Stuart WoodKeychange, an association which advocates for gender equality in music, has expanded its operations in Poland.
It is partnering with Spring Break, a Polish festival based in Poznan, as well as several Polish record labels, management companies and promoters which are new signees to the Keychange Pledge for equal representation.
Over 350 organisations and companies have now signed the Keychange Pledge since its launch in 2017.
Tomorrow, 29 October, Keychange and Spring Break are hosting a panel called ‘Artist on the Barricades. Can Music Be a Tool for Social Change?’, which will also be streamed live on Spring Break’s YouTube channel.
The panel will discuss the current state of gender equality in Poland, and what Keychange is doing to promote change.
Magda Chołyst, founder of creative space and pop-up school Artist in Bloom, will be moderating the panel. She said: “Being part of the Keychange movement as participant is an uplifting experience. It’s not just inspiring, it enables networking on an international scale leading to unique opportunities for career development, and most of all it expands your mindset. Discovering what is happening outside your bubble is exactly what is needed right now to understand these challenging times.”
Artist Karolina Czarnecka, one of the new Keychange ambassadors in Poland, said: “I grew up in Poland, a catholic and patriarchal society. It’s in my blood. It’s my heritage. Fortunately, I don’t know how, but there has always been freedom in my mind. Freedom is my truth. This is my everyday aim also in art. Everybody deserves it, without exception. Our words and actions have power, I believe we have influence on the world around us, even if it’s only our backyard.”