The pandemic has thrown into relief a lot of things that privileged folks have consistently overlooked, felt unnecessary, or not prioritized. Accessible events are one of those things. And when I say "accessible" I don't mean "legally compliant so you don't get sued" - I mean genuinely being inclusive of as many folks who could benefit from attending, or want to attend, but have significant barriers prohibiting them from being there.
Cost, disability, transportation, childcare, location - are only a handful of impediments, and holding hybrid events knocks down most of them.
For our organization, with a mission and vision rooted in inclusion, it was imperative that we change the format of our events, and with their return this year - we did. While my colleague organized the in-person components, I {as the loudest advocate for hybrid events and most tech savvy on our team of nine} was tasked with spearheading a shared online experience.
There were challenges, for sure - namely being time restrictions as an hourly employee with multiple other responsibilities {I had to cut corners and rely on YouTube's captions instead of individually captioning each pre-recorded performance}, scheduling issues, organizational transition, and two days of snowstorm prior to the event turning performances we were going to record and share online only, unexpectedly into live ones. Despite the chaos, we were able to hold a successful Festival of Fire & Ice for the first time since 2020 - with over 300 in-person attendees and many folks downloading activities we provided online and watching the Haudenosaunee Songs & Stories we put online.
I {we, collectively} have A LOT to learn in order to make future events feel more cohesive for attendees regardless of where they're attending. I'm grateful to be continuing to challenge and change our organization, and to lead efforts like these. We pulled off our very first hybrid event ever, and the ones to follow will be so much better.
Cost, disability, transportation, childcare, location - are only a handful of impediments, and holding hybrid events knocks down most of them.
For our organization, with a mission and vision rooted in inclusion, it was imperative that we change the format of our events, and with their return this year - we did. While my colleague organized the in-person components, I {as the loudest advocate for hybrid events and most tech savvy on our team of nine} was tasked with spearheading a shared online experience.
There were challenges, for sure - namely being time restrictions as an hourly employee with multiple other responsibilities {I had to cut corners and rely on YouTube's captions instead of individually captioning each pre-recorded performance}, scheduling issues, organizational transition, and two days of snowstorm prior to the event turning performances we were going to record and share online only, unexpectedly into live ones. Despite the chaos, we were able to hold a successful Festival of Fire & Ice for the first time since 2020 - with over 300 in-person attendees and many folks downloading activities we provided online and watching the Haudenosaunee Songs & Stories we put online.
I {we, collectively} have A LOT to learn in order to make future events feel more cohesive for attendees regardless of where they're attending. I'm grateful to be continuing to challenge and change our organization, and to lead efforts like these. We pulled off our very first hybrid event ever, and the ones to follow will be so much better.
{Image description: A group of people and many children gather outside in a snowy garden to watch a performance.}
