Notes of TYA England Meeting held on 5th March 09 in Leeds
Present:
Paul Harman, Steve Ball, Akua Obeng-Frimpong, Stephen Aal, Wendy Harris, Gail McIntyre, Stuart Bennett, Cathy Rollins
- Apologies
Nina Hajiyianni, Karen Draisey, Jude Merrill, Vicky Ireland, Tim Webb, Tony Graham, Guy Holland, Ben Eccles, Ellen Bianchini , Miranda Thain
- Notes of last meeting
- PH reported that he had met with Guy Holland who was unclear about his role SB proposed ratification of GH for Treasurer of TYA Eng, seconded by AO
- Action: SBa to speak to GH re his role as treasurer
- SB and A O-F were ratified as chair and vice chair of TYA England
- The notes were accepted as a true and accurate record of the last meeting.
- Matters Arising
Membership issues:
- CR to provide admin support ½ day per week. This role will also involve processing memberships, but no clear decision made yet about whether potential members and existing members sign up to TYA UK or sub group
- PH: suggested subscriptions to be paid to existing UK body. Subsequent discussion to be had about what is done with surplus money after TYA UK core costs have been met.
- PH: CR to take on role of membership subscription
- AO-F: Thinks each regional group should take responsibility for recruitment of members.
- Action: SA to recruit new members from PH list.
- SBa proposed : SA be appointed membership secretary Agreed
- SBa proposal: CR to process new memberships Agreed
- SBa proposal: Membership rates remain the same Agreed
Action Next Generation SB to ask NH for a progress report
4. TYA UK Meeting Update
· Productive inaugural meeting of new TYA Board, PH was elected chair. Representatives from Wales, Scotland and England attended.
· AO-F and PH have met to discuss budgetary needs of the organisation
· Next meeting in Edinburgh to coincide with Imaginate.
5. International Representative’s Report
· February newsletter circulated
· PH hasn’t gone to Bologna festival as others have gone
· PH: Bursary scheme – PH keen to spend money so invited people to ask for funding.
· VI is main contact for 2011 festival.
6. TYA UK Questionnaire
· AO-F: At TYA UK meeting, one issue arising was trying to identify issues for the organisation to address. AO-F has circulated a questionnaire to sub committees.
· PH: Questionnaire may be discussed in at the upcoming Welsh conference. Action: AO-F to talk to Gary.
· PH Tony Reekie is committed to TYA UK now and has advertised for people to come forward to be the 2nd Scottish rep on the UK committee.
· AO-F took feedback from meeting attendees on the questions on the questionnaire
7. Strategic Plan
The TYA UK strategic plan was revisited and some objectives were re-prioritised (See attachment) A discussion took place about the forthcoming meeting with ACE officers in London. Agreed that SBa would distribute a copy of the revised strategic plan to key officers
8. TYA Campaign
·SBe: It is important to look at ways of getting members on board and activating the whole sector. He has attempted to see what it means to activate members, and has produced a summary report. The responses to the forum is quite minimal – the forum’s potential hasn’t been picked up. SBe got email addresses from directory and emailed everyone separately to see if people were committed to developing something. 16 people responded to direct email. From the experience of the movement, the strength of the work is its diversity, but bringing the strands together needs some thought. London Drama links drama teaching schools with each other and theatre companies and uses high artistic product to link people together and create social outcomes. Could TYA England produce a short leaflet for companies to send out with their own material? Would be a straightforward process and easier than getting information into publications London has 32 very small boroughs, not all with an education authority. Looking at different marketing materials, it seems that people are more interested in organisations that bring communities together and that these are more successful. People respond to live theatre and to community theatre as the audience feel it’s for them.
·SBa: SBe’s leaflet idea needs to tie in with TYA communication strategy.
·PH: It may be possible to fund a run of postcards.
·WH: This needs to be underpinned by the strategy of TYA. Is print even the best medium to communicate with people?
·AO-F: Could we use the website more? Some print produced for Adelaide – could these be re-used?
·WH: It would be useful to get some expertise in to look at current strategies and make recommendations.
·SBe: Communications that really work include the audience in visual representations.
·AO-F: We could use the website, email shots etc. to put forward the same points.
·Action A O-F to chair a communication task group to include PH and Be to take issue forward
9. AOB: Travel Expenses:
· Agreed that TYA England will meet travel expenses of members not employed by companies
10. Next TYA England meeting:
21st May 11am-1.15pm at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, prior to International Co-production event