Introduction for applicants
Thank you for showing an interest in Amateo, the European network for active participation in cultural activities. We are at an important time in our development as the network grows and becomes stronger. At our General Assembly in Vienna in June we are looking to appoint three new board members to help us to continue this progress.
In return for your time and expertise we believe it can be an exciting and rewarding experience for the right people. There are opportunities to network, to learn from and share with others, and to travel to new places.
Our vision is that all European citizens have opportunities to benefit from participation in creative and cultural experiences of their choice, whatever their background and circumstances and wherever they live.
Who are we looking for?
The ideal candidates will:
- Have an interest in and passion for participatory arts and culture. This may be a professional or personal interest.
- Recognise the importance of international collaboration and cooperation.
- Be able to communicate to a reasonable level in the English language.
- Have some understanding of, or interest in, learning about the European cultural context including key bodies such as the European Union
- Have some understanding of the responsibilities of trustees of a charity
About the Role of Board Members
- Amateo is a charity under Belgian law, governed by a Board which currently has seven members recruited from amongst member organisations. The Board meets 3 times each year, plus occasional Skype meetings. The in-person meetings are often held in one of the member countries. In the last year the meetings have taken place in Brussels, Novi Sad and London. One of the meetings is part of the annual General Assembly and Conference.
- Representing Amateo – one of our aims is building the profile of the network and all of our Board members can have an important role in representing Amateo at public events such as the Culture Action Europe Conference.
- Support for the Board – we are able to support Board members in their role in a number of ways. There is a paid Secretariat, currently based in Belgium, who deals with membership relations, the newsletter and organises board meetings and papers. Through the Arts Take Part project funded until July 2021 by Creative Europe we also have a Coordinator and Finance Manager who work closely with the Board. We are able to reimburse all travel and accommodation expenses incurred by Board members in undertaking their duties.
If you are at all interested, our President Susan Fazakerley (Denmark) or our Arts Take Part Coordinator Jim Tough (Scotland) would be happy to speak with you to answer your questions and tell you more about Amateo and its work.
More about Amateo
Eleven years ago the Amateo network was formed by some of the national and regional organisations that are there to help support and promote the activity of the voluntary, amateur and participatory arts sector. Already 38% of the citizens in member states are active in arts and culture.
We are a membership organisation that works as an advocate and provides support and opportunities for exchange and collaboration amongst its members, who are national and regional organisations working in the field of amateur, voluntary and participatory arts and culture. We currently have 49 national and regional umbrellas and associations from 20 EU member states and programme countries. We are growing in number and in strength thanks to the support of Creative Europe through its network programme.
This support has allowed us to develop a number of new activities through the 4-year Arts Take Part project (currently in year 3) which is delivered in an ambitious trans-national team model involving over 20 people from 14 nations. The team is mainly recruited from amongst our member organisations.
We have a new annual Amateo Award for best practice in participatory arts.
Gathering, sharing and commissioning research that helps us to understand the impact of participatory arts and cultural activity is a key part of our programme.
We are working to create the conditions for our members to learn from and share with each other. This includes opportunities to meet, share and learn at conferences and workshops
All of this activity is shared and promoted through our website and social media as well as a regular newsletter for members. Membership costs €75 per year. Being a member not only adds to the strength of our voice but also offers opportunities for networking, learning and collaboration.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Susan Fazakerley president@amateo.org
Jim Tough jim@amateo.org