Report on a Policy Round Table by EU-LAC-MUSEUMS held at the European Commission offices, Brussels, 29 April 2019

EU policy can consider and include EU-LAC-MUSEUMS project findings. A great deal can be achieved in and

through community-based museums, as distinguished from mainstream museums often associated with

certain demographics and funding structures that receive state attention and support. Community-based

museums offer a lens through which to interrogate both macro and micro, global and local relations.

Community-based museums are often under-represented in policy directions, and yet our research findings

demonstrate that social engagement and pro-active strategies advanced through these entities have the

potential to challenge and enhance existing EU policy that seeks to contribute to development in Latin America

and the Caribbean, making it more relevant and sustainable for the future.

The approach to most of our work can be described as grass-roots. It involves the communities we work with

at all stages of the research and innovation process – from conception to planning, implementation,

dissemination and evaluation – to ensure that the impact is felt within communities. By way of the Brussels

Policy Round Table and this report, we aspire to create a bridge between policy and practice, allowing

community voices to speak back through our project outputs to the policy makers and funders whose priorities

we are implementing.