SHOUT Festival is looking for people from a wide range of backgrounds to help shape the festival as part of its Advisory Group.
What is SHOUT?
SHOUT is the festival of queer arts and culture for Birmingham and the West Midlands. It aims to amplify the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people and communities from across our city and region, and start new conversations and tell new stories about LGBT+ life.
What does the Advisory Group do?
It’s a group of people who get together for a couple of hours, 4-6 times a year with the SHOUT team, to talk about what we want to see in the festival and other programmes.
They review the programme plans, give feedback, make suggestions, and discuss issues of relevance to the community. They also look at the SHOUT business plan and budgets, and help make sure that SHOUT is living up to its ambitions.
They might also get involved in other ways: attending events, actively promoting SHOUT when possible, making connections and introductions when that’s helpful, and occasionally helping with recruiting new staff.
Some Advisory Group meetings are virtual and some take place at the Birmingham LGBT Centre in the city centre.
What are we looking for?
We’re looking to assemble a group of people that can be representative of the brilliant cultural diversity of the West Midlands. We especially welcome applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds
The most important personal attribute is enthusiasm, for SHOUT as a festival of queer arts and culture. Beyond that, we’re especially looking for people with a range of different life experiences, skills and knowledge. This could include:
Will this mean I become legally responsible for SHOUT?
No. SHOUT is a project of Birmingham LGBT, which means the Board of Birmingham LGBT are legally responsible for SHOUT.
Will I get paid?
The Advisory Group is a voluntary group, but we want to make sure that nobody is excluded for economic reasons. So we can pay expenses for being involved, including for travel, meals, and childcare or other care of dependents.
SHOUT will also do our utmost to ensure that there are no barriers for anyone taking part. We will cover access costs, including full support or contribution to personal assistant costs and/or interpretation if required, or if unobtainable under Access to Work or any other support mechanism.
If I am on the Advisory Group, can I still be programmed in the festival?
Yes. If you’re an artist, for instance, you can still be part of the festival and also part of the Advisory Group.
All we would ask is that if you might personally benefit from any festival programming decision, you shouldn’t be involved in discussions about that decision: and there’s a conflict of interest policy to make sure of that.
How do I apply?
If you want to be part of the Advisory Group, please email us at shoutfestival@blgbt.org, explaining a little bit about yourself, why you want to join and what you think you will bring to the group, by 13 January 2023. We’ll then be in touch with next steps as soon as possible after that.
If you’re thinking of applying but want to have an informal discussion, please also email shoutfestival@blgbt.org and we’ll be happy to have a chat.
