CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Building an Anti-Racism Strategy for Canadian Broadcasting: Conversation & Convergence

Regional Events: April-May-June (Montreal, Vancouver, and Halifax) and September-October 2022 (Calgary and Winnipeg)

National Conference: November 2022 (Ottawa)

Email: antiracism.media2022@gmail.com 

Racism is a barrier to achieving cultural diversity in media and a culturally diverse media is important for civil society constitution, community engagement, and public discourse formation. The “Building an Anti-Racism Strategy for Canadian Broadcasting: Conversation & Convergence” consultative events will confront barriers experienced by Racialized Canadians (including Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) in media access, representation, and employment-related practices. The deliberative process guiding these events will develop and disseminate an anti-racism strategy that aims to impact the future of media practices by reducing barriers to participation in broadcasting policy-making for Racialized Canadians.

These important and timely events organized by the Community Media Advocacy Centre (www.CMACentre.ca) and supported by Heritage Canada will begin in spring 2022 with five regional one-day gatherings to be held across Canada starting in Montreal, QC (April); Vancouver, BC (May); Halifax, NS (June); Calgary, AB (September); and Winnipeg, MB (October). These regional gatherings will culminate in a national two-day conference in Ottawa, ON (November). The void in available research about the media needs and wants of Racialized communities motivates these outreach activities leading up to the national conference that will bring together Racialized media practitioners and broadcasters, the general public, established and emerging scholars as well as civil society actors and organizations working in the areas of Racialized issues, communications law, and media policy to discuss the main challenges in achieving culturally diverse media.

You and your organization are invited to propose an activity that addresses any of the questions identified below. We welcome for consideration any format or stimulating initiative that will spark discussions in the practitioner, policy and academic worlds as well as engage the participation of Racialized communities and their organizations. All proposals should make at least two recommendations for building an anti-racism strategy for Canadian broadcasting.

HOW TO MAKE A PROPOSAL

We are seeking proposals that mobilize and disseminate knowledge from practical experience or research and can be presented in any format:

– individual or group or project presentations

– panels

– focus groups

– brainstorming sessions

– roundtable discussions

– group experiences

– policy papers 

– training curriculum

To make a proposal fill out the form: https://forms.gle/wkHmuW1RkNptqedXA 

Proposals can be made for the regional events and/or national conference. Each proposal submitted should make at least two recommendations for building an anti-racism strategy for Canadian broadcasting and address one or more of the following questions guiding the organization of these events:

1. What is the state of media by/for Racialized communities and culturally diverse broadcasting in Canada as identified by Racialized broadcasters and audiences?

2. With a focus on broadcasting, what do Racialized communities want and need from Canadian media across all sectors (i.e. public/government, private/corporate and community/not-for-profit broadcasting)?

3. What urgent challenges – from barriers to media access as well as a lack of representation in programming and employment – should be addressed to build an anti-racism strategy for Canadian broadcasting?

4. What insights do key stakeholders working in the areas of Racialized issues, communications law, and media policy offer on the ways forward?

5. What investments, skills, and policies are needed to cultivate a sustainable future for Racialized broadcasting and culturally diverse media in Canada?

LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION

Activities can be presented in French, English or both languages.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

You must provide

– a title

– an abstract (approximately 300 words)

– at least two recommendations for building an anti-racism strategy

– a short biography (less than 150 words) that includes your work in the field of Racialized media 

Deadline for the submission of proposals: March 3, 2022. 

Acceptance notifications along with a preliminary program will be sent by March 11, 2022.

COSTS               

Participation in this event is free. The organizing committee has funds to cover the accommodation and travel expenses of only a limited number of presenters. Participants wishing to see these expenses covered by the organizing committee must make an explicit request in their proposal.