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News Opportunities Project Updates

Job Opportunity – Membership & Engagement Manager

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We are hiring!

WWDN – A Stove led project focusing on the development of a creative placemaking network for Dumfries & Galloway – is recruiting for the exciting NEW ROLE of Membership and Engagement Manager.

The Role: WWDN Membership and Engagement Manager

Duration: 18 months fixed-term contract

Hours: 21 hours per week (3-days)

Salary: £25,000 (pro-rata)

Location: Dumfries & Galloway

Reporting to: WWDN Director

Start Date: 15th April (or as close to this date as able)

About the Role:

The Membership and Engagement Manager is responsible for all aspects of association for WWDN membership. This includes working with a broad network of stakeholders and colleagues within and outside of the WWDN project and working with the WWDN Director to advocate and represent the network.

The postholder will oversee membership engagement and sign-up processes.

This will include the effective and efficient sign-up and processing of new and renewal memberships, implementing membership recruitment and retention strategies, reaching revenue targets and deepening engagement across network activity. Download the full job pack for further details:

Main Tasks and Activities:

Membership Management and Engagement:

  • Support the WWDN Director to grow and maintain strong relationships across WWDN membership and wider stakeholders
  • Lead on the membership recruitment, retention, renewals, and liaison activity across all membership categories (practitioners, groups, organisations).
  • Develop and maintain effective membership processes, sign-up, review, and enquiry, working with colleagues across WWDN to champion high levels of customer service
  • Ensure membership admin systems are effectively maintained with support from the Web & Data Manager
  • Ensure membership data, trends and statistics are captured and reported in a way that informs WWDN strategic, operational, and financial planning
  • Produce quarterly reports on the membership function for the WWDN Director / trustees / funders
  • Ensure organisational compliance, and conformance with UK-GDPR legislation with support from the Web & Data Manager, and wider WWDN team.

Membership Marketing & Communications / Relationship Building:

  • Work with the Head of Communications and Engagement to devise and implement effective membership engagement campaigns
  • Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of all membership marketing activity.
  • Utilise a suite of communication assets including digital platforms: Newsletters, website, and social media channels – working closely with the Marketing Officer
  • Attend WWDN events and activities to promote membership recruitment and to build strong working relationships with existing members and key partners
  • Work with the WWDN Director and wider team to identify and attend sectoral events to represent WWND to promote the membership

Other duties:

  • Be first point of contact for WWDN service enquiries and direct to relevant members of the team
  • Support the WWDN team to develop, implement, and measure the impact of membership to meet strategic objectives
  • Feed into and support the development of systems and processes to support the continuous improvement WWDN’s membership provision and engagement
  • On occasion, chairing WWDN events, attending meetings, representing WWDN at external events.

This job description is not exhaustive, and the post holder may be asked to take on additional responsibilities not included herein.

What We’re Looking For:

Person Specification:

  • Highly motivated and goal orientated
  • Excellent communications and interpersonal skills and ability to represent WWDN externally
  • Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
  • An interest in the mission and aspirations of Creative Placemaking and the desire to work collaboratively in a small team
  • The ability to tailor and adapt communications to specific audiences

Experience:

  • A good level of IT literacy including the use of databases and websites (preferably Mailchimp / WordPress, but training will be provided).
  • Experience in working with customers in a B2C or B2B customer service / sales environment
  • Experience of working towards financial targets
  • Knowledge of UK-GDPR and other legislation concerning membership is desirable
  • An understanding of the third sector organisations

This job will require travel around Dumfries and Galloway so a driving licence will be required

How to Apply

If you’re interested in this role we encourage you to apply in a way that you feel most comfortable.

You can send us your CV and a short covering letter, or video, to [email protected], explaining why you’re interested and what you could bring to the role.

Application Deadline is 9am in Monday 11th March

Interviews are likely to take place on 21st and 22nd March 2024

It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too. Wherever you’re from, and whatever your background, we want to hear from you.

We will accept applications from anyone and everyone who feels they have the skills required to fulfil this role. Sound like the right job for you? Get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

Categories
News Opportunities Project Updates

Cafe Culture: Arts Commission

(This opportunity is now closed)

An opportunity to showcase your work and practice at The Stove.

The Stove Network is looking to commission an artist/creative practitioner(s) or community group to engage creatively with 100 High Street’s award-winning Stove Cafe through our ‘Conversing Building’ project.

Cafe Culture: Arts Commission

Fee + Materials: £1,750

Conversing Building is an exhibition programme hosted in our award-winning venue, The Stove Cafe.

It brings together a variety of creative works and projects that address local issues and engage with our local community, promoting and exploring ideas related to both local and global topics.

Ranging from subjects like ecology, heritage, and local democracy, Conversing Building delves into ideas, and discussions through diverse creative mediums, including sound, textiles, print, and visual art approaches to invite and inspire conversation and interaction with everyone that walks into our doors.

About the Commission

This is an open brief for creative practitioners to apply their own creative approach to the environment.

Practitioners of all types are invited to work with the Stove’s creative department and cafe team to realise a ‘takeover’ of the cafe space. drawing their own creative interpretation into the environment.

We are open to all forms and styles, from printmakers to installation.

We encourage applicants to consider how their work may address or speak to local concerns in an open and inspirational way.

Considerations

Our cafe is a busy space, and we are unable to lose out on seating spaces. Proposals must take into consideration how the work will complement the established environment of the cafe and not disrupt the day-to-day running of the enterprise.

The Stove Cafe is a place where people work, eat, chat, drink and play so do consider this with your proposal.

Proposals should consider how creative interactions with the space are sensitively balanced with the rhythm and life of the cafe and how interaction is best served within it. For example, proposals which require significant floor space are unlikely to work, as too proposals which centre on projected image/film may not be feasible due to daytime lighting obstructing the view.

Traditional exhibitions or previously exhibited work are invited however applicants must consider how the work relates to/compliment the Conversing Building projector, contributes to dialogue connected to our town centre location, and how they may go about re-imagining the work for the space in question.

Previous examples of Conversing Building projects can be found here.

Fee and Materials

The total fee and materials budget available is £1,750.

How this budget is split is subject to your proposal and will be agreed with the selected artist or project before the start of the commission, but must be inclusive of all additional costs including travel and VAT.

Schedule:

  • Application deadline: 5pm, 14th January 2024
  • Selection process: Week beginning 15th January 2024
  • Final selection made: 23rd January 2024
  • Installation dates Week beginning: 11th March 2024
  • Exhibition running time: 18th March – 13th April 2024 (inclusive)
  • Exhibition takedown: 15th April 2024

Application Process

  • An outline of your approach. (max 500 words). Submissions can also be made via video or audio file. If you would like to submit your approach in another format please do enquire with us as we are happy to accommodate any accessibility requirements in this regard.
  • Up to 3 examples of your work
  • A CV (or similar) outlining your experience to date

Proposals should be sent to [email protected] with the heading: Cafe Culture: Arts Commission

If you would like to speak to a member of the team to discuss your idea, please get in touch.

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News Opportunities

Creative Stranraer – Job Opportunity

(This opportunity is now closed)

Our friends at Creative Stranraer are looking for a dynamic and entrepreneurial Hub Coordinator to support our Creative Community Hub in the centre of Stranraer.

Role: Creative Stranraer Hub Coordinator

Hours: 15 hours per week, days and times to be arranged

Salary: £22,000 per annum pro rata (£12.09 per hour)

Term: 6 months fixed-term contract initially (may be extended, depending on funding)

Role Purpose: 

The Creative Stranraer Hub provides a space for the local community to participate in a range of creative activity, run by, with and for the people of Stranraer and The Rhins. Our Hub is a space where people can also access signposting to other projects, initiatives, and volunteering opportunities that welcomes anyone and everyone.

Main Responsibilities:

  • To manage the day to day running of the Creative Stranraer Hub
  • Provide support to the Creative Stranraer volunteer programme
  • To promote and manage room bookings of our space
  • To meet visitors and members of the community with a polite and friendly manner, offering excellent customer service
  • To provide information and signposting to visitors and members of the community
  • Act as the point of contact for all enquiries
  • To support the Creative Stranraer Arts & Engagement Officer with planning and implementing events and activities taking place in the hub
  • Liaising with the Communications and Marketing team, ensuing relevant information is passed on to support the outreach aims of Creative Stranraer
  • To support with basic administration tasks
  • Promote the charity in a positive manner to other businesses and services, encouraging joined up working where possible
  • To undertake other appropriate tasks needed to support the running of the project

Person Specification:

Essential:

  • Excellent organisational and coordination skills
  • Outstanding communication skills both verbal and written
  • Proficiency in digital administration and event promotion tools such as Microsoft office, social media and email
  • Customer service skills
  • Excellent multitasking and task prioritisation skills

If you are interested in this role and want to find out more before applying, please email; [email protected]

How to Apply:

We encourage you to apply in a way that you feel most comfortable or you can fire over your CV and a short covering letter, or video, to [email protected],  explaining why you’re interested and what you could bring to the role.

Just make sure that your application is in by 5pm, Wednesday 10th January 2024

It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too. Wherever you’re from, and whatever your background, we want to hear from you.

We will accept applications from anyone and everyone who feels they have the skills required to fulfil this role.

Sound like the right job for you? Get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.


About Creative Stranraer

Creative Stranraer is a project based in the Southwest of Scotland which focuses on supporting innovation and change in the historic town of Stranraer and the surrounding areas. Using creativity to connect people with their local environment, Creative Stranraer works in partnership with local and regional organisations to develop new opportunities and projects, encouraging communities to take part in the culture and enterprise to support a new vision for the town.

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Opportunities

WWDN – Website Developer / Designer

Freelance Commission Opportunity

About the Commission

WWDN (managed and delivered by The Stove Network) is seeking to work with a web developer/designer to support the design, development and delivery of a web-based platform that will build on the styling of the current website whatwedonow.scot and support the next phase (Stage 2) of the WWDN project.

The next phase of the website should house key information, including all related content across its geographical and thematic landscape, relevant recourses and include the introduction of a membership login portal.

Fee: 10 Days at £300 P/D (£3,000 in total)

Working with the WWDN project team, the designer/developer will creatively develop the platform, interface, and technical design of the website, taking into consideration priorities such as accessibility, brand awareness, integration and ‘signposting’ to other platforms that may be used throughout the project’s development.

Requirements

The designer/developer will work with the WWDN project team in Stage 2 to pinpoint and build the key elements of the project in order to support its legacy, future proofing the site.

Elements of the webpage to consider:

  • WordPress platform
  • Membership model with user login-in
  • News, blogs/articles, and archive
  • Interactive elements (for eg: forums, chat, email forms*)
  • Events listing features
  • Galleries/spaces to house documentation
  • Integration of related project materials (videos, other documentation)

The webpage should be considered as an extension of the project’s brand, a ‘digital artwork’ in and of itself, whilst maintaining the current brand identity (guidelines will be provided).

Regular check-ins on the development and design of the website will be expected between the designer/developer and the WWDN project team to align the project needs with the design and development of the website. These check-ins will be negotiated on the appointment of the designer/developer.

As part of Stage 2 project fee the designer/developer will host 1-2 working sessions with the WWDN internal team to ensure maintenance and development of the webpage can be managed in-house.

How to Apply

A note of your interest in the commission and a brief outline of how you will approach the brief.

Please provide three examples of your work (preferably active websites) and / or a portfolio of work – no larger than 10mb

All applications should be sent by email to: [email protected]

(closing date not currently set)

Background

WWDN is a Creative Placemaking Network that has been piloted in Dumfries & Galloway and is hosted by the Stove Network, an award-winning arts and community organisation based in the heart of Dumfries town centre. Working with artists, communities, and organisations, WWDN is a unique and ground-breaking initiative that continues to evolve and expand with those involved.

The initial pilot supported community anchor groups (community hubs) in towns across Dumfries & Galloway to host creative practitioners for an extended period to work with sections of their communities to co-create new future visions and practical projects. Artists, hubs, and communities were supported to explore bold new ideas with a particular focus on those under-represented in local decision making.

Each of the founding community hubs are in or working with communities experiencing disadvantage. All have identified sections of their own community where COVID has accentuated existing disadvantage and exclusion and have some experience of working culturally.

The WWDN Creative Placemaking Network is now in a period of transition to establish itself as a sustainable network for the region that will drive forward community-led work and support the growth of resource, expertise, and knowledge in creative placemaking across Dumfries & Galloway.

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News Opportunities

Wild Goose Festival Volunteer Opportunities

(This opportunity is now closed)

During the eleven-day Wild Goose Festival, our town centre nature hub found in the Loreburne Centre, Dumfries, will be open daily from 10:00am – 4:00pm, offering a range of family-friendly activities to enjoy.

This year, we have various volunteer opportunities available. Find out more about each opportunity below.

Image by Peter Jordan

Pre-Festival Volunteers

Role Description:

In collaboration with the Wild Goose Festival and supported by Creative Scotland, the central hub will host a festival-long ‘drop in and do’ collage mural. The mural will be created using recycled and natural materials.

Working in pairs before the festival, volunteers will gather materials for art packs, sort them, and maintain a record of all that was collected. Volunteers will then use collected natural and recycled materials into ‘art packs’, ensuring children and young people who participate will receive equal amounts of material.

Previous volunteer experience is optional, but a positive attitude, desire for fresh air, and enjoyment of working within the local community is essential. Gathering sessions will be held rain or shine; please ensure you come prepared for all weather possibilities. In the event of dangerous conditions making gathering impossible, volunteers will be offered a ‘rain date’.

Responsibilities:
  • In groups of 2, walking the natural areas of Dumfries town centre, gathering materials such as acorns, leaves, sticks, grasses, flowers, pine cones, pine needles, etc.
  • Sorting materials by type at the Stove.
  • Counting and taking stock of all gathered materials.
  • Following directions, gathering and sorting the provided materials into brown paper bag ‘preparation packs’ for mural drop-in sessions.
  • Bringing preparation packs to the hub in the Loreburne Centre.

Time Commitments:

Volunteers helping with the collection of materials: October 11th & 13th. These days will be split in to two sessions, collecting: 11:00am – 1:00pm, and sorting: 1:00pm – 2:00pm.

Volunteers helping with the compilation of Art Packs: October 17th. This day will be split in to two sessions: 11:00am – 1:00pm & 1:00pm – 3:00pm.

Image by Duncan Ireland

Hub Volunteers

Role Description:

In collaboration with the Wild Goose Festival, the central hub will open eight festival days between 10:00am and 4:00pm, offering interactive and creative workshops, partner presentations,
and self-led activities.

The general volunteer role is a dynamic position that will see volunteers engaging with various people, activities, local artists, and organisations. Volunteers will be responsible for assisting the Hub Director in the daily operation of the hub and its activities, shadowing the Hub Coordinator, helping direct the flow of visitors, and engaging with children and young people (CYP) under the direction of workshop providers and Stove staff.

Further supported by a grant from Creative Scotland, the central hub will host twelve interactive workshops ranging from a festival-long ‘drop in and do’ collage mural to interactive art development workshops led by locally established artists.

The Stove Networks Creative Spaces ‘emerging artists’ team will each have a turn taking over drop-in sessions, teaching and inspiring CYPs with hands-on mural workshops, while established artists will teach workshops on illustration, praxinoscope, sound design, cyanotype, etc.

No previous volunteer experience is required, just a positive attitude and enjoyment of working within the local community. A short (30-minute) training session will be held before the festival to familiarise volunteers with the Hub and role.

Responsibilities:
  • Ensure space is stocked with materials for self-lead activities
  • Answer questions and engage with the public, (such as greeting visitors, managing image release forms, etc.)
  • Assist in managing visitor flow/ensuring smooth operation of hub self-lead activities
  • Assist partners as needed with presentations and activities
  • Create art packs/gather natural materials as needed
  • Operate a ‘video station’ consisting of a tripod, camera, and praxinoscope machine, record pictures/videos of CYP creations on Proxiniscope & Engage and record (written) participant responses to the following question(s): What is your illustration about? What does this illustration mean to you?
  • Help ensure established artist workshops are stocked with paper, pencils, pens, crayons and making art packs as the need arises
  • Ensuring the organisation of basic art supplies (paints, brushes, crayons, pencils, pens, etc), and assisting with cleaning up art supplies (cleaning brushes, storing materials, recycling scrap materials, etc.)
  • Document/photograph art workshops when the staff photographer is not available
  • Interact with CYPs, assisting and providing support as needs arise
Time Commitments:

10:00am – 1:00pm OR
1:00pm – 4:00pm

Image by Rachel Shnapp

Clothing Sorting Volunteers:

Role Description:

This year, the Hub will run a clothing drive to support the work of Massive Outpouring of Love (MOOL). Clothing donations will be accepted from October 20th till October 26th. On Friday, October 27th, MOOL will host a donations sorting session at their Depot.

Community volunteers are needed to assist MOOL staff and MOOL volunteers to sort and organise what has been gathered.

Responsibilities:
  • Sorting clothing gathered during the festival week
  • Organising clothing by size
  • Organising clothing into piles for shipping to EU camps, clothing to be sent to charity shops and clothing that may be of use to current asylum seekers in the area.
Time Commitments:

October 27th – Time TBD

Questions?

If you have any questions about each volunteer role or about the Wild Goose Festival Hub please contact Wren Winters our Hub Co-ordinator here.

Wild Goose Festival is an annual, family-friendly exploration of nature, creativity, and place. Produced by The Stove Network and held in Dumfries and surrounding areas, it unites key partners from across the region in celebration of the migratory route of barnacle geese between Svalbard and the Solway as well as the five other species that flock to this part of Scotland.

Categories
News Opportunities

Commission: Waterfront Artist Stranraer

(This Opportunity is Now Closed)

The Stove Network is seeking a creative practitioner(s) to design and develop a programme of their own creative work which will be delivered with and for the community of Stranraer.

About the Commission:

Fee:

A fee of £10,000 is offered for this commission. This fee is inclusive of all expenses, materials, and VAT (if applicable)

Timescale:

The work is to be completed within a six-month window – mutually agreed milestones at beginning of commission (e.g., research period, schedule of events planned by Creative Stranraer and how work of Waterfront artist fits with this). 

Timeline: October – March 2024 

The purpose of the commission is to creatively engage the local people in the town’s waterfront area.

The creative practitioner is invited to utilise their own creative practice (and/or collaborate with others), to inspire a new conversation in the town about the waterfront and how it could once again form a vital part of the town’s future.

The commission will form part of a wider process of re-imagining the Waterfront and the Waterfront Artist will join a small team comprising:

  • Arts and Engagement Officer (AEO) – who has been working within the Stranraer community gathering the creative sector and working with them on creative community engagement with local people as part of the revitalisation of Stranraer. The AEO will support the Waterfront Artist in building relationships with local people/groups/partners, communications/marketing, and event production.
  • Research, Recording and Reporting (R, R+R) commission holder – this is a special commission to support the work of the Waterfront Artist by helping to gathering information research leads that surface through the work and write up all the information/ideas and opinions that are generated through the creative work with the Waterfront.
  • Support from The Stove Network – The Stove Network has been working in Stranraer supporting community-led regeneration projects for two years. The Stove is a leading Creative Placemaking organisation in Scotland and will actively support the creative engagement work on Stranraer Waterfront with the full range of services offered by the full Stove team (from production and communications to partnership building and operational systems)
  • Support from DG Council and local community groups – the Local Authority is working in partnership with a diverse range of local community groups as a broad-based community leadership group to deliver capital projects(including Waterfront projects such as Stranraer Marina, Stranraer Watersports Centre and a marine research facility) that will underpin a future Stranraer. This group will support the creative engagement work on the Waterfront with information, contacts, partnership events and assets.

This commission builds upon the Dandelion community garden project, which occupied a section of greenspace located by the waterfront as a community garden. The ‘Unexpected Garden’ was utilised as a community events space, hosting workshops, gigs and other events. 

Who we’re looking for:

We are in search of an experienced creative practitioner(s) with a strong background in community-embedded and social arts practices. 

An ability to effectively engage and acknowledge the diverse voices of Stranraer’s populace is vital. 

We seek an audacious individual(s) who can facilitate and envision exciting possibilities, instilling fresh connections with one of the town’s most valuable assets.

The commissioned practitioner(s) will have access to the Creative Stranraer ‘Hub’ located in the town’s High Street as well as significant support in community engagement as well as strategic interaction with the town’s established community events and festivals.

It is hoped the creative practitioner(s) will interact with Creative Stranraer’s programme of activities, weaving thematic considerations and activities, offering a diversity of experiences to ensure as wide a range of the community’s voices are heard.

What you’ll be doing:

The Creative Practitioner(s) will be expected to engage the community through creative activities, installations, interactive elements, and inspire conversation towards re-thinking the future use of the waterfront as a connected, culturally significant feature in the future of Stranraer.

The creative practitioner(s) are expected to:

  • Embrace the Waterfront’s inherent value and its potential for rejuvenation, using your creative lens to inspire new ideas, spark conversations, and incite actions that will lead to its revival. (Background: up until 10 years ago the waterfront was predominantly an ‘industrial’ environment as the embarkation point for the Stena Line vehicle and passenger ferry to Belfast)
  • Reflect the value of the Waterfront and the potential therein through a creative lens to inspire new ideas, conversations, and actions towards its regeneration.

Required outputs:

  • A series of interventions situated at the Waterfront to encourage a new relationship to the site. 
  • Contribution to one large-scale public event situated at or near the Waterfront at the commission’s conclusion (NB additional budget is held to produce this event)

How to apply:

Deadline for applications: Thursday 24th August 2023 at 5pm

We would like to hear from creative practitioners/artists with an initial response to the project in the form of a short proposal.

We are looking for proposals from creative practitioners/artists working in any discipline.

We are interested in processes that are responsive and adaptive, demonstrate a commitment to collaborative working and give a clear idea of the creative skills and tools you bring to developing this. We are open to joint proposals or those from performance collectives but would want to hear how this might impact on the financial support for the individual freelancers involved.

We are open to video/recorded sound applications that address the brief and would encourage those who may have additional access requirements or support needs, both in application and anticipated through delivery of the project, to please let us know what we can do to make this opportunity as accessible as possible.

TO APPLY:

Please send by email to [email protected] with a maximum file size of 10MB, before Thursday 24th August 2023 at 5pm and include the following:

  • Subject line: Waterfront Artist Stranraer
  • A statement of no more than 600 words stating what interests you about the Waterfront Artist commission including a brief description of your practice and an initial idea of how you might approach the project.
  • Current CV (max 2 pages)
  • Up to 4 examples of past work that you feel best supports your application – this can be in any form (images, films, texts, testimonials, links to online video or other online resources). 
  • If you are willing, please also complete our Equalities Monitoring form as part of your application:

It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too. Wherever you’re from, and whatever your background, we want to hear from you. We will accept applications from anyone and everyone who feels they have the skills required to fulfil this role.

We will always send an email acknowledging receipt of any applications. If you do not receive an email, please contact us again. If you require specific support when making an application, please let us know. 

If you have any questions you’d like answered before submitting your application, please contact us by email at: [email protected]


Background

Stranraer is at a pivotal point in its history. Ten years ago, the Stena Line ferry moved its operations from Stranraer to run their route to Northern Ireland from Cairnryan. A period of decline has followed for the town, but now Stranraer stands on the brink of a new chapter in its story with investment secured for a series of significant capital projects. These include projects for the Waterfront: a marina, a watersports centre, and a marine research facility. In the town centre the centrepiece project is the re-development of the former George Hotel into a culture and community centre including a bouldering centre and bunkhouse. These projects are all stitched into the community-led Place Plan for the town. The local community have worked in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council and South of Scotland Enterprise, and this commission is part of an ongoing commitment to keep the community right at the heart of the future vision for Stranraer.

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