Equalities Commitment
Revision: May 2018
Out of the Blue Arts and Education Trust is a charity established in 1994.
Vision
Our vision is that Edinburgh becomes a creative, participative city in which everyone is able to access the spaces and resources they require to pursue their own creativity, no matter who they are and what form it may take.
Mission
Our mission is to provide affordable and appropriate spaces, resources, projects and opportunities for the residents of Edinburgh to be creative. We seek to make this diversity of creativity more visible and, in doing so, support the creation of cultural, social and economic value within the city.
Values
- The communities we reside in are at the heart of everything we do.
- Those who choose to use our spaces define their own creativity.
- As a Social Enterprise we seek to generate a surplus to support our ability to deliver our mission.
OOTB works in partnership to provide economic, creative, social and educational opportunities, to a significant number of people to make a real difference to their lives.
Out of the Blue is a social enterprise, generating the resources for its core activities through the provision of studio space, hiring spaces for both public and private meetings, workshops and events, as well as through our trading activities at the Bongo Club, The Drill Hall Cafe and Out of the Blueprint. Whilst Out of the Blue receives some public funding for project work, such as its training activities, its core costs are self generated: providing a sustainable resource and space for communities to draw upon and utilise over the long term. Out of the Blue provides a resource and a space for thousands of people to come together, and express themselves.
Out of the Blue makes spaces available at the Drill Hall, and the trust’s other buildings for events which fit with our Booking and Equal Opportunities policies.
Out of the Blue welcomes all people, and especially those with protected characteristics, as determined in law by the Equality Act 2010 (Age, Disability, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and civil partnership, Race, Religion or belief, Pregnancy and Maternity, Sex, Sexual orientation) to our spaces, as members of our staff, part of our artistic community and members of the public.
Out of the Blue is committed to providing spaces in which communities can come together, celebrate, share, discuss and debate. As an organisation, we are committed to the importance of respectful, democratic discussion and recognise the importance of having spaces in which that can take place. Out of the Blue is committed to freedom of speech and to the rights of all to discuss difficult and sensitive topics, and to being a place where all are safe, welcomed and respected.
Making our spaces available is an important part of our business model and as such Out of the Blue hosts all manner of groups and events. We do not control or censor the content of the events, however we have a responsibility to aim to ensure no event is discriminatory in nature. Our Booking Policy provides more detail about how we make decisions about who is able to rent our spaces.
Out of the Blue often enables events, exhibitions and performances to take place in our buildings which address local, national and international issues that affect society and the communities we live and work in and with. We also believe that this is the role of art in our society – to facilitate expression, discussion and hopefully, ultimately, understanding.
Intellectual freedom is fundamental to our mission and values. Our equalities commitment underlines the vital importance of the rights of everyone, as members of a democratic society, to express themselves openly without fear, provided that this right is exercised responsibly, within the law, and with respect for others who may have differing views.
Out of the Blue will always welcome discussion to take place at our venues and see the opportunities for people to take part in such discussions as being a vital part of a healthy democratic civic life.
