On The Record is an oral and community history group, run on co-operative principles, in London. We invite people to narrate their own stories, in their own way, in conversation with a respectful enquirer. Our work currently focuses on experiences of childcare and parenting, healthcare, mental health and therapeutic communities, radical bookshops and the LGBTQIA community. We work collaboratively with people with lived experience of the historical topics our work explores.
Our aims are:
- to record stories which would otherwise go untold;
- to train and mentor others to do likewise, especially groups who face structural oppression;
- to support progressive social change by using past experiences to inform current policy.
In our own funded projects, we expand the creativity and reach of the arts and heritage sector by creating opportunities for the people we engage to develop creative skills and become cultural producers themselves. In the case of younger people, the experience is often transformative.
“I now feel I’m part of something much bigger than myself, I feel I am part of a movement, just carrying on what the previous generation managed to achieve.”
Feedback from a 16-year-old who co-created fighting sus, 2019
Beyond our in-house projects, we are in demand as consultants to train and support heritage projects run by other groups and organisations. Our work is recognised as excellent and has won national and international awards, including the Women’s History Network Community Prize (2020) and Sound Walk September (2020). Our staff and volunteers are frequently invited to contribute to national and international heritage networks, academic conferences and seminars and to appear in the media.
As we enter our tenth year of operation, we would like to create new opportunities for involvement in our work by recruiting an Advisory Board which can help guide and inform the future of On the Record. Advisory Board roles are voluntary. We are hoping to recruit people located in or very close to London, given the geographical focus of On the Record’s work. Some expenses will be paid (for example, to attend meetings, within London).
These new voluntary roles would offer excellent experience for anyone who is considering becoming a charity trustee, or who is developing a career in management in the arts, heritage or fundraising sector. You’ll get the chance to network with others with complementary skills and experiences to your own, while providing a significant contribution to the future of On the Record’s work. Roles will initially be appointed for 12 months, after which a continuation may be mutually agreed.
Who are we looking for?
We’d love to hear from you if you:
- have lived experience of the subjects our work explores: childcare, parenting/caring, healthcare, mental health, radical bookshops/publishing, grassroots movements for social change and/or the LGBTQIA community;
- have expertise in the things we make: audio and digital outputs, books, exhibitions, art and sound installations;
- have fundraising experience, especially in charitable trusts, Arts Council and individual giving;
- have publicity experience, in conventional and/or social media;
- are an academic interested in some or all of the subject areas we work in, and/or in oral history as a research method;
- have expertise in Archives and/or Museums;
- could advise on ethical issues as they arise in our work.
We would strongly encourage people from Black, Asian, and other minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, those with mental health conditions and LGBTQIA+ people to apply.
What would we ask you to do?
We would ask you to attend two meetings of 2-3 hours per year, and to be prepared to offer infrequent support and advice in between those biannual meetings. The Advisory Board could decide whether in-person or online meetings were most convenient; to begin with, we may suggest one in-person and one online. We would cover expenses for travel to meetings within London.
We’d like you to:
- help with feedback on project ideas and ongoing project work;
- offer advice on fundraising and publicising our work;
- use your networks to help us connect with new communities;
- help us access different contexts for our work - for instance social prescribing in the NHS, or partnerships with academic institutions or campaigning organisations;
- share expertise in the subjects and communities our work is most engaged with at present - childcare and parenting, healthcare, mental health and therapeutic communities, radical bookshops and the LGBTQIA+ community;
- be ambassadors for our work.
How do I apply?
Please apply by 14 May 2022 by sending us an email telling us why you would like to join and what experiences and perspectives you can contribute.
You can contact us on [email protected]
