GAS transversal programme

1. Terrassa and culture

Terrassa, located in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, is a city with an identity influenced by its industrial past, which has left a very particular mark on the local cultural heritage, along with its cultural scene and local traditions. 

It is a lively, very dynamic city with an exponential demographic growth as a result of immigration that has taken place since industrialisation. It is a multicultural city, with a strong associative fabric that brings together cultural entities from all over the world.

GAS brings us closer to the model of a city with a symbolic gender perspective, one that considers all forms of accessibility and which is polyhedrically sustainable.

2. Goals and project implementation

2.1. Main aim and specific goals

The objective is the transformation of all public policies promoted by the Cultural and Audiovisual Promotion services through the implementation of three general filters:

• G-genres.
• A-accessibility.
• S-sustainability.

These function as an umbrella for a wide range of factors with the following specifics:

• Integrate into the design and implementation of all cultural policies a non-sexist and non-androcentric perspective that guarantees gender equality and non-discrimination, and promotes the participation and visibility of the whole spectrum of affective, sexual and gender diversity.
• Integrate into the design and implementation of all cultural policies a perspective of equal conditions in relation to the exercise of the cultural rights of all citizens, guaranteeing universal accessibility regardless of people’s abilities and socio-economic background of and non-discrimination on grounds of nationality, ethnicity, culture or religion.
• Integrate into the design and implementation of all cultural policies a sustainability perspective that takes into account the physical limitations of our planet and guarantees management that respects the environment and is in line with the SDGs, in particular with regard to responsible production and consumption, aiming for a zero carbon footprint.
• Promote, through cultural policies, the dissemination, awareness-raising and generation of debate around the three perspectives: gender, equality and sustainability.

2.2. Development of the project

The action plan is under development:

Contextualisation and analysis of current local cultural policies, in relation to the axes of gender diversity, accessibility understood as equality and sustainability.

• Detection of opportunities for improvement in the design and implementation of local cultural policies in relation to GAS axes.
• Design and description of GAS actions to be integrated into local cultural policies.
• Design of management indicators for the evaluation of GAS actions in local cultural policies.
• Training of the staff involved in the cultural services of the corporation.
• Dissemination of the GAS label.
• Monitoring the GAS label :
  • internally, through the staff of the corporation.
  • externally, through a commission within the Culture Council.

The GAS label emerges through the connection of several direct actions related to the three axes that are beginning to be carried out from the 2019-2023 mandate:

• Attention to the gender and anti-racist perspective in the professional exhibition promoted by the municipal organisation.
• Expansion of the discounts available on the ticket prices for performances, concerts and other activities, extending the groups and the percentage of discounts up to 50% (for example, for people between 13 and 30 years old) and even 100% (for people who are 18 years old and live in the city). Creation of the ‘La cultura ets tu’ (Culture is you) card for young people from the eleven daily ‘esplais’ (after-school centres) in the city, which offers free access to these people and their families to all local professional exhibitions.
• Application of sustainability measures in cultural events organised by the municipality or with municipal collaboration (in this case through training and support for the organising bodies) in relation to the correct disposal of waste, the reduction of single-use plastic and paper in communication campaigns, the offer of sustainable products, the reduction of acoustic impact and attention to biodiversity and the environment.
• Application of these measures also to the internal management of the service.
• Promotion and integration of community projects from and into the professional programmes organised by the municipal corporation.
• Reformulation of the criteria for awarding subsidies for the corporation’s cultural services in order to integrate GAS axes.
• Training for corporation staff in gender diversity, non-sexist language, community management, accessibility measures and sustainability in cultural policies.
• Integration of accessibility systems in municipally organised shows and concerts (audio description, subtitles, touch tours).
  The action plan is being developed entirely with staff from the corporation’s cultural services and the training is provided free of charge by provincial or regional institutions, which thus become collaborators in the phase of covering training needs.

Cultural events organised by or in collaboration with the municipality must implement sustainability measures on waste disposal, plastic and paper consumption, sustainable products, noise impact and attention to biodiversity and the environment.

3. Impacts

3.1. Direct impacts

Actions aimed at eliminating socio-economic barriers and ensuring equal access to professional cultural products exhibited in the city have led to an increase of young audiences attending performances and concerts, as well as attracting audiences from districts with a low-middle per capita income.

Environmental measures at cultural events make the city and its population more respectful of the planet and have reduced the carbon footprint of cultural policies.

The professional cultural sector has greater parity and is more diverse partly thanks to the GAS label, which ensures parity and diversity in the preparation of professional municipal programmes, both in terms of artists hired and in relation to the visibility of this parity and diversity in the cultural products that are exhibited.

3.2. Evaluation

The evaluation of the GAS programme will be based on the management indicators of the action plan, which are currently being developed. These indicators will include quantitative indicators and qualitative indicators. Examples of indicators already defined:

• % of female authors in professional programming.
• % of female directors in professional programming.
• % of female performers in professional programming.
• % of attendees at professional programmes by district.
• % of performances or concerts with sensory accessibility measures.
• % of discounted tickets (broken down by type of discount).
• % of tickets through the “La cultura ets tu” card.
• Number of shows or concerts with carbon footprint 0.
• Number of performances or concerts that use single-use materials.
• Has the GAS label changed your perspective on your work? (Yes/No)
• How much do you think the GAS label has changed the way you work?

3.3. Key factors

Factors that explain the success of the GAS label include:

• The professionalism and human quality of the cultural services staff. In the cultural field, the intrinsic values with which one works on a daily basis also play in favour of a programme like GAS.
• The synchronisation of the project with the global agenda of defence of human rights and sustainability in the face of the climate crisis.
• The remission of ableism and the general awareness that disability will be a part of everyone’s life at some point or another and that it should not be a barrier to access culture.
• The growing socio-economic gap between the highest and lowest incomes. The latter, without actions that guarantee equal access to cultural participation, creation and consumption, would see their cultural rights violated.

3.4. Continuity

From the cultural services, once the GAS label has been implemented in their programmes, its replication is already being planned, both in the local cultural third sector and in the other services of the corporation. Each service will require its own action plan, which will be practically identical in its phases and structure, but particular in its content, according to the specificities of each area.

The GAS transversal programme brings us closer to the model of city that we are working towards, a city with a symbiotic view of Genders, that takes into account all Accessibilities and that is polyhedrally Sustainable. 

Training is offered to the corporation's staff on gender diversity, non-sexist language, community management, accessibility measures and sustainability in cultural policies.

4. More information

Terrassa was a candidate for the sixth UCLG – Mexico City – Culture 21 International Award (November 2023 – March 2024). The jury for the award drew up its final report in June 2024, and requested that the Committee on Culture promote this project as one of the good practices to be implemented through Agenda 21 for culture.

This article was written by Rosa Boladeras Domingo, Councillor of Presidency, International Relations and Cultural and Audiovisual Promotion, Terrassa, Catalonia, Spain.

Contact: promocio.cultural (at) terrassa.cat
Website: www.terrassa.cat