ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Contents Overview 3 – About just Festival 4 – Vision, Values and Mission
just Festival ‘14 5 – Conversations 6 – Performance 7 – Films, Talks, Workshops, and Exhibitions 8 – Charities 9 – Evaluation and Audience Breakdown 10 – Volunteer Programme
Around the Year 11 – Community Events and Workshops 12 – Funders and Sponsors
Appendix 13 – 2014 Media Archive and Credits The Bridge Annie George at just Festival 2014 Programme Launch
Overview About just festival just festival is a curated programme of around 300 events, across 20 venues taking place each year in August. We aim to celebrate diversity of cultures, faiths, gender-identities, sexualities, philosophies and ideas, challenge inequality and injustice and create a space for communities to engage with each other in productive dialogue. In our fourteenth year, just festival featured top-quality speakers, conversations, performances, film, food, exhibitions, family activities, workshops, art and much more. Past contributors include Arun Gandhi, Margaret Atwood, Mustafa Cerić – the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Harriet Lamb – Executive Director of Fairtrade Foundation, and Simon Callow. just festival is based at St John’s Church, a prime location at the west end of Princes Street, Edinburgh’s principal street. It has an established reputation as a fringe venue that delivers high quality events from all genres.
The Onion of Bigotry: A History of Ha tred Black Dingo Productions at just Festival 2014 Programme Launch
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Vision Our vision is for a world where we actively seek to understand each other as individuals, communities and as a global humanity: a world where we take into account how our actions affect each other and the planet, rather than acting in passive ignorance surrounded by fear, inequality and injustice.
Values We believe that through respect for each other’s culture, faith, philosophy and ideas, as well as the individual’s right to selfexpression and freedom, we can be part of the wider movement to establish a united world. Utilising these values we strive to promote a safe, peaceful and creative environment for everyone who is willing to engage with us to work together to foster understanding, respect and peace.
Mission Open to everyone, our festival and events, as well as everyone in our organisation, celebrate that difference makes humanity richer, whilst recognising that our similarities make us wiser.
Nzinga – Warrior Queen Toto Tales at just Festival 2014 Programme Launch
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just Festival ’14 Conversations 18 just Conversations and Civic Cafes made up the backbone of just Festival 2014. We brought together a panel of three to five experts, community leaders, business leaders, academics, professionals, activists, and Members of Parliament to engage with the general public in dialogue, offering an unflinching look at important topical issues and methods of positive change. just Conversations developed an inclusive, safe platform for the exchange of experiences, knowledge, opinions and beliefs. Founded on discussion, the audiences were actively encouraged to be part of just Conversations.
Beyond Binaries LGBT Health and Wellbeing
The Aye of the Storm BEMIS
After the Fire Ceases Scottish Episcopal Church
Adding Gender Equality Edinburgh Fair Trade
Madi ba’ s Legacy Africa in Motion
Sex for Money Streetwork
Syrian wi thout Syria Mercy Corps
A Brush with God St John’s Church
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Performance just Festival 2014 brought together a phenomenal programme of performances showcasing talent and knowledge on a local, national and global scale; from exploring the Sounds of Freedom with Edinburgh Brass Band, coming of age in rural Ireland in My Name is Saoirse, discovering the new voices of Soweto with Soweto Melodic Voices and Simply Soweto Encha, to the enchanting Tibetan Dance and Music by Tashi Lhunpo Monks. We provided entertainment and thoughtprovoking experiences. These events celebrated the richness of global culture, confronted unacceptable behaviour and challenged the audiences to reflect on their views, beliefs and actions. Thanks to funds awarded by the Scottish Government as part of their nationwide campaign to tackle sectarianism we showcased three plays exploring and challenging the narratives, causes and understanding of intra-Christian sectarianism in Scotland. In partnership with Black Dingo Productions, these plays challenged local writers, directors, actors and audiences to examine the complex causes and manifestations of sectarianism in Scotland from the time of Martin Luther to present day.
Kitchen Porters K3’14 Theatre Company
Sounds of Freedom Edinburgh Brass Band
Nzinga – Warrior Queen Toto Tales
Such A Nice Girl Black Dingo Productions
Warrior Black Dingo Productions
The Onion of Bigotry Black Dingo Productions
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Films, Talks, Workshops and Exhibitions We partnered a host of local charities and organisations to create an astounding array of activities for people to broaden their knowledge and skills. We wanted to bring communities together to make new connections, showcase their expertise and discover new talents. just Festival partnered Simply Soweto Encha to produce Songs From Soweto, a fascinating documentary charting the remarkable journey of five a cappella singers from one of South Africa’s most notorious townships. They share experiences of post-apartheid generations of Soweto where old shack misery meets new opportunities, prosperity and hope. It was sponsored by the British High Commission, Pretoria.
Songs from Soweto Simply Soweto Encha
Tango Negro Africa In Motion
Punjabi Cookery Cl ass Punjabi Junction
Building Peace in Lebanon Mercy Corps
Way of Tea Mio Shapley & Co.
Table of Submissions The Art Shed
Edinburgh Playing Cards Waverley Care
Films on Women’s Rights Beyond The Veil
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Charities just Festival is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting those with a practical vision for peace. Each year we raise money for selected humanitarian causes through a 50p ticket surcharge. In 2014 we will split the money raised between the inspirational charities Streetwork and Mercy Corps. Our partnerships go further than solely the financial aid they generate, we help promote our chosen charities causes, works and expertise by inclusion in our events programme through talks, workshops, exhibitions and guest speakers.
Streetwork
Geoff Pearson, Chair of the Board Streetwork at just Festival 2014 Programme Launch
Streetwork is a local homeless charity in Edinburgh with a unique approach. They don’t wait for people to come to them; they go to them on the street. They go out, they seek, and they find and connect with people in desperate and destitute situations. Regardless of the circumstances in the past, they work to enable them to bring safety and stability to their lives. Find out more via www.streetwork.org.uk
Mercy Corps Mercy Corps alleviates suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Since 1979, they’ve been helping people turn the crises they confront into the opportunities they deserve. Driven by local needs, their programmes provide communities in the world’s toughest places with the tools they need to transform their own lives. Find out more via www.mercycorps.org.uk
Stuart Willcuts, Mission Director West Bank & Gaza Mercy Corps at just Festival 2014 Programme Launch 8
Evaluation and Audience Breakdown Each year we aim to evaluate each event at least once using paper feedback forms so that we know that audience members value our activities and that they take something with them. By monitoring our evaluations we try to ensure we are reaching audiences from all backgrounds and ages. Our 2014 evaluations show that just Festival is improving year on year.
Audience Gender 0.6%
0.3%
Audience Rating of just Festival 2013 and 2014
0.6% Female
70.0% 64.1%
Male 40.7%
Non-Binary 61.6%
60.0%
Transgender Prefer Not to Say
50.0%
45.9%
Audience Age
Very Poor
40.2%
40.0%
Poor Satisfactory 28.3%
30.0% > 16 - 24
21.3%
14.3%
35 - 44 16.8%
20.6% 12.4% 11.7%
25 - 34
45 - 54 55 - 64
Good Very Good
20.0% 10.9% 10.0%
5.4% 1.8%1.2%
65 < 0.0%
2013
0.0%0.0% 2014
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Volunteer Programme
Selling Tickets in the Box Office
Learning New Henna Art Skills
Collecting Charity Donations
Promoting just Festival
Working Together
Stage Manager Training
Each year we bring together 30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 40 local and international volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to help run just Festival. In return for volunteering their time we trained them in Front of House, Box Office and Stage Management roles, promoting transferable employment skills. Volunteers also cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner for each other, sharing recipes and tastes from around the world. Talent shows and organsised social events meant that we enjoyed getting to know one another, creating lasting links of friendship. We worked, ate, and socialised together to create a diverse, happy community. Volunteers could also attend just Festival events ensuring that volunteers gained as much as they put in. The International Voluntary Service helps us recruit sixteen international volunteers and eight over 50s volunteers. They volunteered for two weeks at a time in return for accommodation and food. For many, it was a great opportunity to improve their language skills. The Robertson Trust provided funds for us to recruit more volunteers from a disadvantaged background, which allowed us to cover transport, and accommodation costs for Scottish 10 volunteers.
Around the Year Community Festivals, Events and Workshops just Festival hosts year-round activities from monthly talks and workshops to community festivals. In March we hosted just Free Film Festival, eight collections of short and feature films that were free to screen, free to enter and promoted freethinking. In June we hosted just Independent Asian Film Festival (JIAFF) at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, showcasing eight films rarely screened in the UK. Each month just Festival host a Death Cafe, where people come together in a relaxed and safe setting to discuss death, drink tea and eat delicious cake. We also host PhD in an Hour, one PhD student, one fascinating topic, one cafe, one hour.
Audience Members just Free Film Festival
A cup of tea with death Death Cafe
PhD Host PhD in an Hour
Detox or Die just Free Film Festival
Ill egal Just Free Film Festival
Bomb Hunters JIAFF
Love in India JIAFF
Ship of Theseus JIAFF
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Funders and Sponsors We could not continue to grow and improve each year without the help and support of our generous funders and sponsors. As well as financial support, they offer us key knowledge and resources that contribute to our diverse programme. It is a delight to work with each one and play a part in showcasing their fantastic work.
Moderator of the Genera l Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Right Reverend John Chalmers at just Festival 2014 Programme Launch
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Appendix 2014 Media Archive and Credits We had a great media team in 2014 that took pictures, created videos and collected reviews and articles. Below are links to our 2014 media archive where you can get a more dynamic feel of just Festival 2014. Photo Credits: Fraser Cameron - FC Event Photography – 2014, Sandrine Cazalet, just Festival Media and Communications Intern, Lukas Powroziewicz, just Festival Volunteer, Syrian Refugee by Cassandra Nelson for Mercy Corps, Aye of the Storm by Joshua Mcwilliam, just Festival logo and brand colours by a visual agency and Sophie Dyer. This report was written, compiled and designed by Katherine Newbigging, assisted by Beata Skobodzinska.
just Festi val ‘14 Programme http://ow.ly/ERkgc
’14 Festival Highlights http://ow.ly/ERkxc
Soweto Melodic Voices http://ow.ly/ERkNC
The Onion of Bigotry http://ow.ly/ERkGi
Songs from Soweto http://ow.ly/ERkYC
JFFF Programme http://ow.ly/ERllD
JIAFF Programme http://ow.ly/ERlLF
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info@justjust.co.uk www.justjust.org All information subject to change A company limited by guarantee registered in Scotland No: 399201 Scottish Registered Charity SC042638
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