Transformative Community Engagement Discussion Handout
Commmunity Engagement Discussion Handout
Instructions
For each of the scenarios below:
- Identify the issue/s surrounding equity, access and belonging present in this scenario.
- Reflect on how this situation may, or may not, be present in your own chorus.
- Brainstorm a range of possible responses to the scenario. In your chorus, whose responsibility is it to speak up and challenge, or support, the issue presented?
- Record your conversations and responses for reporting back to the larger group.
Scenarios for Discussion
- Your chorus is collaborating with Mayuri, an east Indian Dance Ensemble, and throws an outdoor bar-b-que at the first joint rehearsal in order to encourage conversation and mingling between your organizations.
- Rainbow LGBT chorus is performing a new setting of four Langston Hughes poems set by Eric Whitacre for chorus and strings. They send an email to 5 local African American churches offering free tickets to the concert, but no one shows up for the concert. What happened? What could have been different?
- Your gay men’s chorus has just begun a collaboration with a Hispanic church choir in the neighborhood who will perform 3 songs on their upcoming holiday concert. The church choir invites your chorus to sing at their church service in two weeks. What steps do you take to make sure that this performance is a positive one?
Action Steps
What are some concrete steps your chorus could undertake to better address community engagement?