Arts Council England: Pilot scheme with North Area Council to help bring new voices into governance

 

Why are we running this pilot?

Kate: This pilot is all about opportunity. The opportunity for us to learn, to hear from other lived experiences, to hear voices we don’t always hear and to understand how we are perceived by those who might not know what we do. For our participant colleagues, it is also an opportunity to learn and to develop their own skills and knowledge. So hopefully, positive for both. 

 

Why did you apply to take part in this programme – what interests you about governance? How did you find the recruitment process?

Lauren: I want to be part of promoting positive and human-driven changes in the workforce and creating equitable decision-making processes in organisations across the cultural sector. As I take on more leadership roles in my work, being a part of this scheme will build my experience by being part of governance and leadership conversations at a high level. It will give me an invaluable insight into how the Arts Council governs across the North. 

I am also interested in how Area Councils can promote and advocate for the perspective of independent creatives and junior staff members, both within organisations and into wider Arts Council policies and programmes.

I have ambitions to establish and run my own creative organisation, so it is imperative for me to understand governance and how it works in different organisations, so I can learn about the best practices in the industry. I found the recruitment process incredibly open and welcoming and responsive to my needs.

 

 

Are there any barriers to young people getting involved in the governance of cultural organisations?

Lauren: I think a huge barrier is that governance isn't widely spoken about outside of senior management roles. I don't think many young people or early career creatives are aware of what it means and how it affects them personally and professionally. Thinking back to most of my roles within organisations, governance wasn't mentioned in meetings or briefings - it wasn't something I was aware of or understood until much later in my career. 

I believe organisations have a responsibility to demystify governance is and what the implications are for their staff, especially those in junior or development roles.

What are you looking forward to as the programme develops, and would you recommend that other board members/trustees look at similar programmes for their own organisations? 

Kate: I’m really looking forward to learning from this programme. And even more importantly, what we do with what we learn. I am conscious that many of my Area Council colleagues are already looking at or are involved with programmes like this in their own organisations. That feels good. I’d hope that we will also be able to look to roll this programme out more broadly across different parts of the Arts Council and our work. 

 

Kate Willard

 

What have you learnt so far and what are you excited about for the rest of the programme and the future?

Lauren: I have found it interesting to learn what governance means across the various teams and jurisdictions at the Arts Council means and how it is applied. I have also gained a better understanding of how it evaluates the appetite for risk while also mitigating the impact.  

I am looking forward to attending more Area Council board meetings and understanding how its members use their unique perspectives and experiences to implement and influence change. I am also keen to gain a better understanding of what and where the opportunities are for freelance creatives to influence change within the Arts Council and larger National Portfolio Organisations through currently established governance processes.

The pilot will run until early 2023; the participants are Kafayat Adegoke, Edenamiuki Aiguobasinmiwin, Porcelain Delaney, Sean Lawless, Chelsea Morgan, Becki Parker and Lauren Townsend. 

 

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