About Commonword and Cultureword

Commonword started in Manchester in 1977 as a working class writing project and member of the Federation of Worker Writers and Community Publishers. It ran writing workshops and produced publications featuring voices and themes underrepresented in mainstream literature. In the 1980s and 1990s it set up programmes such as Northern Gay Writers, Womanswrite and Cultureword to support the work of women, LGBT+ and BAME writers respectively. Cultureword was important in developing the city’s spoken word scene, particularly in the 1990s and 2000s. In its four decades, it has published the work of over 900 writers, including early works by poet Lemn Sissay and screenwriter Jimmy McGovern. It has also helped to foster the careers of many Manchester-based writers such as Shamshad Khan, John Siddique and Cheryl Martin, and the organisation continues this work. Most of the writing development today comes under the banner of Cultureword.

About the Archive ProjectIn our archive, we have approximately 130 Commonword publications, 50 hours each of spoken word and film footage as well as press clippings, photos and publicity material and documentation relating to the running of the organisation.

Here are the aims of the project:

To make the archive accessible to the public To introduce Manchester audiences to the archive material through a series of writing

workshops To publish a website that will act as a gateway to the archive To write a brief history of Commonword and produce a timeline of the organisation To commission writers to produce new work based on the archive material To produce an anthology of work from the archive

Volunteers will help the project co-ordinator to fill these objectives.

We are telling the story of Commonword, demonstrating that our literature development work is indispensable in Greater Manchester and beyond.

What you will get from volunteeringThe Commonword archive is testament to the radical work it did with Black, Asian, LGBT+ , disabled, working class and women writers when no-one else was interested. And to have we’ve carried on doing that. You’ll get to work with other people who are passionate about writing and culture in general. We’ll also provide you with support when you want to move on.

This is what you could

get from volunteering at Commonword:

admin and marketing experience the opportunity to access the archive material before it is made more public support to develop your writing great conversations with outspoken, politically sound people

Role: Commonword Archive Project VolunteerAssist the Archives Project Co-ordinator with the following things:

Cataloguing the archive Adding information to the archive catalogue Digitising the archive using the scanners and digital camera Promoting the archive using social media Recording and summarising interviews of current and former Commonword members

Person specificationThese are the basic requirements we have for archive project volunteers:

Basic

Have a good level of written and spoken English Interested in literature and writing Committed to equal opportunities Able to organise information Available for a minimum of one day a week Wednesday to Friday Have good computer skills (Microsoft Word, spreadsheets, internet) Reliable and punctual Committed to volunteering for at least 6 months

Desirable

Archiving experience Experience of making audio or video recordings Experience conducting oral history interviews Experience of website maintenance Experience of producing social media content Lives in Manchester Defines as Black / Asian / BAME or LGBT+ or disabled or working class

What you will get Reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, for a minimum of 5 hours volunteering per day Full training for all volunteering activities Regular supervision and support

Volunteer Recruitment ProcessYou will be invited to come in to the Commonword Cultureword office to have a look around and find out more about the organisation and the project. If you are still interested in volunteering, you can fill in an application form and we will arrange for you to come to an informal interview. If you are suitable for the role, we will contact you as soon as possible to offer you a start date.

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION FORM

Any information given on this form is confidential and covered by the Data Protection Act 2018

Name Preferred title e.g. Ms, Mr, Dr, Mx etc.

Telephone Number

Address:

E-Mail:

What are your skills and interests?

Which volunteering activities are you interested in doing at Commonword?

Tick all of the ones you are interested in.

Cataloguing items in the archive Doing and recording interviews

Organising archive material Digitising archive material

Summarising interviews Promoting the archive using social

media

Why would you like to volunteer with Commonword?

What are your hobbies and interests?

Tell us about any relevant experience you have.

When are you available to volunteer? Please tick all that apply. We ask for a minimum of 5 hours a day from 10am. Most volunteering will take place Wednesdays to Fridays, but we may occasionally need volunteers at the weekend.

Wednesdays 10am – 3.30pm

Wednesdays 4pm – 9.30pm

Thursdays 10am – 3.30pm

Thursdays 4pm – 9.30pm

Fridays 10am – 3.30pm

Friday 4pm – 9.30pm

Saturdays 10 – 5pm

Sundays 10 – 5pm

How long are you available to volunteer? Please tick.

At least 6 months

At least 12 months

Commonword Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

Filling in this form is voluntary, however we would be grateful if you would do so. The form will be detached from your application form and we will not use it when choosing volunteers. The information will be used solely for monitoring purposes and will be kept in strictest confidence. The form's purpose is to ensure that Commonword meets the aims and commitments set out in its equality policy.

Gender Man Woman Non-binary Prefer not to say

If you prefer to use your own term, please specify here:

Age 16-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64

65+

Prefer not to say

Ethnicity

Ethnic origin is not about nationality, place of birth or citizenship. It is about the group to which you perceive you belong. Please tick the appropriate box

African/ Caribbean/ Black British

African Black British Caribbean

Any other Black/African/Caribbean background, please write in:

Asian/ British Asian

Bangladeshi British Asian Chinese Indian Pakistani

Any other Asian background, please write in:

Mixed/multiple ethnic groups

African and White Asian and White Black British and White Caribbean and White

Any other mixed background, please write in:

Other ethnic group

Arab Kurdish Persian Roma

Any other ethnic group, please write in:

White

British English European Irish Scottish Welsh

Any other white background, please write in:

Your experience of mental health problems

Would you describe yourself as someone who is experiencing or has experienced mental health problems?

Yes No Prefer not to say

What is your sexual orientation?

Bisexual Gay Lesbian Heterosexual

Prefer not to say

If you prefer to use your own term, please specify here

What is your religion or belief?

Buddhist Christian Hindu Jewish Muslim Sikh

No religion or belief Prefer not to say

If other religion or belief, please write in: