This text is an excerpt from the publication Towards Sustainability and Inclusivity of the Rewilding Cultures Project (2026), developed within the Rewilding Cultures Creative Europe project and Feral Labs network. The chapter focuses on gender-inclusive participation and accessibility within Feral Labs and Feral Residencies, reflecting on structural barriers, care responsibilities, economic precarity, mobility, and the conditions necessary for more inclusive and sustainable cultural participation. The chapter was compiled and prepared by Radiona.

My music is not composed, it is grown.
- Éliane Radigue

Éliane Radigue, a pioneering French composer of electronic and experimental music, describes her practice as one of patience, listening and cultivation rather than control. Placed at the outset of this report, her phrase offers a metaphor for gender-inclusive participation: inclusion, like her music, is not best approached through fixed models or engineered outcomes, but grows through time, attention and supportive conditions. This perspective resonates with rewilding cultural practices that prioritise emergence and relational processes, enabling diverse forms of participation to take root and develop on their own terms.

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Introduction: From Principles to Situated Practices

In Feral Labs Nodebook #2 - Feralities within the article “An Intro into Talks on Social Inclusion and Gender Equality” our network has framed inclusion as an ongoing, relational and context-dependent practice rather than a fixed set of rules. It positioned the Rewilding Cultures project with activities, camps and artist-in-residence (AIR) programmes as spaces where social relations, infrastructures and power dynamics are continuously negotiated.

Based on that foundation, rather than revisiting conceptual ground alone again and again, we are offering a recap and recommendations grounded in concrete organisational practices, drawing on questionnaire responses from organisations actively running Feral Lab AIRs and camps across Europe within EU projects for more than a decade. 

Rewilding Cultures and Feral Labs artist-in-residence programmes (AIRs) and camps strive for continuity but are sometimes temporary, experimental, even we can say nomadic, as they usually operate at the edges of institutional culture as experimental forms compared to institutional framework. Yet, there is no reason not to dislocate cultural and artistic practices in areas that usually have no access to hybrid art forms. 

This community-driven “feral” quality of cultural and artistic projects allows experimentation and adaptability, but it also raises important questions about gender balance and gender-inclusive participation. Over the course of years implementing EU projects such as Feral Labs (2018-2021) and Rewilding Cultures (2022-2026) under the umbrella of Creative Europe, the camps and residencies as such, no doubt, occupy a distinctive position in the cultural landscape of Europe. Their strength lies in flexibility, care-based organising and an ability to respond to participants as people with practical needs rather than general terms. Using questionnaire data from organisations working in this field, this article explores how gender balance and gender-inclusive participation are understood and practiced in the Feral Labs network today.

Rather than focusing on formal compliance, the data reveals a landscape of situated, practice-led inclusion, shaped by sometimes limited resources but with strong ethical commitments.

The network wanted to focus on practices, challenges, measures and organisational capacity related to gender equality and gender inclusion. We are bringing here comparatively analysed data to identify shared patterns rather than rank performance. The aim is not evaluation but COLLECTIVE LEARNING: making visible what already works and where further support is needed.

Who responded and ACTED

Eight small to medium organisations across Europe, from Austria, Croatia, France, Finland, Portugal and Slovenia participated in the implementation of the gender balance and gender inclusion practices within the Rewilding Cultures project.
Naturally, partners from the wider Feral Labs network were invited to work together on the implementation of the aforementioned practices.
All organisations and institutions are active in artistic, cultural, scientific, technological, ecological and community-based practices, with a few located outside major urban centres or spanning its activities in rewilded, local or rural areas.

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1. WHAT WE DID

Listening is not the same as hearing.
- Pauline Oliveros

Pauline Oliveros was a composer and theorist of experimental music whose practice foregrounded listening as an active, ethical and collective act. Through her concept of Deep Listening, Oliveros articulated an approach to sound that values attentiveness, inclusivity and shared presence over hierarchy, virtuosity or control. Her work offers a compelling framework for understanding gender-inclusive participation as a practice of listening, one that makes space for difference, mutual awareness and relational engagement, and supports cultural environments shaped through facilitation rather than authority.

Recap per project partner - Case Studies 

Bioart Society

Bioart Society approaches gender balance and gender-inclusive participation primarily through flexibility and care-oriented practice rather than formalised policy frameworks. Central to its work is the implementation of flexible residency timeframes, which allow artists to adapt schedules to personal circumstances. This flexibility recognises that participation in residencies is shaped by uneven distributions of care labour, health conditions and differing capacities to commit to fixed timelines.

In addition to temporal flexibility, Bioart Society employs inclusive administrative practices, using forms that invite artists to share access needs and personal considerations in advance. This enables the organisation to anticipate accessibility requirements and respond proactively, rather than relying on reactive or ad hoc adjustments. Working conditions are adapted on a case-by-case basis, particularly in relation to health-related needs and care responsibilities, reflecting an understanding of inclusion as an ongoing, negotiated process.

Awareness of gender diversity and intersectional needs is clearly present within the organisation. Bioart Society relies on shared guidelines, organisational values and situational judgement. This openness enables responsiveness and empathy, while also placing a high level of responsibility on individuals to sustain inclusive standards in everyday practice.

Overall, Bioart Society exemplifies a values-driven approach to gender inclusion that is deeply embedded in its organisational culture. Its strength lies in attentiveness, adaptability and care for individual circumstances.

Schmiede Hallein

Schmiede Hallein approaches gender balance and gender-inclusive participation through a combination of flexible programme design and developed internal awareness structures. Participation formats and scheduling remain adaptable, allowing the organisation to respond to diverse needs while maintaining the experimental character of its artistic programmes. This flexibility is supported by an explicit organisational commitment to inclusivity, understood as an integral part of Schmiede Hallein’s working culture rather than an external requirement.

A distinguishing feature of the organisation is the presence of a compliance-oriented structure, indicating a more formalised engagement with inclusion than is common among cultural organisations. Rather than relying solely on individual sensitivity, inclusion is embedded at an organisational level, shaping how programmes are planned, communicated and facilitated. This contributes to a high degree of institutional awareness around gender equality and gender inclusion.

At the same time, Schmiede Hallein responds proactively to challenges common at the intersection of art and technology through targeted programme lines that actively engage female artists as residents. Values and intentions are clearly articulated and translated into concrete, measurable indicators, positioning gender equality as an ongoing process. Tools for systematic evaluation and long-term documentation are still in development.

Balancing open-ended experimental formats with structured inclusion frameworks requires ongoing negotiation. Schmiede Hallein is well positioned to navigate this terrain, combining awareness and capacity while continuing to strengthen data-informed evaluation to support learning, transparency and sustainability.

Zavod Projekt Atol

Zavod Projekt Atol approaches gender balance and gender-inclusive participation primarily through its pedagogical and artistic practices. The organisation provides flexible residency conditions and develops programmes oriented toward learning, experimentation and shared inquiry. Inclusion is embedded in how knowledge is produced and exchanged, rather than articulated through formal gender equality measures.

A central aspect of its approach is a strong emphasis on knowledge-sharing and experimental learning environments. By encouraging participation across different skill levels and backgrounds, the organisation actively counters hierarchical and exclusionary dynamics common in technical and artistic fields. This pedagogical orientation supports gender inclusion by lowering barriers to entry and fostering confidence, collaboration and mutual learning.

At the organisational level, there is a strong awareness of gender equality and inclusivity, carried through programme design and facilitation.

One key challenge lies in translating inclusive pedagogical practice into clearly defined gender equality policies. While the impact of these practices is evident in lived experience and community dynamics, monitoring and evaluation beyond anecdotal evidence remain limited, risking invisibility in contexts that prioritise formal indicators.

Zavod Projekt Atol excels in cultivating an inclusive learning culture. Strengthening light-touch documentation or reflective evaluation could further support the visibility and transferability of this work while preserving its experimental, process-driven ethos.

The Culture Yard

The Culture Yard approaches gender balance and gender-inclusive participation through its broader commitment to community-oriented cultural work. Its artist-in-residence programmes are designed with flexibility and developed in collaboration with municipalities and diverse cultural stakeholders. Inclusion is understood as integral to working within and for local communities, rather than as a standalone objective.

A key feature of the organisation’s practice is its collaboration with local partners to ensure relevance and accessibility. By embedding residencies within existing community ecosystems, The Culture Yard lowers barriers to participation and responds to local social realities. Gender inclusion is approached as part of a wider concern for access, representation and social connection.

At the organisational level, some structural frameworks are in place, providing continuity across partnerships. There is further potential to strengthen gender equality by translating existing activities into more explicit programme-level tools.

One of the main challenges lies in aligning multiple stakeholders with differing priorities and capacities. Limited resources for specialised monitoring and evaluation make systematic impact assessment difficult across diverse contexts.

Overall, The Culture Yard demonstrates a strong model of community-based inclusion grounded in partnership and local engagement. Further articulating gender equality within this framework could enhance clarity, accountability and transferability without undermining its relational, place-based approach.

ART2M

ART2M approaches gender balance and gender-inclusive participation through a strong emphasis on adaptability and care, particularly in relation to residents with health conditions or care responsibilities. Flexible residency models allow participation to be shaped around individual circumstances rather than fixed institutional expectations.

In practice, ART2M adjusts residency conditions responsively through direct communication and personal negotiation. Accessibility is highly personalised, reflecting an understanding of gender inclusion as closely intertwined with embodied experience, wellbeing and uneven distributions of care labour. This approach prioritises empathy and responsiveness over standardisation.

There is clear operational sensitivity to issues of access, vulnerability and inclusion. Organisational capacity is shaped by available resources, placing much of the responsibility for inclusive practice on individual commitment.

A key challenge is that the absence of formal frameworks can make replication, continuity and evaluation difficult. Inclusion practices risk fragility over time and may be harder to communicate externally.

ART2M demonstrates how care-based approaches can effectively support gender-inclusive participation in feral contexts. Introducing lightweight shared structures could strengthen continuity and transferability while preserving its human-centred ethos.

Cultivamos Cultura

Cultivamos Cultura demonstrates a long-standing commitment to gender balance and gender-inclusive participation through flexible artist-in-residence formats active since 2018. Inclusion is integrated directly into programme design, shaping both local activities and international collaborations.

A defining feature of its approach is attention to the material and social conditions of participation. By offering accommodation and adapting working conditions where possible, the organisation acknowledges the role of housing, time and stability in shaping access. Inclusion extends beyond artistic practice into community engagement and local relationships.

Through continuous operation, Cultivamos Cultura has developed strong organisational learning capacities. Inclusive practices evolve through experience, reflection and dialogue, although systematic tools for monitoring gender equality outcomes remain in development.

Scaling inclusive practices internationally while maintaining responsiveness presents an ongoing challenge. Balancing broader reach with sensitivity to local contexts requires continuous adaptation.

Cultivamos Cultura exemplifies mature, experience-based inclusion practices grounded in continuity, reflexivity and international awareness. Strengthening evaluation mechanisms without compromising flexibility could further support visibility and long-term sustainability.

Radiona.org 

Radiona.org approaches gender balance and gender-inclusive participation through a combination of explicit representational practices and community-driven technical education. The visible use of gender pronouns in public-facing communication signals openness and belonging, particularly within maker and technology contexts shaped by historical gender exclusions.

Alongside representational inclusivity, the organisation prioritises technical and educational access. Its programmes foster skill-sharing environments that challenge hierarchies of expertise and redistribute confidence and agency through learning, experimentation and peer-to-peer exchange.

In practice, Radiona.org adapts programmes to participants’ needs through ongoing dialogue rather than rigid procedures, relying on strong community norms and shared values. Awareness around gender equality and inclusivity is high, supported by a Code of Conduct, while inclusive practices are sustained through collective commitment.

A key challenge lies in sustaining this work over time with limited resources and minimal monitoring tools, making long-term impact harder to assess or communicate externally.

Overall, Radiona.org demonstrates progressive inclusion practices at the intersection of gender and technology. Lightweight documentation and longer-term monitoring could enhance visibility while preserving the openness central to its practice.

InArts/IU

As a concluding Rewilding Cultures case study of gender balance and gender inclusion practices, we present a project partner whose work is articulated through formal institutional policies and indicative statistics, offering an example on how gender-inclusive practices can be developed, embedded and documented within a specific organisational context inside and through the project.

InArts/IU, as part of the Ionian University, through its Interactive Arts Laboratory aligns its actions for gender balance and gender-inclusive participation with the institutional framework of the University’s Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Committee and has developed and adopted its official Action Plan for Gender Equality (2022–2027). Gender balance constitutes a transversal priority across the activities coordinated within the Rewilding Cultures consortium, including TTTlabs, TTTfellows residencies, and the TTT2023 conference. Indicative monitoring of participation demonstrates a strong gender balance across all programmes. For TTTlabs (2023–2024), participation consisted of approximately 62% women, 32% men, and 6% openly non-binary individuals. Similarly, TTTfellows cohorts (including Fellows, FellowXprts, Oracles and Seers) recorded around 60% women, 33% men, and 7% non-binary participants. These initiatives operate within a framework that prioritises care-based participation, intersectional representation, and non-discriminatory selection procedures. Programme design integrates care-based mobility principles, including low-season scheduling, longer residency durations, hybrid participation formats (on-ground and online), and layered roles that distribute authority and enable mentorship. These measures address structural inequalities affecting mobility, caregiving responsibilities, and access to resources, factors that disproportionately impact women and gender-diverse practitioners. Safe-space facilitation methodologies, transparent evaluation processes, and anti-harassment policies further ensure that inclusion is enacted as an institutional practice rather than a symbolic commitment. The TTT2023 Malta Conference extended this inclusive model to a large-scale public platform. Based on publicly available participant profiles and self-descriptions, women represented approximately 65% of contributors, men around 32%, and openly non-binary participants approximately 3%. While exact statistics are not formally collected—out of respect for self-identification and non-binary gender realities—the conference was clearly women-led across keynote presentations, panels, and artistic contributions.

Gender-inclusive participation within TTTlabs and TTTfellows was operationalised through a clearly articulated ethical and procedural framework, formalised in the programme Disclaimer and aligned with the InArts Gender Equality Action Plan (2022–2027). All selection procedures are conducted by qualified international committees under strict equal-opportunities principles, ensuring non-discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity, religion, nationality, or social background. Beyond access, the Disclaimer establishes a care-centred participation environment grounded in consent, dignity, and mutual respect, recognising the experimental nature of artistic research while safeguarding personal boundaries and accountability. Provisions on shared accommodation, health disclosure, documentation practices, and ART training protocols further demonstrate a commitment to transparency, bodily autonomy, and ethical responsibility. Together, the Disclaimer and the Gender Equality Action Plan function as complementary governance tools, embedding feminist ethics, non-hierarchical participation, and inclusive working conditions into the daily operation of the residencies. In addition to formal policies and structural measures, InArts/IU-led events within Rewilding Cultures approach gender inclusion as a process-based, relational practice that unfolds through experimental artistic and research methodologies. Participation is deliberately flexible, allowing contributors to engage through non-linear formats such as partial attendance, repeated visits, or informal collaboration. This openness reflects an understanding of inclusion as something that emerges through process rather than through fixed programme structures. Accessibility is often negotiated collaboratively within the group, shaped by interpersonal dynamics, shared values, and situational awareness, creating space for participants who may not fit conventional academic or artistic pathways. At the same time, this reliance on individual initiative and collective ethics presents an important challenge: practices of care and inclusion that are effective in lived experience may remain invisible externally and difficult to translate into formal documentation or transferable models. Recognising this, InArts/IU is exploring the development of lightweight reflective structures—such as shared inclusion principles and participatory documentation practices—to make this work more visible while preserving the exploratory and process-driven character of TTTlabs and TTTfellows. This reflexive approach strengthens institutional learning and supports continuity without compromising artistic autonomy.

InArts/IU processes personal data in full compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation and relevant national legislation. No mandatory collection of gender data was undertaken within TTTlabs, TTTfellows, or TTT conference activities. Any monitoring of gender balance presented in this report is based exclusively on publicly available self-identification and is used solely for internal evaluation and reporting purposes. Where voluntary self-identification mechanisms may be introduced in future, participation will be strictly optional, purpose-limited, transparently communicated, and subject to explicit informed consent. All personal data will be minimised, securely stored, and processed only for clearly defined objectives related to equality monitoring, with full respect for participants’ rights to access, rectification, restriction, and erasure. No sensitive personal data are shared with third parties or used for profiling. The document supporting the above policies can be accessed here: https://inarts.eu/en/culture/gender-equality/

Conclusion on the State of the Matter

Gender balance and gender-inclusive participation within the Feral Labs ecosystem and the Rewilding Cultures project are not auxiliary concerns, nor compliance exercises. They constitute core conditions for experimental, resilient and future-oriented cultural practice. The questionnaire data demonstrates that inclusion is already enacted across the network through flexibility, care, attentiveness and shared responsibility, grounded in an understanding of the contexts in which nonprofit organisations operate—often under conditions of precarity and limited institutional support.

Together, the Rewilding Cultures project partners, Feral Labs and Feral AIR ecosystem embody a rare combination of experimental practice, solidarity and care. Despite sometimes limited resources, participating organisations demonstrate a deep commitment to gender equality and inclusive participation. Their achievements, like flexible participation formats, transparent communication, safer-space practices and relational attentiveness form a strong cultural foundation for both gender balance and meaningful inclusion.

Strengthening cohesion across the network does not imply standardisation or the loss of feral autonomy. Rather, it enables organisations to support one another through shared tools, collective learning and mutual recognition of challenges. In rewilded cultural contexts where infrastructures are light, experimental and relational, cohesion functions as a practice of care: stabilising participation where resources fluctuate, making invisible labour visible, and ensuring continuity beyond individual organisational capacities.

Cohesive approaches allow each organisation to retain its specificity while benefiting from shared ethical frameworks, values and light structural supports. Such alignment provides clarity where expectations vary, stability where resources are scarce, and continuity where staff capacities fluctuate. By cultivating shared standards without imposing uniformity, the network strengthens its collective credibility, deepens trust among participants, and builds a more robust foundation for advocacy, funding and long-term sustainability.

Gender equality and gender-inclusive participation, understood as both representation and the conditions that enable meaningful engagement, remains central to the vitality, resilience and future relevance of rewilded cultural ecologies. In this way, cohesion becomes not only an organisational strategy but a cultural practice, one that reinforces the core values of Rewilding Cultures project and Feral Labs programmes while expanding their ability to foster gender balance and to welcome, support and empower diverse communities. 

Policy Statement on Gender Equality and Gender Inclusive Participation in Rewilding Cultures AIRs and Camps

The Rewilding Cultures project partners and Feral Lab Network are committed to fostering gender equality, accessibility and socially inclusive participation across all project program lines, especially artist-in-residence (AIR) programmes and camps. Grounded in principles of care, solidarity and experimental culture, this policy affirms the network’s dedication to creating environments where all participants, regardless of gender, identity, socioeconomic background, ability or personal circumstances, can work, learn and collaborate on equitable terms.

The network recognises that inclusion is not a static achievement but an ongoing, relational practice shaped by context, resources and lived experience. Our approach therefore combines flexible programme design with transparent communication, fair and ethical resourcing, as well as shared responsibility for safety and wellbeing. The network commits to offering flexible timeframes, remote or hybrid participation options, part-time engagement where possible, and support for participants with care responsibilities or access needs.

To strengthen protection and clarity for all participants, the network adopts shared standards in the form of adaptable codes of conduct, accessibility guidelines and equality commitments. These tools are intended not as rigid bureaucratic frameworks, but as supportive instruments enabling organisations to respond consistently, respectfully and transparently to diverse needs and potential conflicts.

The network further commits to continuously improving its practices through peer learning, capacity-building and light-touch monitoring of gender equality and gender inclusion indicators. This includes sharing good practices, challenges and experiences across organisations, as well as pursuing additional resources for access measures such as mobility support, assistants or childcare where feasible.

By aligning experimental practice with an ethics of care and responsibility, the Feral Network affirms its dedication to fostering artistic environments that are equitable, accessible, and welcoming to all participants and to evolving its structures and behaviours in accordance with these values.

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2. RECOMMENDATIONS

I do not want to impose my ideas on sound; I want to let sound be itself.
- Daphne Oram

Daphne Oram was a pioneering composer and electronic music innovator, and a co-founder of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, whose work helped shape early approaches to sound, technology and experimentation. Her reflection provides a fitting threshold for the recommendations that follow: it points to a way of working that privileges listening, restraint and respect for what emerges through process. In this sense, inclusion is less about prescribing models or outcomes and more about shaping conditions in which diverse voices, bodies and practices can unfold on their own terms. The aim is to leave a trace rather than a directive, to offer guidance that remains enabling, not prescriptive.

A FRIENDLY (and Formal) Guide to Gender Equality and Gender Inclusion
(for Non-Profit and Artistic Organisations in Hybrid Arts Cultural Practices)

Let’s be clear from the start: gender equality and gender-inclusive participation are not bureaucratic hurdles, funding buzzwords or boxes to tick. They are practical tools for making cultural work possible, sustainable and enjoyable, especially in experimental, hybrid and occasionally challenging environments where art, technology, education and innovation collide.

This guide offers a set of shared principles and practices for organisations that believe inclusion works best when it is flexible, caring and grounded in real life, not in perfect spreadsheets.

1. FLEXIBILITY Is Not a Favour

People have bodies, responsibilities, health conditions, jobs, families and lives. Programmes work better when participation can bend a little. Split residencies, part-time engagement, remote options and adaptable schedules are not “exceptions”, they are simply good problem-solving and programme design.

(Formally explained: Organisations are encouraged to integrate flexibility as a core design principle in residencies, camps and related programmes. This may include adjustable timeframes, split or part-time participation, and hybrid or remote engagement where feasible. Flexibility should be understood as enabling meaningful participation for individuals with care responsibilities, health conditions, mobility constraints or intersecting precarity.)

2. SAY the Important Things Out Loud

Clear communication prevents confusion, stress and unintentional exclusion. Be upfront about time commitments, expectations, money, accommodation, accessibility and safety. Ambiguity is rarely neutral and almost never inclusive.

(Formally explained: Accessible communication should be provided to all participants regarding working conditions, time commitments, selection procedures, available resources, accommodation, accessibility and safety measures. Transparent expectation-setting supports informed participation and helps reduce structural and gendered barriers.)

3. Selection Is a POWER Tool (Use It Carefully)

Selection processes shape who feels welcome before anyone even arrives. Non-discriminatory criteria, diverse perspectives on selection panels and encouragement of underrepresented genders can quietly rebalance long-standing inequalities, without killing experimental spirit.

(Formally explained: Selection processes should be guided by principles of equal opportunity and non-discrimination, explicitly including gender identity and expression. Where appropriate, organisations may actively encourage applications from underrepresented genders or communities, particularly in fields with known structural imbalances. Diverse and gender-aware selection panels are recommended whenever possible.)

4. Care Is INTRASTRUCTURE

Codes of Conduct, safer space agreements and clear ways to address conflict are not signs of mistrust, they are signs of professionalism. A shared understanding of consent, boundaries and responsibility allows experimentation to happen without harm.

(Formally explained: Organisations should adopt or adapt Codes of Conduct or Safer Space Guidelines addressing consent, harassment, interpersonal boundaries, conflict resolution and shared responsibility. Clear procedures for raising concerns and seeking support should be communicated in advance. Care-based facilitation practices, such as group agreements and regular check-ins, are encouraged.)

5. ACCESSIBILITY Is a Conversation

Ask people what they need. Listen. Adjust when possible. Not everything can be fixed, but being honest and responsive goes a long way. Access is not a checklist, it’s an ongoing negotiation.

(Formally explained: access needs or personal considerations in advance. Organisations should make reasonable efforts to adapt accommodation, working environments, schedules or formats accordingly. Where resources allow, support for assistants, companions, mobility or caregiving responsibilities should be considered.)

6. MONEY Matters (Unfortunately and Inevitably)

Transparent budgets, fair fees and no participation costs whenever possible reduce hidden barriers. Economic precarity is real, gendered and unevenly distributed, pretending otherwise doesn’t make it go away.

(Formally explained: Organisations should strive for fair remuneration, transparent budgeting and the avoidance of participation fees wherever possible. Clear information about covered and non-covered costs should be communicated in advance. Budgeting practices should recognise that economic precarity and unpaid care work disproportionately affect certain genders.)

7. Learn TOGETHER, Not Alone

Nobody gets inclusion “right” once and for all. Sharing experiences, doubts, failures and workarounds with peers builds collective capacity and reduces burnout. Networks exist for a reason, use them.

(Formally explained: Ongoing learning within teams around gender equality, intersectionality, access and care-based approaches is encouraged. Organisations are invited to participate in peer learning, knowledge exchange and collective reflection within wider networks. Sharing challenges as well as good practices strengthens collective responsibility and reduces individual burden.)

8. Measure Lightly, Reflect HONESTLY

Not everything that matters can be counted, and not everything should be. Small, voluntary, privacy-respecting reflections can still help organisations learn and improve without turning people into data points.

(Formally explained: Where appropriate and ethical, organisations may implement voluntary, minimal and privacy-respecting monitoring of gender balance and participation patterns. Qualitative feedback, reflective reporting and participatory evaluation methods are encouraged alongside any quantitative indicators. All data collection should respect self-identification, consent and data protection regulations.)

9. Cohesion Is SUPPORT, Not Control

Shared tools, templates and principles are there to help, not to standardise creativity out of existence. Cohesion works best when it offers stability where resources are scarce and clarity where expectations differ.

(Formally explained: Organisations are encouraged to use and contribute to shared templates, guidelines and inclusion principles developed at network level, adapting them to local contexts. Cohesion should function as a support mechanism, enhancing clarity, continuity and mutual learning, rather than as a compliance-driven standardisation process.)

10. Conclusion That is Not a CONCLUSION

Gender-inclusive participation is not about perfection. It’s about paying attention, staying responsive and caring for the people who make cultural work possible. When organisations support one another, share responsibility and build small but meaningful infrastructures of care, inclusion stops being an abstract goal and becomes everyday practice.

And that, in the end, makes better art, better learning and better communities.

(Formally explained: These policy measures support the implementation of gender equality and gender-inclusive participation as an ongoing, relational practice. By combining flexibility, care, transparency and shared responsibility, non-profit organisations in hybrid arts cultural practices can strengthen inclusive participation while preserving the experimental, adaptive and context-sensitive qualities that define their work.)

Policy Recommendations for the European Union

Building on the European Agenda for Culture and the Open Method of Coordination, these recommendations address gender equality and gender-inclusive participation as transversal conditions for cultural awareness, expression and social cohesion. They are informed by practice based evidence from hybrid cultural ecosystems operating at the intersections of art, technology, innovation and education, where experimentation, care and precarity often coexist.

1. Recognising gender equality and gender-inclusive participation as transversal cultural policy priorities

Based on previous practices of OMC groups, EU cultural and related policy frameworks can continue to position gender equality and gender-inclusive participation as cross-cutting priorities across culture, education, social policy and innovation, rather than as isolated thematic areas.

In hybrid and experimental cultural practices, gender inclusion functions less as a discrete intervention and more as a condition shaping access, participation, sustainability and creative output. A transversal policy framing supports coherence while allowing for contextual interpretation.

2. Enabling flexible and care-based participation models through funding and programme design

EU funding instruments may actively enable flexible participation formats, including adjustable timelines, hybrid mobility, part-time engagement and care-aware programme structures.

Such flexibility is particularly relevant in cultural ecosystems characterised by project-based work, uneven resources and intersecting care responsibilities. Policy frameworks that allow flexibility help reduce structural barriers while safeguarding artistic and research quality.

3. Supporting proportionate, ethical and reflective approaches to evaluation

EU programmes are encouraged to recognise evaluation approaches that combine qualitative, participatory and light-touch quantitative methods, while respecting self-identification, consent and data protection.

In experimental and non-formal cultural contexts, reflective documentation, narrative reporting and peer-based learning offer meaningful insights into inclusion practices and can complement conventional indicators without increasing administrative burden.

4. Strengthening institutional responsibility for inclusive participation

EU policy frameworks can emphasise the role of institutions, funding structures and programme design in enabling gender equality and inclusion, rather than placing responsibility primarily on individual participants.

This may include encouraging organisations to articulate codes of conduct, safer-space practices, transparent selection procedures and accessible communication, while allowing these tools to remain adaptable to local contexts and organisational capacities.

5. Investing in network-based learning, cohesion and shared infrastructures of care

EU support mechanisms may continue to prioritise networks and transnational collaborations that facilitate peer learning, knowledge exchange and shared tools related to gender equality and inclusion.

Network-level cohesion strengthens sustainability without imposing uniformity. Shared ethical frameworks and reflective practices can stabilise participation in conditions of precarity and amplify the impact of locally embedded initiatives.

6. Acknowledging experimental and hybrid cultural practices as policy-relevant actors

EU cultural policy is invited to further recognise experimental, hybrid and semi-institutional cultural practices as contributors to innovation, inclusion and social cohesion.

While these practices often operate outside standard institutional categories, they generate valuable, practice-based knowledge on care-oriented participation, accessibility and gender inclusion. Recognising their role supports a more adaptive and future-ready cultural policy landscape.

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Taken together, these recommendations invite a policy environment that supports gender equality and gender-inclusive participation through flexibility, care and shared responsibility. Rather than prescribing uniform solutions, they encourage conditions in which diverse cultural practices can develop inclusive approaches that are responsive, sustainable and grounded in lived realities.

Inclusion remains a practice

u n f i n i s h e d,
s i t u a t e d
a n d
c o n t i n u o u s l y
n e g o t i a t e d.