that students often work longer than specified in their contract and receive no reimbursement for extra hours. ‘Students then ask: what should I do; I’m dependent on the people where I’m following my traineeship and I want a positive assessment. Is it better to say nothing and just work those extra hours without pay?’  

Not via WhatsApp
Students receive lots of practical tips. ‘If your employer has a collective labour agreement, read it and include it in your negotiations straight from the start. Keep track of your hours.’ By citing concrete examples from practice, Gabriela encourages students to demand honest pay and equal rights. ‘Prior to starting your traineeship, email a list of agreements made to your employer; not via WhatsApp or telephone. You can refer to this list later: gosh, I’ve started work, like we agreed on and I very much enjoy the assignments. But there’s more work and other options coming my way in my current capacity that aren’t  included in the previously made agreement. I would like to discuss remuneration for those extra tasks.’ She sees that this has results. ‘Some students tell me that they are much more businesslike in their negotiations thanks to insights gained from the module.’

Free dancers
The module also deals with your own role in fair practice. ‘Suppose, you’re planning to stage a production but have no money to pay dancers or actors. What can you do? You can make sure rehearsals are scheduled at agreeable times, that there’s good food on offer, that dancers receive plenty of credit and publicity and a good vibe prevails. Thinking about these kinds of things is also fair practice.’

Transkeeters
Fair practice is certainly not only about money, Gabriela points out. ‘Money is an ideal subject as starting point, because it’s something concrete and developing an economic perspective is also part of the module. But essentially, fair practice is about working as fairly as possible. It’s about justice and inclusiveness.’

This theme has been interpreted in various ways by different study courses, she explains. For example, in the acting field, gender and type casting are important. That’s why the ATKA works together with Transkeeters, of which Chris Rijksen and Jonah Lamers have given classes. The practice of Dance in Education has a different focus. ‘An oft-asked question is: how to work with a culturally diverse group who hail from different backgrounds in such a way that everyone feels at ease.’  

Addressing improper conduct 
The delicate subject of social safety is also dealt with during these classes. Gabriela knows how difficult it is to confront transgressive behaviour. ‘When I was younger I worked for employers who made me feel that something wasn’t right. But I was also aware of the balance of power and thought: I wanted this job, so I should be grateful.’ Students receive concrete tips and information about regulations and agreements. In addition, Gabriela refers them to MORES, a support and advice centre for transgressive behaviour in the cultural, creative and media sector. Amber de Vente, co-founder of MORES, will also give classes during the module. Gabriela: ‘If I’d known there were hotlines in my day, it would certainly have helped me.’

She knows the theme of social safety resonates throughout the whole sector.  ‘If you take part in an audition and there’s someone in the jury who you feel has made disrespectful comments or approached you in an improper way, it’s not easy to say something about it. You feel inferior and alone.’

Are you the dominant party?
Gabriela finds that social safety is therefore not an individual issue. ‘If you ask a group of people: do you think it’s important that people feel safe?, everyone will say yes. But if you ask: how will you act?, you’re often met with silence. That’s where our biggest task lies: how do people sitting on the fence deal with transgressive behaviour? It’s not enough to say “the door is always open”. It’s everybody’s responsibility to be aware of what’s going on, to promote sensitivity and act when necessary. Only then will an open and honest culture evolve in which people dare to speak up. Hopefully, in turn this will lead to a decrease and eventual disappearance of transgressive situations.’ 

But Gabriela knows we’re not there yet. During classes she poses questions like: Where do you draw the line? What do you find unpleasant? What does it take before you intervene and say something? We also work on fostering awareness. ‘For example, we do an exercise based on the theory the dominant & the other (see video – editor) by focusing on situations when you, yourself are in a dominant position, for example as a teacher. By consciously taking on this role, you become aware of how you are the dominant party in some situations and the responsibilities this entails.’

Positive Impact 
After following the 5 classes of the Fair Practice Module, students make a Fair Practice manual as a final assignment: how do I relate to myself and interact with others? In the fourth year they meet to see how things worked in practice. That moment of intervision gives insight in the positive impact of what they have learned, Gabriela says. ‘The feedback I always get is: I’ve gained enough experience to enter the cultural field with confidence.’ That’s very important for them. ‘Everybody who graduates in an artistic discipline, becomes an entrepreneur in a certain sense. The module serves as a starting point but is  certainly not an end.’

Would she have liked to follow the module before entering the professional field? ‘Absolutely. When I started out, I always thought: I should be happy with this reimbursement, I must say ‘yes’. I would have welcomed all these insights into salary negotiations and also information about tax returns, bookkeeping and all the other practical aspects.

Drawing a line 
Gabriela would like to see every student and staff member of the AHK, or even the entire cultural field, followed classes like those offered in the Fair Practice module. ‘I think that many academies provide something similar, but a coordinated approach would have a greater effect. I believe that in time the cultural sector will become more just, if there is increasing awareness of fair practice and how it applies in practice.’

Fair practice demands an active approach, it’s a mindset you can utilize throughout your career, emphasizes Gabriela. ‘Working on fair practice is never done and you will continue to be involved in situations that are not fair.’ In her opinion there’s still a lot to be done, also at the AHK and the ATD. ‘I hope this module is a strong starting point for learning about fair practice and where you can find support. So you can speak out: for yourself and others.’

• Check out the complete programme of the ATD Fair Practice module here.
•  The ATD Fair Practice module has collaborated with the lectorate Social Justice and Diversity in the Arts in making 4 informative video clips. Researchers of the lectorate explain the approach they have taken. You can view the video clips here including the short film about The dominant & the other.
• See also https://platformacct.nl/nl/ for the programme-based development of the Fair Practice Code
• The module lessons were made with the help of external parties. For example, the fair share lesson was inspired and developed in collaboration with https://www.izi-solutions.com/ 

text and interview: Petra Boers