Many of our members have issued statements and some of you have asked us to help put these topics on the agenda within the Higher Arts Education community. This we will do. For thirty years now, one of ELIA’s objectives has been to encourage cultural diversity and foster communication between cultures.ise to a broader debate and discussions about systemic discrimination. The educational community has been part of this debate, as privilege, lack of access and hatred have become the subject of important and often uncomfortable conversations between educational leaders and students, teachers and staff.

We reject racism and systemic discrimination. ELIA’s current Representative Board made diversity and inclusion an explicit priority when it started in 2019 and you will find this to be one of the strategic priorities in ELIA’s strategic focus 2021 – 2024. ELIA members will discuss these priorities at the General Assembly in November. We need our members to join with us in making this commitment concrete.

How have these conversations been taking place in your institution? We invite our members to submit their stories and outcomes. Please email irene.garofalo@elia-artschools.org, and help us work on a more detailed piece about racism and systemic discrimination within Higher Arts Education.