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Wilson launches Social Justice Guidelines for Museums
18/12/2000
"Museums and galleries have a unique role to play in developing an inclusive and socially just society," Allan Wilson Deputy Minister for the Environment, Sport and Culture said today.
Launching the Scottish Museums Council report Museums and Social Justice the Minister welcomed the guidelines and case studies provided in the report to assist museums and galleries in breaching social barriers. The report seeks to:-
- outline a three year action plan to break down barriers to inclusion;
- act as an advocacy tool for museums and local and national government;
- encourage museums and galleries to help promote active citizenship, lifelong learning and social inclusion;
- raise awareness among non-museum organisations of the potential role of museums and galleries in contributing to the social justice agenda.
Speaking during the launch in the City Arts Centre, Allan Wilson said:
"Tackling social justice requires a joined-up approach, promoting integrated action across agencies and council departments. We need to be working closely with local communities and grassroots organisations.
"This is where museums come in. Museums are one of the organisations with an important role to play - a role that is all too often underestimated, not least by museum people themselves.
"Delivering social justice is about improving income, employment opportunities, providing warm homes and care for the elderly. It is also about improving people's quality of life at every stage of their lives.
"I hope that the report will achieve its aims of stimulating debate and of raising wider awareness of the role that museums can play in working towards social justice. Museums can have an important role in communities in acting as a focus point; safe, welcoming places for people to meet and come together; places to provide an outlet for active citizenship; places to harness the energy and talent of that most dependable and diverse sector of the community - the voluntary sector."
BACKGROUND
1. The Scottish Museums Council (SMC) is an independent company with charitable status founded in 1964 as a membership organisation serving mainly local authority museums. The SMC is principally funded by the Scottish Ministers and received grant-aid of £940,850 for the financial year 2000 - 20001. It provides the main channel of government support for Scotland's 400 local museums and has over 200 member organisations including local authorities, armed service museum trusts, universities, independent museums with charitable status and historic houses. The Council's Board of management is elected by the membership.
2. The SMC's remit is to improve the quality of museum and gallery provision in Scotland and it aims to meet this objective through provision of project grant-aid, advisory services, training and specialist information services. The SMC also provides advice to the Scottish Executive on Scottish museums matters; administers the national Registration Scheme in Scotland; and advises the National Heritage Memorial Fund on Scottish applications for support from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
3. Ambitious targets for delivering social justice and defeating child poverty in Scotland were set out in Social Justice…A Scotland where Everyone Matters which was published by the Scottish Executive on 22 November 1999.
News Release: SE3247/2000
18 Dec 2000