Preserving and Promoting: Black Cultural Heritage in Canada

Knowledge Café

Succession Planning Solutions

Themes

The Missing Link: What gaps need to be filled—networks? partnerships? work structure? apprenticeship?—to enable black Canadian museums to survive and thrive?
The Succession Pool: Where are the successors? How do we facilitate matching and mentoring between curators and potential successors? How do we build the succession pool? How do we transfer knowledge?
Youth Engagement: Are we invisible—what can we do to increase our profile with youth? What can attract youth to black Canadian museums? How can we engage the younger generations in the preservation and celebration of black history?

Following lunch, the participants circulated among “theme tables” in a series of four organized rounds to consider the questions outlined in the themes above. During the final round, table groups identified the top solutions with detailed suggestions on what could be done, how and by whom, including outcomes and time lines.

Because of enthusiastic discussions and time constraints, not all group reports were as detailed as requested in terms of outcomes and time lines. However, all the reports recommended top solutions that were fully considered.

The Missing Link

This table formulated a number of germane questions for consideration during Round 1:

Where do we start?
Is there a shared concern, a dialogue already taking place?
How do we get people, in terms of succession, interested and involved?
What are the barriers to getting people involved?
How do we promote awareness and highlight existing role models?
How do we strengthen current resources and how do we gain access to new resources in the following areas:
- human capital
- knowledge
- funding
- tools
How do we find the existing resources?
How do we find the routes of access and advocate for access to the resources required for maintaining our sites, planning for succession, etc.?

After much discussion, three solutions were suggested:

Create a subcommittee under the umbrella of the Canadian Museum Association. This could be called the “Canadian Association of Emerging Museum Professionals.” Models of this sort already exist through the American Association of Museums and this could be adapted for this proposal.

Such a subcommittee could encompass the following ideas and tasks:
- emerging professionals and well-established professionals;
- existing information regarding role models, internships and mentorships;
- advocacy group that sources funding;
- researchers and representatives who know how to access funding.
Develop stronger partnerships with post-secondary academic institutions
- develop longer term internships;
- obtain more money for national internship programs.
Gain access to operational funding by:
- amalgamating efforts across regions; and
- thinking beyond the regional perspective and focussing on a provincial or national perspective to ensure representation.

Participants at this table agreed to pursue Solution #1 for further elaboration and proposed the following steps.

Next steps toward a “Canadian Association of Emerging Museum Professionals”:

Prepare a proposal for presentation at the next national conference of the CMA;
Seek possible linkages with potential corporate partners;
Get creative in approach: involve curators, students, elders, board members;
Start building a relationship with board members and staff of the CMA;
Be active in the development of strategic policies;
Consult grassroots on issues (i.e., Black Cultural Society of Nova Scotia and other potential organizations with a good track record);
Represent museums and be relevant to museums;
Invite the Government of Canada to consider creating a program to which the community museums can apply to undertake specific projects. Models for this approach already exist.

The Succession Pool

Questions raised for consideration:

Who are the successors?
How do we attract and interest them?
How do we keep them?
How do we make them care?
How do we empower them?
How do we reward them?
When do we approach them?
What do we want them to know?

Participants at this table decided to concentrate on the first question and determined that the three key categories of successors were:

People interested in or enthusiastic about history;
Visionary and dedicated individuals;
Students who are, or can be, trained.

The following suggestions were made to engage such individuals by taking advantage of existing systems. The purpose of this is to raise awareness and interest and create an enthusiasm for black history:

Collaborate with people and institutions who are potential partners;
Establish “practicum” opportunities within black Canadian museums and prepare model class assignments on black history;
Establish strategic community outreach programs for high-profile initiatives; and
Develop a Black Canadian Museum Road Show for visits to select cities across the country.

Of the above suggestions, this table decided to propose the Black Canadian Museum Road Show for consideration. Though the issue of funding was not addressed, this initiative was advanced as one that encompasses many of the elements that have been discussed:

The Black Canadian Museum Road Show may be a mobile bus or a truck museum exhibition with volunteer interpreters, practitioners, curators and youth guides;
Through artifacts, documents, photographs, videos and music, the cross-Canada mobile tour can bring an inspirational, proud message and excitement to the hearts of the communities being visited;
The Black Canadian Museum Road Show may make appearances at educational institutions, black Canadian and other museums, historical landmarks, festivals and other community gatherings; and
The Black Canadian Museum Road Show, while imparting knowledge and information, will encourage all Canadians to connect in a meaningful way with the foundations of our Canadian exploration, our cultural diversity and our Canadian identity formation.

Youth Engagement

Interest in this topic led to two tables being established.

Table A

Questions raised for consideration:

What age groups should be targeted?
Where to target the youth? Home? School?
How do we empower youth?
How do we link history with today?
How do we motivate youth to feel comfortable with the legacy of slavery?
Who is engaging these youth? Media? Teachers?
How do we make a lasting impression and ensure retention of knowledge?
How do we provide positive role models?
How do we measure results? Volunteering?
How do we keep youth engaged?

The table A participants decided to elaborate on Question #3:
How do we empower youth?

The following answers were advanced:

Teach youth to value themselves, give them a sense of self-worth;
Youth must feel that they are heard and respected;
Youth must feel they are a part of the decision-making process;
Give them the power;
Impart cultural perspectives;
Empower the parents;
The entire education system must be involved: teachers, museums, parents (trickle down);
Listen, ask and respect;
Let youth determine how they are to be taught or instructed.

The participants at table A elaborated on the above:

Develop initiatives by youth for youth (for example, peer mentors and young community leaders);
Provide equal power and time for their youth issues;
Extend to youth a freedom of expression that comes without intimidation;
Create the means for inspiration from youth champions in museum community groups or in institutional liaisons;
Validate youth experience and knowledge (for example, youth docents);
Tap into the technology used by youth for social networking; and

Encourage museums and public institutions to undertake special outreach initiatives aimed at youth.

Table B

Questions raised for consideration:

How do we attract, develop and hold the attention of youth?
How do we keep the information accessible to youth?
What types of tools can museums share with youth?
How can museums engage youth and reward their engagement?
How can museums show youth that their involvement is important?
How can we incorporate their input into our museums?

The table B participants decided to elaborate on Question #1:
How do we obtain, develop and hold the attention of youth?

The following answers were advanced:

Attract them by using today’s popular technologies: Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and podcasts; virtual tours, online exhibitions and a Web presence;
Use a champion or a popular youth to approach their peers to attract them;
Create youth focus groups;
Be present at youth-oriented events: concerts, sporting events; and
Create programs that involve youth input and creativity.

Next steps

The first three answers above were recommended as the most promising solutions and the following next steps were proposed:

Establish partnerships with high schools to provide youth with the opportunity to learn and volunteer in museums;
Use the new technology to bring generations together and to enhance their museum experience;
Create more co-op programs that involve youth and provide an opportunity to gain more experience in museology;
Create focus groups in community centres; and
Take advantage of the services of a regional or community role model to facilitate focus groups.

Follow-Up Action

The participants expressed sincere appreciation for the foresight of the one-day succession planning summit at the Canadian War Museum and for the conduct of the workshops. They overwhelmingly expressed great satisfaction with the outcomes of the summit and pledged to work together to effect quick action to save black Canadian museums—national treasures housing the history and experience of black Canadian settlement in our country.

They agreed that it was important to empower themselves to learn from each other; to act as a group on behalf of their institutions; and not to wait for something to be done for them. It is expected that a few of the experienced curators and administrators will take the lead in this endeavour.

To that end, the participants exchanged contact information in the expectation of establishing an informal online network of leaders of black Canadian museums. An official contact list has been sent to all participants by the Department.

They also expressed the hope that their suggestions would be reviewed seriously by all parties so that a new generation of curators could be trained to assume responsibility for the management of these museums, and that Canadians could continue to learn of the contributions made by people of African descent to the growth and development of Canadian society.

Information on what action has been taken since the meeting is found in Appendix D.

Conclusion

Sylvie Lépine, Manager of Public Education and Promotion in the Multiculturalism Program, thanked everyone for their participation in this one-day summit. She cited a few of the issues that she heard during the day, and said that she was impressed by the passion and dedication of the participants and their desire to share experiences.

Ms. Lépine also said she was pleased that so many felt that the day was a start in building trust and making connections. She assured the participants that their evaluations of the summit would be reviewed carefully and indicated that the Department of Citizenship and Immigration would post the report on the proceedings of the day on the website of the Multiculturalism Program in the foreseeable future.

She wished everyone a safe journey home.

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