Thinking about starting a new creative group in your community? Or have you already started one and are finding that you need some help and guidance as things start to grow? Whether a knit & natter, a film night, a ceramic class or a choir, we understand there can be some challenges involved.
To help you get things right and gain the confidence to get stuck in, we asked Nic Winstanley from Voluntary Arts England – an organisation working to promote active participation in creative cultural activities across the UK – to share the top ten community briefings from their website.
- Sharing Your Creative Skills
https://www.voluntaryarts.org/sharing-your-creative-skills
So, you’ve got creative skills that you and/or your community want to share with others, but you’ve never delivered a class or a workshop before. Where do you start?
From understanding the group you’re working with, to lesson planning, to knowing your venue – preparation is key! This Briefing will help you think about how you might approach running a class or workshop in your area, and guides you, step by step, on how to develop a group on a longer-term basis. Click the link above
- Volunteering in the Arts Toolkit
https://www.voluntaryarts.org/volunteering-in-the-arts-toolkit
When your group depends on casual volunteer support your ongoing activities can feel a little unstable and unpredictable. If you find yourself in an organisational role in a creative group and it falls to you to recruit and manage volunteers, there are some important things to consider if these relationships are to become longstanding and mutually beneficial. The Volunteering in the Arts Toolkit is a comprehensive resource for small and medium-size arts groups. It covers tips on finding, recruiting and retaining volunteers, some useful information on best practice from voluntary sector leaders, including guidelines on recruitment policy, all written in plain English. This toolkit is perfect for groups wanting to expand their volunteer base, or those looking to strengthen their existing volunteer network.
- Engaging with Freelancers
https://www.voluntaryarts.org/engaging-with-freelancers
Sometimes your group’s activities call for some specific creative expertise. Maybe your sewing group wants to experiment with making jewelry from fabric? Your community hub wants an eye-catching mural? Or your choir wants to incorporate contemporary dance into their next public performance? Whatever the reason, sometimes it’s necessary to recruit a freelance artist to gain new skills or fulfill your group’s desires.
This document is full of tips and checklists for finding, selecting and recruiting a freelance artist, so you can be confident that everyone knows where they stand, and your collaboration goes off without a hitch.
- How to Write a Successful Funding Application
https://www.voluntaryarts.org/how-to-write-a-successful-funding-application
It is incredible how much voluntary creative groups can achieve without a scrap of funding, but sometimes there’s just no way around it when materials, equipment, venue hire, time and expertise all need to be paid for somehow.
Writing a successful funding application is like a good recipe – it depends on a few ingredients coming together well.
This briefing talks you through all the things you should consider when applying for funding to give yourself and your creative group the best chance of success.
- Finding a Venue- Some New Ideas
https://www.voluntaryarts.org/finding-a-venue-some-new-ideas
Finding a suitable venue for your activities can be a challenge – whether it’s for a one-off show or exhibition, a regular workshop or rehearsal, or a meeting space for your management committee. This briefing provides voluntary arts groups with a number of new ideas about who to approach when looking for new places to use, as well as loads of useful links to organisations who can help you find the best possible place.
- Events Checklist- Disability & Access
https://www.voluntaryarts.org/events-checklist-disability-and-access
When planning creative events, it is important to consider what barriers might be in place that could prevent people from engaging with your activities as fully as possible. Taking measures to remove these barriers and broaden your understanding of disability and access can be very beneficial to your group. Demonstrating that you are open and welcoming in this way could encourage more people to join you, and deepen your group’s connection to the local community.
This briefing includes practical guidance on how to remove barriers, a handy checklist and links to further support.
- Risk Assessment for Event Organisers- A Beginners Guide
https://www.voluntaryarts.org/risk-assessment-for-event-organisers-a-beginners-guide
When you decided to share your group’s creativity with the community, no one told you you’d have to become a Health & Safety expert overnight. But don’t panic! As an event organiser, you almost certainly conduct risk assessments already, whether you know it or not! This Briefing is intended for voluntary event organisers who do not have access to the kind of training and support available to larger organisations. It offers a simple and basic explanation of risk assessments to help you write your own and organise a safe and well-run event.
- Social Enterprise
https://www.voluntaryarts.org/social-enterprise
If you find that the main motivation of your creative group is to operate for the good of the local community or society at large, you may consider becoming a Social Enterprise. This step up could allow your group to access new sources of funding and generate income, so that you can make your community/social activities more sustainable and effective in the long term. This briefing gives a basic introduction to the concept of social enterprise, offers examples of how it can work for you in an arts environment, and lists key considerations if you are thinking of starting your own.
- Get Creative Festival Toolkit
https://www.voluntaryarts.org/get-creative-toolkit
The Get Creative Festival is a national festival of creativity, which happens annually in May. It’s designed to celebrate and promote all the creative groups that exist across the UK, with a wide range of amazing events – organised by groups and individuals like you! Take advantage of the national buzz created around the festival to attract new people to your group, impress partners, make new connections and generally feel part of a national movement towards recognising everyday creativity as a valuable part of a happy, healthy life. This toolkit is designed to help you plan your Get Creative event properly so that it can be the best, most welcoming event it can possibly be.
- How to nominate your group for an Epic Award
https://www.voluntaryarts.org/how-to-enter-the-epic-awards
Phew! You’ve done a lot of hard work and some amazing things this year, why not give yourselves a pat on the back? What better way to recognise your group’s achievements than by entering the Epic Awards. The Epic Awards celebrate excellence and innovation in the voluntary cultural sector. They are run by Voluntary Arts and are open to all volunteer-led amateur arts, crafts and creative groups across the UK and Republic of Ireland. Winners are treated to a lavish Winners Reception, which has previously been held in London, Derry-Londonderry, Glasgow, Salford, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Two representatives of the winning group from each nation are invited to attend, and all travel and accommodation is paid for. If you’ve done something great that you’d like to shout about, this briefing will show you how to enter. Good Luck!
BONUS RESOURCE! Your Voluntary Arts Regional Development Officer
Nicola Winstanley – nicola@vaengland.org.uk
You’ve read all the relevant briefings, but you need some extra guidance that is more tailored to you, your group or your local community? Get in touch with your regional Voluntary Arts Development Officer.
Development Officers work in the regions to support anyone that gets creative purely for the love of it, and with anyone who helps facilitate creative participation, those who fund it, provide spaces for it to happen, and the people who work alongside communities to support them in their creative endeavors. Your Development Officer may be able to connect you with new partners, local support and advice, or deliver training to you and your members. Your Development Officer in the West Midlands is Nicola Winstanley, and you can contact her for bespoke support via the email address above.
Learn more about Voluntary Arts at: https://www.voluntaryarts.org
