PRINCIPLES OF ETHICS

Waiting for the Code of Ethics of the Trade Association AGIS, Teatro dell’Elfo s.c. Impresa sociale expresses its Principles, based on European Standards.

THE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

The social enterprise, and in particular the economy connected to it, plays a central role in Europe since it is able to guarantee employment to almost 14 million people (6.3% of the active population). In Europe there are 2.8 million organizations that generate economy for social purposes, almost 232 million members of cooperatives, mutuals and similar and 82 million of volunteers. Usually, it is only spoken of as inclusion-oriented subjects but the social enterprise is also the greatest innovation in the cultural production field; a new way of producing, different both in the motivations and in the outcomes. The Teatro dell’Elfo was the first reality to grasp the extent of this innovation in the field of theatrical production and the participatory management of a contemporary art theatre. Nowadays it is the most advanced reality in this field on the national scene.

Through the annual social report, Teatro dell’Elfo intends to give an account of its own management to all stakeholders with whom, directly and / or indirectly, it related in the course of the year by placing particular emphasis attention to the dimension of economic and social factors. The document is a valuable database that helps to understand what our Theatre is, with the aim of providing a clear and agile reading of the activities carried out. We want to highlight, alongside and integrating the traditional economic profiles: the results and impacts generated on the territory; an in-depth analysis of the structure; the increase of efficient internal management practices and the development of performance indicators useful for our continuous improvement; the strengthening of existing relationships of trust with stakeholders.

WHO WE ARE

Teatro dell’Elfo is a collective of thought and an artistic ensemble that has perfected its own management model participated with the transformation in 2011 into the first Social Enterprise in the theatre sector created in Italy, involving workers from all sectors in the creation of an innovative model of independent art theatre and in permanent training of the new generations of artists, technicians and managers. An open collective, centered on art and artists, on motivating participation and on the greatest possible democracy in the work flow: networked – and not pyramidal –, this is a unique form of business organisation in the Italian theatre scene, which has proved capable of giving quick and multiple answers to the complex management problems of an institution that has three very strong intertwined identities: by its vocation, it is the first contemporary Italian art theatre, the first social enterprise by ethical choice and by public recognition one of the most innovative theatres of significant cultural interest (TRIC).

GOVERNANCE

The organisation in its business form and in its enterprise model descends from a necessity of artistic practice, to respond to its more and more complex needs. We know that there is no permanent solution to the problem of a correct relationship between efficient entrepreneurship and art theatre. Our model is based on a mix of personal and historical circumstances that are not easily replicable, because linked to the dialectical development of a strong ethics solidarity, on one hand, and of an equally strong defense of the primacy of art, on the other, pursued as a voluntary choice by our founding artists.

We quote from our statute (art.4): “Freedom offends work and separates it from culture when it is mostly done of privileges. But freedom is not primarily made up of privileges, but it is made up of duties. It is at the very moment in which each of us tries to make the duties of freedom prevail over privileges, in that moment freedom reunites work and culture and sets in motion a force that is the only one capable of effectively serving justice. You can then very simply formulate the rule of our action, the secret of ours resistance: anything that humiliates work humiliates intelligence, and vice versa. The revolutionary struggle, the secular liberation effort is defined above all as double and relentless refusal of humiliation.” So Albert Camus in 1936. So still today, for us. Art allows us to be free and not to be free just for ourselves. The pact between work and culture is the guiding principle of our being, at the same time: art theatre, cooperative and social enterprise.

For any further information, please see our corporate annual reports.

THE PRINCIPLES OF ETHICS

The organisation’s Principles of Ethics guide the work of Teatro dell’Elfo’s board and staff members, and it is shared and practiced by its artistic partners. Its general purposes are: To set an ethical standard that can be applied to Teatro dell’Elfo’s board, staff and artistic partners, approaching their work and making decisions; to provide ethical standards to which the general audience and the Milan city community can hold Teatro dell’Elfo accountable; to enable Teatro dell’Elfo board, staff and artistic partners to address issues of conflict or unethical behaviors and have clear procedures to address those issues. Ethical decision-making is a process that often has no clear answers. Teatro dell’Elfo’s Principles of Ethics are not an attempt to provide exact processes and answers to issues, but it aims to be a guide to help our stakeholders make thoughtful, reasoned and ethical decisions. Teatro dell’Elfo is committed to: treating our board, staff, artists, partners, audiences and the civil society communities we serve with dignity, inclusivity and respect; acting responsibly and with integrity in all of our activities; ensuring fiscally responsible and healthy organisational operations; avoiding conflicts of interest, and addressing them if they do arise; providing conditions of employment that safeguard individual rights and welfare, especially regarding gender equality; being responsible, transparent and accountable for our actions and decisions; improving the ethical conduct, accountability and transparency of the theatre community.

THE GENDER EQUALITY PLAN

To recognise and confront ethics issues that may arise during our activities implementation, we based our problem shooting plan on the paper “Ethical research: good practice guide to researching LGBT communities and issues” by the LGBT Foundation, aiming to identify, understand and resolve ethical issues, with added focus on how these issues might apply to work with lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBTIQ+) communities. The guide we apply draws on the ethical principles set out by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Framework for Research Ethics (2015). We tried to ensure that the LGBTIQ+ participants are at the centre of the research we are conducting, thinking about the impact of our project and how any new knowledge of our activity could benefit the community. The goal is to amplify the voices of our LGBTIQ+ participants, and not trying to speak for them. We deeply familiarise ourself with the full spectrum of gender identity, the social and political issues affecting the lives of trans people (discrimination, healthcare, abuse etc.) and the kind of language we should be using to ensure that our projects are inclusive. We wanted to ensure that the finished product, the projects results and report materials will actually be used to benefit LGBTIQ+ communities, and that all the stakeholder will work this way.

We will make sure that none of the staff members are ignorant or prejudiced towards LGBTIQ+ people, that they won’t make the audience uncomfortable and compromise the quality and aims of the project. We ensured that all our artists and trainers are sufficiently knowledgeable about LGBTIQ+ issues and the topic we are addressing to be able to adequately inform participants. We also ensured a variety of support services and charities specifically for LGBTIQ+ people (including LGBT Foundation) that exist as useful places to signpost participants toward. We sensibilise the trainers to try to access LGBTIQ+ participants in an environment in which they may not be ‘out’, trying to appear comfortable and knowledgeable about LGBTIQ+ issues, so that participants feel reassured that they can ask you any questions they might have. We won’t have any relations with organisations that they believe to be homophobic, biphobic or transphobic. We ensured that the projects itself is designed in a sensitive manner, as the language we are using LGBTIQ-inclusive and appropriate. We will not ask anything of our participants that could be considered offensive, disrespectful or invasive.

These are our Gender Equality Plan sets of actions:

• Conducting impact assessment / audits of procedures and practices to identify gender bias;
• Identifying and implementing innovative strategies to correct any bias;
• Setting targets and monitoring progress via indicators.

This set of actions, which can have different degrees of complexity, is meant to articulate a strategic view aimed at achieving gender equality. We will focus on the way gender biases and inequalities themselves are being addressed, along with the chosen Theatre Stoytelling approach and the availability of internal or external gender expertise. Recently, gender bias and inequalities have been increasingly addressed taking into account their intersection with other inequality grounds such as disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or ethnicity. We are goingo to break up The Gender Equality Plan in different steps or phases, each requiring specific types of interventions:

• an analysis phase, in which sex-disaggregated data is collected;
• procedures, processes and practices are critically assessed with a view to detect gender inequalities and gender bias;
• a planning phase, in which objectives are defined, targets are set, actions and measures to remedy the identified problems are decided, resources and responsibilities are attributed and timelines are agreed upon;
• an implementation phase, in which activities are implemented and outreach efforts are undertaken so as to gradually expand the network of stakeholders;
• a monitoring phase, in which the process and the progress are regularly followed through and assessed.

Findings from the monitoring exercise(s) allow to adjust and to improve interventions, so that their results can be optimised. The GEP includes actions to reach the project objectives and responds to the guidelines of the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE).

The overall structure of the GEP is divided into five key areas:

• governance bodies, key actors, and decisionmakers;
• recruitment, career progression, and retention;
• work and personal life integration;
• researchers and research: gender equality and sex and gender perspective;
• integration of sex and gender dimension in teaching curricula.

The GEP covers as well gender-sensitive data management and gender equality institutional structures. From the top positions of the administrative structure, up to the teaching and research staff, the technical staff and the students, all the parts of the theatre community have been heard, their resistances analysed and their priorities taken into consideration.

The GEP is being implemented and expanded with PARKS LIBERI E UGUALI experts, a non-profit making organisation, created with the aim of helping partner companies to understand and attain maximum business opportunities deriving from the development of strategies that respect diversity. Teatro dell’Elfo is the unique theatre member of the association. We are taking also in account the Protocol Rules against harrasment and violence in the workplace, subscribed by Federvivo/AGIS and Social Parts SLC-CGIL, FISTEL-CISL, UILCOM-UIL.

EU ETHIC PRINCIPLES

We fully follow and promote the EU ethic principles: respect and promotion of fundamental rights, the rule of law and democracy as key to building people’s trust in the EU and ensuring mutual trust among Member States. Our projects will contribute to build a more democratic EU, respect for the rule of law, fundamental rights and democratic dialogue, transparency and good governance, including in cases of shrinking space for civil society. The work programme of our projects aims to support a comprehensive and intersectional approach and specific actions to promote equality, tackle discrimination and improve responses to racism and xenophobia in the form of hate speech and hate crime, both on- and offline. Through the citizens’ engagement and participation, we will help people make their voices heard and increase inclusion and democratic participation, in line with the Commission’s political priorities, including those specified in the EU Citizenship Report 2020 and the European democracy action plan21. It will also contribute to building a more democratic EU by supporting the activities of civil society organisations and other relevant entities active in promoting rights and values at local, regional and national level.

We totally follow and promote the Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union states, that says that “the Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom democracy, equality, the rule of law and the respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society where pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail”. Teatro dell’Elfo projects are also based on Union values strand, to protect and promote Union values; to promote rights, non-discrimination and equality, including gender equality, and to advance gender mainstreaming and the mainstreaming of non-discrimination (equality, rights and gender equality strand); to promote citizens’ engagement and participation in the democratic life of the Union and exchanges between citizens of different Member States, and to raise awareness of their common European history (citizens’ engagement and participation strand); to prevent and combat gender-based violence and violence against children.

CHILDREN RIGHTS APPROACH

Every Teatro dell’Elfo action that involves children (workshops, projects, PCTO’s etc.) is based on a child rights approach, adopting all the rights and subscribing all the articles of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

All our stakeholders shall respect and ensure the rights set forth in the Convention to each child without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the children’s or their parent’s or legal guardian’s race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status. Teatro dell’Elfo’s partners will take all appropriate measures to ensure that all the children involved in our activities are protected against all forms of discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the children’s parents, legal guardians, or family members. All the methodology and the implementation of children’s safety plan will be published and disseminate in the child protection policies of Teatro dell’Elfo, in line with the Keeping Children Safe Child Safeguarding Standards.

PRIVACY PROTECTION

Regarding privacy/data protection issues related to data collection, analysis and dissemination, a data protection system with an online data management system will collect, archive and protect all the sensitive data. We follow the policy on protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the European Union institutions, based on the Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 on the protection of personal data by the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies.