Year 3 Update: Introducing Performing Arts Access, Safety and Inclusion Network, Inc.
Annual Commitment Updates - 2022
Last year, we committed to prioritizing community education through town halls, discussion circles, and workshops. Following the second year of DCI SafeSport compliance requirements, we released a Guide to Debriefing from SafeSport Training for educators and administrators. We published our research committee findings from our collegiate marching band experience project, and our annual WGI and DCI/DCA season experience projects. We encourage you to access our findings here as we prepare to launch our 2023 DCI/DCA season experience survey. Our social media presence expanded with the creation of a MAASIN newsletter and the start of our MAASIN Monthly series, and so did our in-person presence: with the generous support of the marching arts community, we hosted informational booths at WGI in April and SoundSport in August!
We also committed to critically reflecting on who we serve and the demographics of our core membership. This resulted in our revised whistleblower support process, new additions to the team, and new programming to expand our support services.
Our mission to serve as a catalyst for a positive youth education and coaching culture in the marching arts has informed our decision to evolve the Whistleblower Support Program. At our three year mark, we are pleased to announce MAASIN PROSPER. The PROSPER program assists community members, ensembles, and other marching arts organizations with addressing and preventing misconduct to foster safe learning and working environments. PROSPER is made up of two teams who provide different types of assistance: Support and Education.
The Support Team will continue offering our third-party whistleblower reporting assistance but has expanded to provide more support to community members who do not wish to file a report. The Support Team can now be contacted just for support in unpacking and processing your experience as well as finding resources to heal. The Education Team is striving to do preventative work by acting as consultants. If you or your ensemble is interested in growing your knowledge of misconduct and how to prevent it or allyship for underrepresented groups in the marching arts, please contact us with questions, workshop requests, or booking meetings with core organizers of MAASIN. PROSPER as a whole is planning to offer regular community programming in the form of the town halls, discussion circles and workshops you know but also explore offering peer support groups in the future. For more information on the launch of this program, please check our PROSPER page for updates.
Our final commitment was to engage organizations with the assumption that we all want to create a better culture in the marching arts. The most appropriate next step in supporting our organization’s growth was to incorporate as a tax-exempt nonprofit organization. In early August, we received determination letters and officially incorporated in the state of California. This commitment crystallized as we pursued nonprofit incorporation. The financial longevity afforded by tax-exempt status helps us build a robust community aid fund, and with your generous donations, we have raised over $10,000 for our winter and summer winners of the March with Pride scholarship. Here’s where we are going in 2023 and beyond:
What changed in July 2023:
Welcome to PAASIN, or Performing Arts Access, Safety, and Inclusion Network, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to changing the culture of youth education and coaching in the performing arts. PAASIN is guided by an elected Board of Directors who oversee the marching arts branch of our activities, still known and operated as MAASIN. Your donations to PAASIN (and MAASIN) are tax-exempt. While our core volunteers and organizers elect a Board in the next few weeks, we welcome you to read our updated mission statement.
Directing Inquiries
We will soon have an elected secretary! Please direct any questions or concerns to our secretary@maasin.net inbox, and our core organizers will get back to you within 48 hours.
FOR REPORTING/WHISTLEBLOWER ASSISTANCE: Please contact support@maasin.net to get in touch with our PROSPER Support organizers.
How to Get Involved
As part of our restructure, we are actively revising our previous onboarding practices. If you are interested in volunteering and organizing with MAASIN, visit our newly updated Join page to view our current working groups and committees. There is room in our organization for every person who believes in our mission.
We are also looking forward to expanding our workshop portfolio in the coming year. We are excited to continue offering “#MeToo in the Marching Arts,” “MAASIN’s Declassified LGBTQIA+ Allyship Guide,” and “Disability Allyship in the Marching Arts.” Our current and future offerings for organizations and individuals are available here.
What did not change:
MAASIN Shop
We look forward to launching our fall programming soon. In the meantime, please browse Our Shop, newly updated with exclusive designs from our summer SoundSport booth. All of the proceeds from our shop go directly toward our scholarship fund and organizing costs.
How to Donate
Now more than ever, we need your donations. We recommend setting up monthly donations through our PayPal at https://www.maasin.net/donate. At $5/month, a single donor covers our non-profit compliance filing fees. At $10/month, five donors would cover our booth costs at WGI and DCI SoundSport events. At $20/month, twenty donors would fully cover a March with Pride scholarship winner’s tuition fees.
As we look toward the beginning of fall marching band, the conclusion of the DCA season, and the start of audition season for WGI and DCI/DCA groups, we want to circulate our Audition Survival Guide and Resources for Parents and Guardians.
Congratulations on your summer season, good skill to DCA ensembles this weekend, and happy fall from core organizers at PAASIN/MAASIN!