The Third Place Policy Statement

the creation of a space where cultures can safely and meaningfully meet

revised june 1999
liz pyle and francine seeto

The Third Place policy was initiated by CONTACT in August 1990 as a direct response to the success of CONTACT's Rainforest project. It was this creative development project involving young members of Australia's Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities which raised many of the issues included in the initial policy statement. The document was indicative of the artistic and cultural development aims of the company and continues to inspire CONTACT’s practice intentions and reflects the best of the company’s achievements.

In 1999 CONTACT celebrates a decade of dedicated community cultural development practice. It is in this context that the company chooses to review its role and place in the youth arts and cultural development sector; its ‘community of belonging’ and operations. This document represents a review of the overarching ethos or policy, The Third Place; which has driven the heart and hand of the company.

The significant issues to be considered in this review are:

1. application of the definition of youth or young people in contemporary arts and cultural development practice
2. application and meaning of The Third Place in contemporary arts and cultural development practice
3. application of the company’s systems to accommodate TheThird Place

1. definition of youth or young people

CONTACT believes that the current official definition of youth as young people aged between 12 and 26 (united nations) years is too restrictive for the company’s purposes. CONTACT’s constituent base, consists of members of diverse communities, and the prime constituency is young people of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-English speaking backgrounds. In practice the company works with individuals of diverse life experiences and responsibilities, immeasurable by years.

CONTACT defines youth, especially in regard to the prime constituency, as participants up to the age of thirty-five years. This model is based on that adopted in South Africa to address issues facing young people who were prevented from fully participating in education and training opportunities during the apartheid years. This can be applied to the situation of a large proportion of CONTACT’s participant and artsworker base. Indigenous and many non-English speaking background Australians are yet to fully participate in the education and training opportunities that others in the community take for granted (Department of Tourism, Sport and Racing, Queensland’s Young People, 1994)

CONTACT’s definition of youth is inclusive of participants who, because of life situations exacerbated by identification with particular ethnic or cultural backgrounds, have inequitable access to community resources and life opportunities. Furthermore this flexible definition merely recognises the relationship systems and values of communities like those of certain Asian and Pacific Islander communities, which define a young person as one who is personally, socially and economically dependent on his/her parents; usually an unmarried person.

2. meaning of Third Place

As informed by multiculturalism, the Third Place attempts to move beyond the simple notion of supporting the celebration of different cultures and cultural expressions (important as these are), into the heartfelt search for, and construction of the ‘place’ where different cultures can meaningfully meet. It is about requiring contexts which embrace principles of respect for the integrity of each culture, and effort to build relationships based on understanding and co-operation. Ultimately the Third Place is the common ground - shared artistic and cultural outcomes, experiences and meanings - created out of the meeting of differences.

The Third Place ensures that the company differentiates between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and avoids use of the acronym ATSI. The communities are disparate Indigenous cultures and CONTACT respects their respective relationships with the land and the sea. The Third Place process uses as its point of reference, the recognition of the Indigenous peoples as traditional custodians of the land.

The Third Place recognises multicultural Australia. CONTACT is committed to eradicating negative stereotypes, especially of cultural and ethnic groups, and young people. The Third Place ensures that the company’s arts and cultural development practices support young people to play with, question and remodel their own cultural worlds. The process should celebrate the dynamics of young peoples’ grounded sensibilities - it is about what young people want at this point in time.

3. company systems

CONTACT is committed to developing appropriate systems to allow the practice to develop properly and to mitigate for continuity of practice methods. This process is framed by the company’s ten years of practice with young people, community members and artsworkers from diverse cultural backgrounds across the state of Queensland and internationally.

Consequently CONTACT is proud of an established core practice of maintaining diverse cultural representation across its staff (including project workers and artsworkers), management and vital relationships with community groups and arts and non-arts agencies. This has fostered a natural system of mutual learning and collaboration.

CONTACT developed an Access and Equity Policy in 1994 to formally document and institutionalise the spirit and practice of the Third Place.

working the Third Place

CONTACT believes it can operationalise the Third Place through:

• continuation, as core work, the development and expansion of arts and cultural practice with young people of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and non-English speaking backgrounds
• strategic, integrated workshops, projects and processes informed by cross-cultural and cross-artform content
• continuation of research and consultation with the company’s constituent base and relevant agencies to ensure the currency of issues and interests of young people
• funding by appropriate arts and non-arts funding bodies, inkind community support and sponsorship/marketing activities as directed by management
• appropriate allocation of resources to facilitate ongoing professional inservicing and development of staff and artsworkers in issues and practices as identified by staff and management

monitoring the Third Place

CONTACT’s Access and Equity Policy includes performance indicators, as based on the principles of the Third Place, and customised to meet the requirements of CONTACT’s unique operations. The A & E policy is meant to be a living policy and the Third Place is never fixed. Key strategies used for evaluation or monitoring of the Third Place include:

• regular documentation and dissemination of project outcomes
• surveys, evaluation proformas, youth forums and informal feedback
• regular meetings and debriefing of staff, artsworkers, participants community members and funding body representatives where relevant
• annual comprehensive internal review of company operations and processes
• appropriate qualitative and quantitative performance indicators
• reporting to funding bodies
• levels of audience development and participation

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