3.1 Activate service

Activate access to essential services with careseekers by ensuring their security and safety through the co-creation of accessible resources and affordable fee-for-services. This will result in strengthened creativity and economic stability.

Context

As service providers with lived experience as careseekers or individuals in need, we aim to improve access to essential services for creatives struggling to meet basic needs in an increasingly uncertain world. This includes supporting low-income families, gig workers, and small to mid-sized entities in the artistic, creative, and cultural sectors. Our efforts are designed to address immediate challenges while fostering long-term growth and resilience.

In the short term, we will co-create affordable, accessible services to ensure survival, security, and safety without contributing additional financial strain. Planned initiatives include the development of open-source digital tools for financial management and education, which will be cooperatively managed and made accessible with subsidies for those in need. We will also create mapping and matchmaking tools to connect creatives to social services and other resources they require to stabilize their lives and careers, including access to food, water, healthcare, shelter, education, access to information, and access to peers in arts and culture. These tools will provide a foundation for careseekers to grow from and prepare for future needs.

In the long term, we will focus on equipping careseekers with the skills, resources, and knowledge they need to thrive. We will offer affordable workshops, training programs, mentorship, and internship opportunities designed to enhance mental health, creativity, and financial independence. Additionally, we will produce free learning toolkits within the Creative Commons to promote environmental resilience and readiness for future crises.

Ultimately, our goal is to empower creative careseekers to learn the skills and access the resources they need to become self-sufficient, generate new sources of income, and build resilience in the face of crises and ongoing challenges. This transformation will enable them to transition from seeking and receiving care to giving and supporting care in their communities, ensuring lasting economic and environmental stability.

Care

Our approach to care for this pledge includes nurturing wisdoms, ecosystems, and platforms that strengthen inclusion.

Wisdoms

Ecosystems

Platforms

Codicil

Additional notes and reflections about this pledge to be added to this section over time, including ties to caring internal and external practices, impact evaluation, identification of gaps and barriers, unanswered questions, learning insights, and more.

Internal practices

What are some of the internal practices that we will draw upon to fulfill this pledge? 

External practices

What are some of the external practices that we will draw upon to fulfill this pledge?

Impact practices

What are some of external impact practices that we can draw upon to track and evaluate our impact for this pledge? Among others, these could include Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); Environment, Sustainability, Governance (ESG); Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW); Vital Signs; Equitable Evaluation Framework (EEF); and a variety of qualitative impact frameworks in arts and culture.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG)

Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW)

Vital Signs

Equitable Evaluation Framework (EEF)

Qualitative Impact Measures

Gaps and barriers

What are some of the gaps and barriers we anticipate or experience in advancing this pledge?

Unanswered questions

What are some of the unanswered questions we anticipate or experience in advancing this pledge?

Learning insights

What are some of the learning insights we anticipate or experience in advancing this pledge?

Additional resources

What are additional resources that have helped us fulfill this pledge?