As a non-profit arts organization working in the field of healthcare in the San Francisco Bay Area, located on the ancestral lands of the Ramaytush, Ohlone, and Muwekma nations, the Medical Clown Project is committed to racial equity, gender inclusion, and fostering diversity, both internally and for the healthcare populations we serve.
Medical Clown Project services are both a natural outgrowth and a policy practice of what we do as artists and healthcare providers, and ultimately, creating an intentional collaborative culture of consistent cultivation of race equity, diversity, and gender inclusion.
Since our founding 12 years ago, Medical Clown Project services have been provided to indigenous people, communities of color, racially and ethnically diverse individuals, tribal communities, immigrant and refugee communities, and participants whose principal languages are not English.
We embrace spaces where we can encourage each individual to fully express their identity. With our diverse populations, the Medical Clown Project greatly values representation of diverse voices and backgrounds.
Services to older adult groups who are often left out of the services equation are also crucial. These efforts have been reflected in the diverse makeup of our ensemble, who are specifically trained healthcare clowns of all ages – and our organizational leaders, including the Artistic Director and the membership of the Board of Directors.
The joy-inducing workshops noted in our services are also used frequently by Medical Clown Project to impact anti racism conversations and other difficult communications to lessen interpersonal conflicts in everyday situations no matter where we are located.
Our leadership is involved in a DEI group, called DRIVE Forward (Diversity, Representation, Inclusion, Voice, and Equity), teaching and facilitating difficult & important DEI conversations with other Healthcare Clowning organizations of NAFHCO (North American Federation of Healthcare Clowning Organizations – NAFHCO.org).
In exploring the most effective structure for Medical Clown Project to dismantle the systemic racism of patriarchal structures, we are shifting from hierarchical leadership to a distributive matrix organization. We are very proud that the Team Leader Artists now have direct responsibility for the relationship with the facility where they perform. We have hired a Managing Director who will coordinate and support the Team Leaders, and communicate strategy decisions with the Board of Directors.