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Voluntary Arts Ireland > Advisory Group

Join our Advisory Group
Committee Members 2010
Committee (and previous Steering Group) Minutes

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Join our Advisory Group: Help us create a healthier civil society
(NI-focus. Closing date: 15th October 2010)

Voluntary Arts Ireland is expanding its Advisory Group to help create a healthier civil society. Our contribution is through promoting practical participation in the arts and crafts. We believe there is great power in individuals and communities making art. If you agree why not join this dynamic, influential and fun group of people who are committed to making a difference.

About Voluntary Arts Ireland
Voluntary Arts Ireland is an umbrella organisation for the 1000’s of grass roots voluntary arts groups and their national associations across Ireland. Our work emphasises civil action, volunteerism, community cohesion and inclusion. It is part of Voluntary Arts – a network of organisations which support voluntary and amateur arts across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Our vision
An empowered, participative, fulfilled and healthy civil society.
Our mission
Promoting practical participation in the arts and crafts.
Our values
Leadership ‐ motivating, proactive, catalysing
Advocacy ‐ promoting, public‐facing
Outreach ‐ engaging, accessible, inclusive, visible, enabling
Creative; passionate; inspirational; innovative; fun
Independence; excellence; integrity; accountability; transparency
For more details about our current work and priorities please visit www.vaireland.org

Who are we looking for?
Six individuals with a Northern Ireland focus to join our Advisory Group. We are seeking a wide range of expertise and experience and welcome applications from everyone who believes they can contribute to our work and/or learn from it. If you are active or have been active in the following areas (or related areas) we would like to hear from you:

Individual Arts Practice – across the genres– professional and amateur
Social Enterprise
Volunteering
Commercial business
Youth policy and action – especially young people in leadership roles or aspiring to do so
Marketing
Fundraising
voluntary arts and crafts umbrella bodies and grassroots organisations
the wider voluntary and community sectors
festivals and events
local arts forums / arts councils
local government
equality and diversity

General information for prospective Advisory Group members
Advisory Group members are appointed for three years and can then be re‐appointed for a further term of three years. They are normally expected to attend four meetings a year and occasional working groups. Papers are sent out before each meeting. Advisory Group members also have the opportunity to get involved in an advisory capacity with specific projects.

Meetings are currently held on weekdays. Voluntary Arts Ireland has a policy of hosting panel meetings in central venues across Ireland to reflect its national reach and make meetings more accessible to members. For example recent Northern Ireland meetings have taken place in our office in Downpatrick and the Alley Theatre, Strabane. Voluntary Arts Ireland meets all travel and subsistence costs. Each Advisory Group member receives an induction session and handbook and can expect a warm, open and inclusive working environment.

Interested?
If you are interested in joining the Voluntary Arts Ireland Advisory Group please write to Stephen Brown, Chair of Voluntary Arts Ireland c/o info@vaireland.org, giving a summary of your interests, any organisations with which you are connected and evidence of relevant experience. Please also enclose a statement of intent as to how you could enhance the work of Voluntary Arts Ireland and why you would like to be considered. 1‐2 sides of A4 will be enough.

Alternatively, you may wish to post your submission to Stephen Brown, Chair of Voluntary Arts Ireland, 12 English Street, Downpatrick, Co. Down BT30 6AB.

The closing date for submissions is Friday 15th October 2010.

Want to know more?
If you have any further questions or want to discuss the possibility of joining the Voluntary Arts Ireland Advisory Group, please call Kevin Murphy, Chief Officer on 07779092023 or e‐mail: kevin@vaireland.org. All enquiries will be treated in confidence.

Advisory Group 2010 (current)
(with short biography)

Elaine Bradley - Volunteering Ireland (RoI)

The career path that led to my current role as CEO of Volunteering Ireland was something of a scenic route. I have taught self advocacy skills to marginalised groups, worked on large-scale change management projects and done a stint as an organisational consultant. I have a degree in training and education from NUI Galway and an MSc (Business) in Organisational Behaviour from Trinity College. Core to all my work has been my commitment to human rights, social justice and the vision of an inclusive society that values diversity. When I’m not working, I practice Aikido, a Japanese martial art known as the art of peace. I own a kayak and go sea kayaking every now and then as I live right beside the sea in Bray. I have been a member of the Bray Choral Society and plan to rejoin someday when life is not quite so busy…

Stephen Brown (Chair) - Music/Choral, Belfast (NI)

I have 25 years experience as a consultant surgeon. I am now semi-retired and continue to chair the hospital research committee, and am an executive member and publication secretary for the International Society for research into Hydrocephalus and Spina Bifida. Semi- retirement has allowed me more time to concentrate on my voluntary music activities. I have been involved with voluntary music all my life. I have been a committee member of Saint George’s Singers for many years, and served as chairman for 5 years. I have been a member of committee of Making Music Northern Ireland since it was formed, and I am now honorary treasurer.

William Clements - Music/ Bands, Carrickfergus (NI)

A married man with three grown- up children, I have taken early retirement from Northern Ireland Civil Service where I was employed in various Departments over a period of 37 years. My position at retirement was a Deputy principal in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Educated at Larne Grammar School and the University of Ulster I hold an honours degree in Public Sector Studies and a masters degree in Policy Analysis.

I have been involved at grassroots level for many years working with young people in two companies of The Boys’ Brigade and also as a playing member and conductor of brass and accordion bands.

Since 1992 I have served on a voluntary basis as Secretary of the North of Ireland Bands’ Association, a non- political, non- sectarian umbrella body for brass, flute, accordion and concerts bands in the voluntary cultural sector. The Association is responsible, inter alia, for staging the annual Championship of Irelands Bands’ Contests, (including the World Champions for Flute Bands).

Tara Connaghan - traditional arts, Clare/Donegal (RoI)

Tara is a traditional fiddle player from Glenties, Co. Donegal. Since 2004 she has been working in the Arts Office of Clare County Council as Shannon Regional Arts Co-ordinator with a remit for traditional arts (i.e. traditional music, song, dance and storytelling). She completed a music degree in University College Cork in 1999, a Masters in traditional music performance in the University of Limerick in 2000 and a postgraduate diploma in Arts Administration in the NUI, Galway.

Jenny Cooke - Youth Music Theatre, NI

Jenny is the founder and driving force behind MT4Uth. Her career began with Radio 4 BBC Drama London, and she spent sixteen years with the corporation working mainly on Children's programming and Radio and Television Drama. Currently Jenny is a Lay Magistrate and JP.

Jenny has extensive experience in Production Management, Marketing and PR. She was instrumental in bringing the National Youth Music Theatre to Northern Ireland in 2001 and developing their work here on the ground.

Colm Croffy (Vice-Chair) - Festivals, (RoI)

Operations Director of the Association of Irish Festivals and Events. He is also Director of the Great October Fair of Ballinasloe, in Galway part of a Ireland’s dynamic festivals & events world where many highly successful events take place in rural locations.

Maire Davey - Artist / Community Arts Education (RoI)

Originally from Co. Wexford, Máire lives and works in Dublin. Máire holds a degree in Fine Art and a H Dip in Community Arts Education. Currently employed as Education and Community Co-ordinator for Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council Arts Office, she was Community Arts Officer for Droichead Arts Centre in Drogheda prior to this. Having worked as a freelance artist in various community, educational and cultural settings for almost ten years both at home and abroad she is interested in the development of the arts within these sectors. She has also compiled research in participatory arts practice.

Anna Galligan - youth/drama,(RoI)

Anna has been involved in the youth arts sector for over fifteen years. Having trained at the Gaeity School of Acting, Anna went on to study youth work and community development. She was co-creator of ArtsTrain, Ireland’s only accredited course for Drama Facilitators. For over a decade, she volunteered with the Dublin Youth Theatre, as a facilitator and member of the Board. She is currently Development Officer for the National Association for Youth Drama.

Edith Geraghty - Writer/Drama, Co. Mayo (RoI)

Edith Geraghty is a Writer, Poet and founder of Phoenix Theatre Works a Community Theatre Group. Edith’s work as a Facilitator takes her around the county and beyond, working for varies community groups and the Mayo County Library Service. Edith runs workshops on Stress Management, Self-esteem and Assertiveness as well as delivering Communications Training and Public Speaking.

Edith believes in Love, Life and Living it to the full. To quote George Bernard Shaw

“This is the true Joy in life, being used for a purpose, recognised by yourself as a mighty one, being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, its my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations”

David Nixon - Music, Fermanagh (NI)

Michael O'Donnell - Music (Cross Border)

Conor O'Leary - Rural Arts Networks/Community-Wicklow (RoI)

Originally from Rathmore in Co. Kerry and living in Kiltegan, Co. Wicklow, Conor is a self-employed arts and community development facilitator and consultant. Since 2002, with the support of local LEADER groups and county Arts Officers, he has developed a model of sustainable local arts participation which trains and empowers communities to work together to programme and host arts and cultural events. These arts networks in six counties have organised over 100 arts and cultural events in local community venues, and participated in the Arts Council Touring Experiment in Autumn 2007 when Liam O'Maonlai performed to approximately 800 people on a five date concert and workshop tour.

Conor has also published a discussion paper for the Arts Council on the development of these Arts Networks and reports on community development and rural transport issues for local development agencies. Previously worked as a training officer with Macra na Feirme, a freelance drama facilitator, and as a full-time journalist. Completed Certificate in arts facilitation and empowerment training in Crawford College in Cork and previously a degree in Agricultural Science in U.C.D. He has participated in drama, street theatre and Djing and founded the Rathmore Community Arts Festival.

Simeon Smith - Samba/Dublin (RoI)

Simeon Smith is a native of Dublin, but grew up in Galway City. He has achieved a BA is Arts and an MA in Community Development, both from NUIG, and last year achieved a primary qualification as a counsellor in Reality Therapy / Choice Theory.

He has been playing samba for almost 15 years, and is a founding member of maSamba Samba School. Over this period, he has received formal and informal training from many of the top practicioners in the field, and facilitated many top samba artists to visit and teach in Ireland.

In this time he has developed a huge musical repertoire, covering many of the popular styles of Afro-Brasilian music. Simeon has taught for National Universtity of Ireland Galway, University of Limerick, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music, as well as being responsible for setting up over 20 samba bands in Ireland and the UK. Simeon has spent over 4,000 hours teaching samba in his career.

Simeon has developed many of the unique teaching methodologies used by maSamba Samba School and is regularly asked to deliver workshop programmes with samba bands, music teachers and corporate groups.

Committee Minutes

DRAFT Minutes VAI Committee, 2 December 2009 (Dublin - Full Committee) (pdf - 58k)

DRAFT Minutes VAI Committee NI Panel meeting 1 April 2009 (Dungannon - NI) (pdf - 71k)

DRAFT Minutes for the meeting of the 24 Nov 2008 (Dublin - Full Committee) (doc - 359k)

DRAFT Minutes for the meeting of the 1 Sept 2008 (Dublin - RoI) (pdf - 58k)

DRAFT Minutes for the meeing of the 10th March 2008 (Downpatrick - NI) (pdf - 65k)

Minutes for the meeting of the 25 February 2008 (Dublin - RoI) (pdf - 64k)

Minutes for the meeting of the 26th November 2007 (Drogheda - Full Committee) (pdf - 54k)

Minutes for the meeting of the 24th September 2007 (Dundalk) (pdf - 50k)

Minutes for the meeting of the 25th September 2007 (Ballinasloe) (pdf - 64k)

Minutes for the meeting of the 16 April 2007 - Belfast (Committee 2007) (pdf - 54k)

Minutes for the meeting of the 22nd January - Dublin (Committee 2007) (pdf - 58k)