APPLICATION PACKBoard Member

IntroductionWe’re really glad that you are interested in the role of Board Member with The Mighty Creatives. Getting the right person for the role is important to us so we’ve pulled together this pack to help you decide and provide you with everything you need to apply.

How to apply:1. You should have already received the application pack.

2. Fill in the expression of interest form at the end.

3. Save it as either a Word or PDF document with your name and the words Board Member in the filename.

4. Email the form back to us at nick@themightycreatives.com or post it to:

Dr. Nick Owen MBECEOThe Mighty CreativesLCB Depot31 Rutland StreetLeicester LE1 1RE

The Mighty Creatives Team

P.S. We’re an accessible and equal opportunities organisation, so please get in touch with recruitment@themightycreatives.com(0116 2616 834) if you’d like to receive and return your form in a different format.

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WELCOME TO THE MIGHTY CREATIVES!

Who we are We are the children and young people’s creative development agency. Based in the East Midlands, we work in partnership across the UK, EU and worldwide.

Our vision The Mighty Creatives (TMC) is a charity committed to promoting personal, educational, cultural and social change for children and young people across the East Midlands through the application of cultural education and creative practice.

Established in 2009, TMC has developed a strong reputation for facilitating innovative cultural education practice which has been recognised, amongst others, by the Arts Council of England (ACE), who invest approximately £1.0m annually into TMC as one of its ten national ‘Bridge’ Organisations.

Why we’re needed

Children and young people’s engagement with arts and culture in the UK is in crisis.

According to the 2015 report by the Warwick Commission, Enriching Britain:Culture, Creativity and Growth, creativity, culture and the arts are being systematically removed from the UK education system, with dramatic falls in the number of pupils taking GCSEs in design, drama and other craft-related subjects. The report highlights barriers and inequalities that prevent “equal access for everyone to a rich cultural education and the opportunity to live a creative life”. It also says publicly funded arts “are predominantly accessed by an unnecessarily narrow social, economic, ethnic and educated demographic that is not fully representative of the UK’s population”.

The report insists that arts education should be an entitlement for all children: and this call to action informs the mission of The Mighty Creatives.

Furthermore, children and young people’s engagement in education in the East Midlands is falling far short of their entitlement. In June 2016, OfSTED’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw reported that the East Midlands is the worst performing region in the country on a range of key educational indicators.

Our Mission

Too many children and young people live their lives without access to play, creativity and culture. These inequalities affect other significant challenges in their lives: low educational achievement, poor health, engrained poverty, restricted connectivity and limited financial opportunities.

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We believe that by improving, increasing, and investing in the engagement of children and young people to arts and cultural practice, we can contribute to school and educational improvement across the region: and ultimately address the inequalities that poison too many people’s young lives.

How we meet the cultural and educational needs of the region

We work strategically with stakeholders and partners in schools, communities and workplaces in order to:

create inspiring, vital opportunities for children and young people to engage with arts and culture;

invest in children and young people’s own creative skills, knowledge and practice and

develop models of practice which can scaled up, demonstrate reach and result in significant and measurable social impact;

use our positioning as a cultural education development agency and our expertise in creative cultural practice to develop partnerships which contribute to the cultural, social and economic changes we seek;

offer a vibrant, innovative suite of ‘backbone’ services which include sector expertise; marketing; fundraising; advocacy; research; partnership and market development, relationship management;

constantly test and develop innovative approaches to connect and collaborate with our partners and stakeholders;

constantly review our ‘backbone service’ to ensure that we keep our vision alive and in full view.

The value of children and young people’s participation

The creative development of children and young people is at the heart of mission: not just as beneficiaries but as future leaders, decision makers and change makers. Key activities we have established which reflect this intention include:

Board membership – places on our Board of Trustees are reserved for young people under the age of 25;

Act 4 Change – over 100 young people have participated in social action projects in the Act 4 Change programme – addressing issues such as gang violence, personal safety and the influence of role models in films, music, and art;

Emerge Commissioning Panel – dozens of young people have led on commissioning and resourcing our Emerge Festivals across 2015-2016 and hundreds have directed and produced content which has been enjoyed by thousands;

Work Placements – we have secured for 200 young people

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apprenticeship, internship or traineeship opportunities. Internally, we have recruited a new Apprentice and have budgeted for the recruitment of two paid internships for 16/17.

Achievements: our outputs and outcomes

In 2015/16 we have ensured:

Over 3,500 young people have developed their creativity, leadership and communication skills through successfully moderated Arts Awards, which translates as 123,715 hours of quality arts education provision;

243 schools across the East Midlands now provide a high quality arts and cultural education to over 60,000 pupils through Artsmark;

Over 700 artists, educators and arts organisations are trained to work in and with schools;

over 100 young people to deliver community based arts projects such as Act4Change;

over 200 young people into creative industries through traineeship, apprenticeship and internship opportunities;

routinely reporting of outcomes to funders and investors including the cultural educational outcomes and impacts for Arts Council England and social and wellbeing outcomes to our main funder for the Emerge Programme, Spirit of 2012;

the implementation of a Data Protection Policy, which complements a revised Digital Policy;

delivery of our Equality and Environmental action plans. In 2016/17, set against a refreshed policy matrix, we will put a revised and cross-referenced set of corporate policies to the new Chair and Board.

Securing Investment to achieve our aims

We are proud to have been invested in by Arts Council England (ACE) as one of the ten national ‘Bridge’ Organisations for the past seven years. We promote their Arts Award, Artsmark and Local Cultural Education Partnerships brands across the East Midlands. We provide training and advocacy for these inspiring tools which enable young people to access arts, culture and creative education.

We have also secured over £1m worth of investment from the Spirit of 2012 in 2015/2016 for our Emerge programme. Between 2016/2019 we will be managing the delivery of 24 young people led arts festivals across

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the Midlands. Building on our learning from our Emerge Festivals in 2015 and 2016, these festivals will provide 24 life changing commissions for young artists and over 1000 young people with the chance to discuss, develop and produce artistic responses to contemporary issues using Shakespeare as an inspiration and provocation. This is a thrilling opportunity to deliver a programme across a wider geography (all of the Midlands) which produces a lasting impact - each young person will receive up to 85 guided learning hours of support, which could lead to them securing an Arts Award.

We are also delighted to have secured over £125,000 of funding from the European Union’s Creative Europe to deliver, along with 9 other European partners, a four year Risk Change programme which develops understanding, practice and policy on how cultural practice can affect migration. This is an especially sensitive and relevant project considering the refugee crisis in Europe and the debate that dominated the recent Brexit referendum around the free movement of people across the European Union.

We see this programme as also providing us with an opportunity to develop our international cultural and trading links with partners across Europe and further afield which will contribute to our reach, impact and future income opportunities.

The Future

Our mission is clear, our message compelling and our expertise valued. Our mission now needs to be pursued by more organisations, our message heard by more and expertise given greater financial value if we are to further extend our reach and have greater impact.

We now want to see the East Midlands as the ‘go-to’ region for cultural education practice.

By contributing to piloting, developing, improving and advocating for the best of cultural education practice for the benefit of young people in the region, we aim to make sure that as many young people in the East Midlands – particularly those who find themselves in the most difficult of economic and social circumstances – to benefit from high quality, inspiring opportunities to be creative or be inspired by the creativity of others.

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BRIEFING Board Member

About The Mighty Creatives

The Mighty Creatives is the children and young people's creative development agency. It is our mission to help every child and young person use their creativity to realise their rights, reach their potential and make a difference. Our name was chosen by children and young people: it reflects their ambitions for the organisation. They wanted The Mighty Creatives to be: imaginative, inventive, original and visionary. This idealism drives our work.

To achieve our mission, we are committed to being a source of innovation in young lives, using our unique role to find creative solutions to the opportunities and challenges children and young people face. To do this, we work with children and young people, their friends, families, communities and professionals to build a better world for themselves and others.

The Mighty Creatives has a studio in the Leicester Creative Business Depot where we develop new ideas, manage our resources and empower our people. Team TMC pulls together more than 25 ambitious creative professionals from a range of backgrounds to design, lead and champion our change-making programmes, products and services. In addition to the core team, we work with an increasingly wide range of partners to benefit from their specialist skills. And, of course, children and young people power everything we do.

About the Board at The Mighty Creatives

The Mighty Creatives’ Board Members help run the charity and make sure it achieves its long-term goals. Board Members are volunteers and are selected through an open recruitment process. In legal terms, they are the charity’s Trustees and Directors of the Limited Company. Whilst we don’t ask our Board Members to serve for a minimum or maximum amount of time, we are working towards good practice standards of either 3 or a maximum of 6 years. Meetings are held every 3 to 4 months.

We currently have 10 Board members. They have experience of working in education, public, private and voluntary sector organisations.

So, what’s the role of a Board Member?

Our Board Members are involved in the organisation in an important and influential way – in how it runs, how it raises and spends its money and what its priorities are for the future. In legal terms, a Board Member’s role is to ensure that the organisation operates

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in a way that enables it to fulfil its aims and objectives as effectively as possible and within legal and best practice guidelines.

Our Board is therefore responsible for directing the change we make in young lives, looking at the opportunities and challenges children and young people face and setting our priorities for how we will work with children and young people, their parents and professionals to make a better world for themselves and others.

The Board appoints and monitors the work of the Chief Executive. It also helps with issues to do with employing staff, monitoring the effectiveness of the charity’s work and agreeing the budget. We have a strong commitment to equal opportunities and an ambitious environmental action plan: our Board makes sure these commitments are reflected in all areas of work. Occasionally, the Board deals with private or sensitive issues about the organisation, our staff and beneficiaries. We require our Board Members to treat such information in confidence.

It is important that The Mighty Creatives makes the most of the abilities of its Board Members. We want you to help us gain deep insights into young lives, design innovative solutions to the challenges children and young people face and champion the power of creativity in helping all children and young people thrive. We also want you to help strengthen our organisation and help create with us a long-term future for our work.

That said, we also want our Board Members to have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and experience by being a part of a change-making organisation. If you are giving up your time to help us, we want it to be of value to you too. There are things you will need to know about your responsibilities as a Board Member under the Charities Act and the Trustee Act, as well as your statutory duties as a Director of a Limited Company. We also hope you will be interested in learning more about children and young people’s creativity and capacity for innovation – the heart of our work. As a Board Member, we will work with you to ensure that you have the information you need to fully understand and fulfil your role.

Why is our Board different?

We want to be a source of innovation in young lives and are looking for Board Members to help create that vision. We want our Board to have an active role and to make a very real difference to the organisation and the young people we serve. Most importantly, we want our Board Members to help us to think differently about how we can create new outcomes and opportunities for children and young people, looking beyond the status quo to create lasting change. It is a creative role. We also want a Board that represents a diverse range of skills, knowledge and backgrounds so that, working together, the full Board is a powerful and inspiring group of people who can really help to move us forward.

Being true to our values, The Mighty Creatives is part of a growing body of organisations that recruits Board Members from the age of 16, promoting a balance of young people and established professionals to give us a unique set of ideas and insights.

So, what would you need to do?

As a Board Member, we want you to attend and contribute to Board meetings where we set the aims and direction of The Mighty Creatives, review the organisation’s performance and set future priorities. That involves preparing for the meeting, attending on the day and making decisions with the other members. We also have various working groups that focus on particular parts of the charity’s work – helping us develop new products and services or manage our resources effectively.

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Board meetings are held once every quarter and Board members are invited to attend occasional away days and evening events.

Importantly, we want our Board Members to be champions for The Mighty Creatives and to represent the charity positively wherever the opportunity arises.

How do I find out what I need to know?

We have put together an induction programme to share information with new Board Members and to explain the role in more detail. The induction covers the important legal responsibilities of being a Trustee, the principles of good governance – i.e. managing an organisation well and wisely – and many of the skills required to do the job well. The induction also provides a thorough introduction to The Mighty Creatives’ work and future plans.

What about payments or other similar benefits?

Board members are volunteers and cannot receive any sort of financial benefit or advantage simply because they are a Board Member.

We ask Board members to disclose any personal interests they might have in the organisation, including any close relatives or other organisations you are involved in.

What about travel and expenses?

The Mighty Creatives is based in Leicester but Board meetings and events take place around the East Midlands. Board Members will therefore need to travel across the region. You would be able to claim reasonable expenses (for example bus or rail fares, etc.) to get to meetings or events.

Can I be stop being a Board member?

Yes! You can choose to resign at any time if you wished to, as long as there were at least 3 other Board members still in place. The Board must be made up of at least 3 people and there is no maximum number.

We would like Board Members to be active and involved in the Board. If you weren’t able to fulfil your responsibilities to either your or our expectations, we would discuss ending your membership of the Board.

How long can I stay on the Board?

Board Members do not serve a standard term of office, although we are working towards standards of good practice that ask Board Members to serve between 3 and a maximum of 6 years. New Board Members can be appointed at our annual general meeting and during the year. Sometimes we actively recruit for new Board Members if we think we have particular needs.

What we are looking for?

There is no single picture of the ideal Board Member – everyone brings different strengths. For example, we currently have a director of a contemporary art and craft gallery and museum, an “imaginator” (his word!) and early years specialist, an experienced deputy head teacher from the secondary sector, a recent young graduate from our Board Academy programme and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths) enthusiast.

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You could be just starting out on your career or already be established in your chosen profession. Most importantly, you demonstrate leadership and a passion for change.

What could you bring? Well, we would really be interested in the following experiences:

income generation, fund raising and finance capital development programmes legal and human resources creative practitioners from the arts, culture or science sectors further or Higher Education, including experience of research new technologies and social media children’s communities and neighbourhoods marketing, PR and communications policy and advocacy statutory education from 5 – 18 years

But that list doesn’t include everything! The test of whether or not you will be a good Board Member is simply if you can add value to the organisation or help to stimulate positive new thinking in relation to our work with, by and for children and young people. This could be in many different ways: you may have experience of working or volunteering in a similar area of work; you may be aware of issues affecting children and young people or have studied something relevant to our work; you may know something about how policy is made or have knowledge of a similar sort of business.

A formal job description and person specification is included below.

Joining The Mighty Creatives

If you are interested in joining The Mighty Creatives’ Board, please read all of this pack, check out our web site and social media. If you think you can help, then complete and return the Expression of Interest form below. If we think you could really benefit the organisation, we will invite you to meet us to discuss your experience and skills further.

And, once again, we do not expect Board Members to know everything about us before they start! We have an induction programme to share information with you and to explain the role of the Board, our work and future plans in more detail.

FAQs

How can I find out more?If you have any questions, please contact Jackie Sloan at The Mighty Creatives: Jackie@themightycreatives.com ROLE DESCRIPTION Board Member

Terms of appointment

Role title: Board Member

Remuneration: Board Members are volunteers and do not receive any financial benefit. We are able to pay out of pocket expenses for attending meetings and events.

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Term of office: There is no minimum or maximum term. We are working towards good practice standards of either 3 or a maximum of 6 years.

Hours/location: Half-day meetings are held every 3 to 4 months in venues around the East Midlands. Board Members are also invited to attend occasional away days and evening events.

Outline of the role

To be a change-maker, helping to inspire and champion innovative solutions to the opportunities and challenges children and young people face.

To work with fellow Board Members to make sure The Mighty Creatives fulfills its aims and objects as effectively as possible and in-keeping with relevant laws and best practice standards.

Main duties and responsibilities

Board Members are expected to:

1. Have a full understanding of The Mighty Creatives’ vision, mission, values, charitable objects and constitution.

2. Read all papers circulated in advance of the Board meetings and remain informed about Board and company matters.

3. Regularly attend and contribute constructively to Board meetings, serving on working groups and committees as appropriate.

4. Ensure the effective governance of The Mighty Creatives and that its activities are compliant with its charitable status, Company Law and its Memorandum and Articles.

5. Contribute to the setting of strategic aims and direction of The Mighty Creatives.6. Appoint and monitor the performance of the Chief Executive.7. Agree the staff structure, terms and conditions of service.8. Agree and monitor the organisational action plan.9. Agree the budget and monitor financial performance.10. Be an ambassador for The Mighty Creatives, representing the charity in a positive

light and helping to ensure it develops and maintains an appropriate public profile.11. Receive training and appraisal when appropriate to support the work of the Board.12. Participate in fundraising for the organisation.13. Ensure that The Mighty Creatives’ equal opportunities and environmental policies are

followed through in the practice of the organisation.14. Treat with confidentiality any information about The Mighty Creatives’ members,

users and staff that is personal, private or sensitive.

Person specification

Above all, we want you to be a change-maker, using your passion and creativity to work as part of a leadership team to help guide our work and create positive change in young lives. We are both looking for people who can think big and those that have an eye for detail. You should be able to demonstrate some of the following:

Criteria Standard Essential/DesirableCommitment To children’s rights and equality of

opportunityEssential

To work as part of a leadership team EssentialTo Nolan’s seven principles of public life: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty andleadership*

Essential

To attending 4 board meetings per year, an annual away day and occasional working

Essential

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group meetings and eventsTo The Mighty Creatives’ vision, mission and values

Essential

Knowledge andExperience

Income generation and / or budgetary control

Desirable

Managing people DesirableSpecialist insight into working with children and young people (e.g. as an artist, teacher, policy maker)

Desirable

Capital / building development projects DesirableBeing creative in identifying and solving complex problems at work or as a volunteer

Essential

The way charities and/or companies work DesirableLocal, regional and national policies affecting children and young people

Desirable

Issues affecting young lives in the East Midlands, UK and Europe

Desirable

Working nationally or internationally Desirable

* From The Nolan Committee's First Report on Standards in Public Life.http://www.public-standards.gov.uk/

Values

It is important that you can demonstrate our values in your role as a Board Member.

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The legal bit…

Board Members (Trustees of the Charity and Directors of the Company) are expected to understand, or be willing to learn about, their responsibilities under the Charities Act and the Trustee Act, as well as the requirements of basic charity governance. They will also be expected to understand and act in accordance with their statutory duties as Directors of a Limited Company.

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EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FORMBoard Member

Who you are...

Your Name:

Address:

Email Address:

Contact Numbers:

Your interest in joining the Board...

Please tell us what interests and excites you about joining the Board of The Mighty Creatives.

What you bring with you...

Please tell us about the skills, knowledge and experience you would bring with you.

How you demonstrate The Mighty Creatives’ values…

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These are TMC’s values:

Please tell us how you feel you demonstrate 2 of TMC’s values?

(Write a paragraph for each value, picking 2 you feel strongest about.)

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Who you know...

Please give the names, job titles and addresses of two referees. These need to be people that know you well and could include your current employer, the group leader responsible for an activity you are involved in or someone who knows you well in a professional capacity (e.g. teacher, lecturer, coach). With your permission, we will contact them if we would like you to join our Board.

Name: Name:

Position: Position:

Company: Company:

Address: Address:

Postcode: Postcode:

E-mail: E-mail:

Contact Numbers:

  Contact Numbers:

Declaration

All the information I have provided in this expression of interest is true and correct to the best of my knowledge, and I understand that if appointed to the Board any false information may result in dismissal.

Signature and Date(Just type your name in, and give it a fancy font if you really want to make it look hand signed!)

That’s everything! Thank you for taking the time to complete the form. Now you need to email it back to recruitment@themightycreatives.com. We’ll get back to you soon!

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