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ELIA Strategy

An Introduction

In January 2024 the Executive Group along with the ELIA Team decided to adopt a new approach to strategising for the long-term and short-term. We wanted to find a way of mapping our future which would ensure we remain resilient, relevant and responsive to the needs of our members. To achieve this, we invited For Planet Strategy Lab to guide us on a participatory journey involving the ELIA members and team at every level. We are excited to present the outcome of this fruitful collaboration which culminates in the creation of our values, missions and initiatives going forward. We will revisit these regularly and use them as touch points when developing new projects and activities.

Susanne Stürmer
ELIA President

Our Core Proposition

Europe's leading multidisciplinary network in higher arts education and research. Powered by our members, we are a globally connected knowledge community for peer-learning, international collaboration and advocacy.

The ELIA Strategy is a Process

The ELIA Strategy is much more than just a plan. We have purposefully gone beyond merely defining strategic topics or goals, instead focusing on distilling our core identity as an organisation.

We achieved this by treating strategy as a process that unfolds over time. By balancing open phases of collective sense-making with more targeted phases of decision-making, we established ELIA’s ability to engage in participative strategising to sharpen its role and become capable of acting effectively, even in times of uncertainty.

The ELIA strategy serves as a guiding compass on how to move forward, linking our future aspirations with present-day actions. It is rooted in five core VALUES that describe what ELIA stands for as an organisation and puts them to work through three strategic MISSIONS that describe what we do and how we do it.

Understanding strategy as a process also means our work continues beyond our strategy texts. Taking our VALUES and MISSIONS as guiding elements, we will continue to use them to reflect our actions and uphold our aspirations in the ever-changing context of arts education and research.

We invite you to explore our strategy, explore the essence of ELIA, and be moved by community, connections and advocacy.

ELIA VALUES

During the evolution of the ELIA Strategy 2035, it became apparent that we needed a set of guiding principles to outline our common purpose as a network encompassing many communities within higher arts education. These principles took the form of five VALUES describing the collective beliefs at the heart of ELIA as an organisation.

WE STAND FOR THE ARTS

We advocate for freedom of artistic expression, recognition of the value and impact of the arts, research in and through the arts, and access to creative education for all.

WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF COMMUNITY

As a collective force, we shape brave and safe spaces, generating a field of influence, support, and resilience within and beyond the higher arts education and research sector.

WE EMBODY PLURALITY

We believe in the generative quality of diverse perspectives and inclusive dialogue, embracing frictions and holding space for critical analysis. Deeply committed to democracy as an integral part of plurality, we support our members in championing democratic principles.

WE SUPPORT A CULTURE OF CARE

Through collaboration with our members, we prioritise care in every action we take. Actively seeking solutions to global challenges, we are committed to taking responsibility for our environment and each other.

WE LEAP BEYOND THE NOW

Driven by a passion for learning, experimentation, and discovery, we are a knowledge community at the leading edge of arts education, creative innovation, and impactful change.

ELIA MISSIONS

With our VALUES in writing, we turned towards an examination of our core strengths and contributions, and how we could engage them for the benefit of our membership and beyond. These three strengths have become our MISSIONS.

COMMUNITY

MAKING SPACES

Community is the essence of ELIA. It embraces the transformative power of supporting each other and working together.

Powered by our members, we are a dynamic force, a knowledge community for peer learning, exchange, and development. Through authentic dialogue and the sharing of arts-based practices that enrich and invigorate, we shape safe, brave and explorative spaces. In challenging times, these spaces remain adaptive and resilient, supporting processes of learning, understanding, and care.

Greater than the sum of our parts and grounded in a shared sense of belonging, we are an unmissable resource in the higher arts education and research sector.

CONNECTION

EMBRACING PERSPECTIVES

At ELIA, we celebrate the generative quality of numerous viewpoints and actively seek connections that embrace a multitude of cultures, generations and practices. We endeavour to build relationships beyond our members that facilitate discovery, knowledge production and intercultural exchange.

Through unconventional collaborations and cross-sectoral projects, we cultivate conditions for experimentation and co-creation. By embracing friction and synergising perspectives, we continuously develop new methodologies for creative innovation, creating better futures for all.

ADVOCACY

SPEAKING OUT

ELIA channels a plurality of voices into a powerful movement that advances the conditions necessary for higher arts education to thrive. We represent the interests of the higher arts education community at the highest level of European and international policymaking.

Applying participatory models of engagement and evidence-based research, ELIA becomes an established force advocating for recognition of the value and impact of the arts.

We stand in solidarity, supporting our members in harnessing the power of community, connection, artistic intelligence, and innovative potential to shape our local and national ecosystems.

Moving Forward

The new ELIA Strategy represents a living framework, built to guide our collective efforts in advancing higher arts education. Rooted in shared VALUES and driven by clear MISSIONS, it reflects our commitment to community, connection, and advocacy. By understanding strategy as a dynamic process, we ensure adaptability and relevance in an evolving global context. This participatory approach strengthens ELIA’s role as a resilient, inclusive, and innovative network serving all arts disciplines. As a network funded by the EU’s Creative Europe programme, ELIA now has the resources and capacity to implement our new strategy effectively. We invite you to join us in shaping the future of arts education with passion and care. Take a look at the ‘Our Focus’ section which outlines our current activities and upcoming initiatives as our new strategy comes to life.

Maria Hansen
ELIA Executive Director