(Photos by me and Isabel - thanks!)
Last night was the launch of Creative Republic and was a great evening. Well done to everyone who helped make it happen, and congratulations again to Pete on Created in Birmingham’s first birthday.It was nice to meet some new people, chat to those I already knew and make ‘real world’ connections with people I’ve only known until now through the web.
The main thrust of the event was that we’re setting up an independent, representative group to lobby for, market and represent the needs of the creative and cultural industries in Birmingham and we’d like anyone who agrees with what we’re trying to do to take a look at our Charter and join us.
The Launch of the Creative Republic Charter
Here’s the full text of the Charter:
If you are in advertising, antiques, applied arts, architecture, crafts, design, fashion, film, games, music, performing arts, publishing, software, tv and radio we’d like to hear from you.
Creative Republic is seeking your support.
We are a group of people who make our living in the sector. We passionately believe that a new representative body is needed to support the creative and cultural industries in Birmingham and the region, which is why we’ve set up Creative Republic.
Research indicates that the total GVA (Gross Value Added) of the creative sector in the West Midlands was over £2.5bn back in 2001– and we’re still growing! It has also been suggested that the region could see 250,000 new jobs in the creative and cultural sector over the next seven years. So there’s work to be done to support that projected growth and have our say.
We believe the creative and cultural industries:
1. Add to the quality of life of a city, making it vibrant and dynamic
2. Contribute to the positive image of a city
3. Generate wealth both directly and indirectly
But, we have a few burning issues:
1. Getting more credibility and recognition for the contribution we make
2. Ensuring our significant voice is heard for the benefit of us all
3. Finding a way for us all to come together more effectively
We believe that Birmingham needs an independent representative organisation for us to:
1. Influence decision-making about the city
2. Represent the needs of our industries to those who can make changes
3. Connect creative people with each other and those in other industries
We’ll gain strength in numbers:
To achieve this, we Creative Republic, are seeking your support.
By signing up to this Charter, it enables us to say that we represent your views.
The more people we can say that we represent, the stronger, louder and more effective our voice will be.
Related posts:
- Creative Republic Launch Video Video from the launch of Creative Republic, with speeches...
- Creative Republic is Open for Business! Creative Republic is now open for business, but what...
- The Big City Plan Charter - Any Questions? Today is the launch of The Big City Plan...
- Channel 4 IdeasFactory / Nesta - Creative Hub launch I gave a speech at the launch night of the...
- What is Birmingham’s Creative Direction? Another in my series about Birmingham’s Big City Plan. Photo...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
9 Comments
Hi Stef!
Were you at the Birmingham Bloggers Meet by any chance? I was at the launch event too, but I haven’t been able to put faces to blogs to names!
Yes - I was. I saw you there too, but both times we seemed to be on the opposite side of the room to eachother. I was about a metre away from you last night and just about to say hi when you all headed out the door! Next time maybe?
Hi Stef,
Glad the party went well. Just want to clarify who you want to sign up to the charter.
Those that “make our living in the sector” include all the admin, legal, support etc. staff who make up a substantial part of the figures you quote. And of course there are more creative workers in the non-creative sector than the creative sector.
I’m taking it you want all the above to sign up? If so then that’s genuinely a huge number and can only add value to your organisation and help make it a success.
Dave
Hi Dave,
Thanks for that - perhaps it’s not clear enough.
This is open to anyone who considers themselves as working in a creative or cultural role or organisation in Birmingham and the region, as well as people who are just interested in supporting what we are doing. We’re throwing the net wide - and over time we hope to be representative of as wide a group of people as possible.
Stef
Hi,
I’m a little confused by part of the charter:
“By signing up to this Charter, it enables us to say that we represent your views.”
Reading the rest of it, it doesn’t actually say anything about what CR would actually do. Of course, everything that you say CR believes in etc. is all well and good, but surely any organisation like this will have aims and objectives, and those don’t seem to be laid out. So, I couldn’t say for sure if these views would be things that I’d necessarily agree with…
Of course, I’m fairly sure that you aren’t intending a right-wing police state with all workers in non-creative industries condemned to labour away in the paint mines, but maybe you need to be a bit more specific about what your vision is?
Sorry I didn’t make it along last night - was in meetings until about 11 PM again!
Cheers,
Karli
Hello!
I am sorry I didn’t make it down last night but as you know I had clients to see.
I know I could just ask you (again!) about this but it might be helpful to other people in my position to ask it here…
Does this include people like me, working on their own as a photographer for example? Or is it for people doing creative/cultural jobs in larger organisations or who are leading or enabling creative and cultural things to happen? Funding bodies, support organizations, consultants etc.
I haven’t been at all sure since you started working on this whether I should/would/could be in or out of Creative Republic and I guess you haven’t been able to answer until perhaps now…??
Thank you!
Just to address the questions from Karli and Emily if that’s helpful. This is not “official CR policy”, but my perspective as interim chair of the organisation
Karli - the wording is perhaps a self-sealing universe but what we mean is, that by signing up to the charter you will form part of the “initial members” whose opinions and ideas we will seek: both in the formation of the up-coming membership offer and in that we will actively seek opinions and research from the signatories to the charter. So in signing up to the charter you put a stake in the sand that says “my voice counts” - and the operation of the CR going forward shouldm make that voice count.
And yes, Emily, sole traders (PARTICULARLY sole traders, you are the people who get heard least of all), trainers and consultants working in the field, academics and funders all have a part to play. We just ask you to identify your field so that we can represent the views we find with more accuracy and spot trends in different disciplines etc.
So yes - JOIN US - http://www.creativerepublic.org/charter - and engage the process that will have your voice heard.
Thanks Helga!
Thanks Helga - I’m still not entirely sure where things will lead to, and I guess you probably aren’t earlier as it would be impossible to predict what the voices you recruit will be saying. But I agree that there is scope here to benefit all sorts of people. I guess my concern was that CR would function along the lines of a directed focus group, where individual voices are effectively nullified by an overriding strategy. If you’re willing to put up with voices of dissent like mine (less idealistic, more jaded and dissafected) then I’m happy to contribute.
2 Trackbacks
[...] thing that came out of Thursday’s party, where I stood on a chair and everyone applauded and my knees went all wobbly, was the pondering of [...]
[...] our business deserves. Oh and don’t forget to link to the site, as these people have done, and so have [...]