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4. EASA Strategy - your input is needed on this survey!

EASA members are asked to provide feedback for EASA's strategy.

The preparation of the EASA strategy was started by the EASA Executive Committee with the following goals:

1. Ensure a foundation for how EASA adapts and develops according to the needs, constraints and opportunities existing and emerging in the outside world
2. Provide the organisation with a focus for functioning and development
3. Provide a general framework for continuity and coherence of future actions that reflect the vision and needs of its members
4. Support the stability of the organisation in terms of functioning and development on a longer term.

Several steps were undertaken to prepare a strategy that represents the perspectives of the members on how EASA should advance during the next years. So far, interviews, a swot analysis, an analysis of the EASA main domains of activity have been carried out, and we have organised an exec retreat to discuss in depth and decide on our priorities. The following aspects were underlined:

• Mentoring is a very important benefit that EASA could offer its early-career, precarious members – this has already been initiated. 
• EASA is currently perceived more as a conference-centric association and its conferences are seen by many as the main benefit that EASA brings to its members; there’s a need thus for EASA to develop and communicate more clearly its role and the benefits it brings. 
• Networks are very strong grassroot subcommittees and some consider them even the biggest internal strength of EASA – the need for their involvement and development is crucial. 
• EASA is the largest community of anthropologists in Europe – this means that it has a great potential for lobby and advocacy and for constituting a strong voice in academic policies, in particular with regards to anti-precarity measures. 
• The turnover of the Executive Committee leads to lack of continuity – this structure needs to be promoted so that the involvement in the executive committee becomes more popular for members, supplemented by the creation of support groups on specific actions that could allow other members to get involved directly. A new working group (the Working Group on Academic Freedom and Human Rights) has already organically sprung out of the wish of members to get involved. We envisage the creation of similar groups for anti-precarity & lobbying, publishing, and public anthropology.
• Practical measures of inclusion should look at different types of vulnerabilities.
• More representation of various groups is needed.
• Crises, especially the climate crisis need to be acknowledged and addressed in practice.

Following an in-depth general SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) as well as for each sub-domain (Publications, Anti-precarity & Lobbying, Mentorship and Representation, Networks, Public Anthropology and Communication and External Representation), the following six strategic directions were developed:

1. Ensure and promote the inclusivity of EASA activities, fostering equity and justice
2. Provide a diverse and high-quality range of activities and training for professional development
3. Strengthen public anthropology and diversify the flows of anthropological knowledge within and beyond EASA
4. Develop an infrastructure for advocacy & lobbying for Anthropology in Europe
5. Mobilise and support EASA networks in developing the organisation and promoting Anthropology for the general public
6. Establish inclusive structures and procedures for sustaining the governance of EASA.

Our next step is a consultative one, where we involve our members in making these strategic directions concrete and ensuring that they reflect the priorities, needs, and vision of our members. Our strategy facilitator, Radu Răcăreanu, prepared a survey where EASA members can provide feedback on these directions. Please take a moment to share your vision with us and help us shape our future actions. The deadline for filling in this survey is the 1st of November.

Two webinars are organised in November in order to operationalise each priority and include the feedback from the survey. These will be facilitated by Radu Răcăreanu and are the perfect opportunity to gather members’ feedback on the strategic directions we identified, and on how to render them concrete over the next few years.

• Strengthening public anthropology in Europe: 8 November, 14.00-15.30 CET - Register to attend
• An inclusive, equitable, and knowledgeable community of anthropologists: 15 November, 15.00-16.30 CET - Register to attend

After the two webinars, a final meeting will take place between the facilitator and the executive committee to agree on the final strategy draft and ensure its coherence.

This final strategy will be then subjected to an electronic member vote.