Rebekah
Polding
Validated Lead Expert
Generic Skills
B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development:
My professional experience over two decades working in the cultural sector is united by an active commitment to the role that culture and creativity play as the golden thread of urban policy and local governance—both weaving across and amplifying all urban affairs from economic development and public health to social and community cohesion, inclusion, and planning and real estate. As a Senior Consultant at BOP, the UK’s leading cultural and creative industries consulting firm and managers of the World Cities Culture Forum, I have worked with the Mayor of London’s Culture Team and other local authorities across the UK, the British Council, National Trust, Goethe Institute, and Edinburgh Festivals.
In nearly every case, I am brought in to help these institutions and organisations find ways to more successfully integrate culture and the creative industries with other areas of urban development in order to create more culturally, socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable cities of all sizes. For each project I tailor a robust programme bringing together urban cultural policy and strategy development, local creative ecosystem mapping, cultural master planning, social and economic impact assessments and comprehensive research and evaluation frameworks. My expertise has been developed through a cultural studies PhD (Cambridge); ten years senior experience in a creative industries regional development agency and consultancy work for leading public sector organisations
B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level:
I have been creating networks that facilitate learning and exchange for over 15 years with extensive experience of the specific skills and processes required when facilitating across nations and cultures. I am currently delivering a programme for the British Council to develop a skills and support infrastructure around festivals for Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Programme planning considers political sensitivities between countries and with the UK; language differences; differences in core understanding and sector development; and the importance of creating structures that enable mutual exchange whilst delivering training. The intervention is designed both to have immediate impact and to enable future work, requiring a robust evidence base (extensive baseline research), nurturing of key stakeholders, relationship brokering and a balance between expectation management and ambitious vision. Face-to-face communication through visits and a symposium is supported by sharing of written reports.
Careful partnership development has also been key to success in creating a global network for the evaluation of Nesta and the British Council’s Creative Enterprise Programme. Clear and concise communication is also essential, as in my projects to share protocols for digital archive networks between London’s Screen Archives and Europeana or exchange programming between Cambridge and Baghdad International Film Festivals.
B.3. Proficiency in English:
I am a cultural communications professional with expertise in reaching public and professional audiences through written and spoken methods. A confident and persuasive public speaker, I regularly present at conferences and workshops, including chairing international sessions for the Sheffield Documentary and London Film Festivals and frequently facilitate training sessions and workshops for clients including British Council, Arts Council and National Lottery Heritage Fund. I am adept at producing concise and focused presentations for decision-makers, including the board of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), from whom I received support for a major new strand of public-facing activity for the organisation. My report writing has been praised by numerous clients for being well-structured and for the elegance of written style. For several years I served as Head of Communications for the Picturehouse Cinema network, creating clear and persuasive marketing materials that grew audiences significantly in 17 cinemas across the UK and designing the group’s first email newsletter template. A native English speaker, I also hold a first class degree in English literature from Cambridge University and have published film criticism in English in magazines and books.
Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
Summary Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
My 20 years of experience in organising transnational city-to-city peer learning and partnerships includes projects in creative enterprise and cultural skills, support to international cultural delegations, film exhibition, digital archives, organisational change, evaluation. I am adept in creating a wide range of learning tools and environments, from face-to-face meetings to webinars, newsletter, case studies and online courses. I have enabled exchange across different levels of knowledge and experience between cultural sectors in different Gulf states, between European and US digital innovators, and for cultural relations managers across four global regions.
My high levels of emotional intelligence has enabled me to find the common interests that bring partners together including government ministers, regional leaders and SMEs. For leading organisations including the British Council, Nesta, Gethe-Institut and National Trust, I have brought a flexible approach of active listening and consultation to mobilise stakeholders to work together and participate fully in learning and exchange, always respecting unique needs and motivations. A committed systems leader, I have created many enduring networks to deliver programmes and grow capacity.
I am adept at creating concise and effective stimulus material, summary documentation and reporting and have supported policy and programme development within UK regional cultural policy and to support transnational cultural relations.
Thematic expertise:
Theme / Policy:
Active Inclusion of Target Groups
Summary Thematic expertise:
I have over 15 years of experience in the design, delivery and evaluations of strategic programmes aimed at reaching, catering to and benefitting target groups, particularly those from marginalised and underserved backgrounds. With Film London, the capital’s film and media advocacy and development agency, I designed and delivered their New Black Film programme, leading an extensive consultation exercise with Black cultural leaders and creating an effective leadership training, funding and support programme. Outputs were widely disseminated across the film industry and London regional policymakers, with resulting changes in practice and funding policy.The project has since grown and developed into a powerful cultural and economic voice in London and the UK (http://www.tnbfc.co.uk). I have worked on projects to include city fringe populations, little-known national cultures and cultural entrepreneurs from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in 25 cities across 15 countries, working with the British Council and Nesta. I am the lead project advisor and evaluator for Art Council England’s Great Place scheme, sharing learning from 16 projects on including disempowered communities within the cultural and civic conversation. As well as concise reporting to decision-makers I have used case studies, focus groups, learning events and press coverage to develop project learning into strategic benefit and engage policy makers and city practitioners with best practice.
Theme / Policy:
Arts and Culture
Summary Thematic expertise:
I am a trusted culture specialist, having worked with over 200 organisations. For the past 20 years I have worked across the public, private and third sector to design, implement and evaluate high profile arts and culture programmes and policies in an urban context. With BOP consulting, I have led on strategic research and policy activities to enable the cultural programmes of local authorities and governments and the cities-focused work of leading cultural sector organisations incl. National Trust, Arts Council England and Festivals Edinburgh. For UK local authorities I have advised and supported best practice exchange around the use of culture and the creative industries in wider urban policy for the Greater London Authority, Letchworth and the 16 ‘Great Places’. For Mayor of London, I led research into the built theatre infrastructure, examining the entirety of London’s theatre supply chain and offering recommendations for the sector’s future protection and support. This research project is summarised through case studies, data tables and recommendations and my report will be released for policymakers and the cultural sector in 2019. Transnationally I have disseminated a range of briefings, learning inputs and reports for the British Council including ‘Theatre for Young Audiences in China’ to inform the UK theatre sector and a strategic change project addressing the role of cross-arts teams in the UK and global regions which enabled the creation of new team vision and aims
Expertise support to local authorities and other stakeholders in designing & delivering integrated and participatory policies
E.1. Knowledge on participatory methods and tools for co-production and implementation of local polices :
The 16 Great Place projects in localities across England are pioneering new ways to empower communities in and through culture. Working with these projects, I have assessed a wide range of participatory methods including dedicated staffing for outreach, community and youth panels, co-commissioning, community budgeting, surveys, meetings nd consultative theatre projects. I have devised a framework for understanding levels of participation and shared learning from across projects through case studies and focus groups. Through these we have addressed difficult issues such as community disappointment with artist-led projects, negotiating new models of control with local stakeholders and the resources needed to ensure genuine co-production. My advisory role draws upon eight years working for a London regional policy organisation to develop and implement cultural policy with residents and with organisations. Many groups had long-held distrust of institutions which I overcame through commitment, genuine dialogue and concrete demonstrations of result. For example, I helped to secure funding for BAME-led groups too small to access existing schemes or creating new policy priorities to spread opportunity more evenly across the city. Personal commitment is essential: I always travel to consultees at a time and place that suits them – libraries, community centres, market squares, homes - and ensure that participants have an open line for ongoing discussion.
E.2. Knowledge on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies:
For Film London – the strategic body for the city’s film, television and games industries – I designed and delivered a £1.2 million initiative to develop a sustainable film heritage sector for the city using an innovative network model. This addressed three core agendas: support for community cohesion through sharing experiences and understanding between ethnic and geographically diverse groups; upskilling the existing heritage workforce for the digital era; and creation of new revenue streams for locally focused heritage organisations. I created a logic model for the project which showed how outputs of audience numbers, screening events, volunteers recruited, stakeholder meetings, training delivered and new assets collected led to the outcomes of a more connected London, diverse participation in culture, increased sectoral capacity and raised profile raised with potential funders in each borough. Baselines were researched for existing levels of cultural opportunity, diversity of participation and organisational capacity. Template surveys for monitoring audiences, workshop participants, and organisational development were then used across the project by the in-house team and partners, with whom we ran annual focus groups and interviews to gain insight and ensure engagement. Key indicators were monitored on an ongoing basis by the project team: activity levels in under-served areas; inclusion of diverse audiences and their stories; range and seniority of stakeholders engaged.
E.3. Awareness of the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level:
My main practical sources of information, which I keep in touch with through websites, newsletters, social media, events and webinars are:
• EU Europa publications portal, which I find to be the best general source of information
• Eurocities: used by most of my clients to keep abreast of trends and for practical information on funding
• Creative Europe Desk UK: focused on Creative Europe programmes but which also provides good general information on urban related funding relevant to the cultural and creative sector
• Core Cities (www.corecities.com): a UK perspective on sustainable urban development
• NESTA (www.nesta.org.uk), which is strong on trends in innovative financial mechanisms
For longer-term trends and more global perspective I draw on the following sources and publications:
• World Cities Culture Forum (www.worldcitiescultureforum.com)
• Citylab (www.citylab.com), which I find to be an informative and insightful global overview of sustainable urban development
• A range of United Nations sources, particularly UN Habitat (The New Urban Agenda)
• World Economic Forum: Council on the Future of Cities (https://www.weforum.org/reports/competitiveness-cities)
I have read with interest the Urban Agenda for the EU etablished by the Pact of Amsterdam, and am discussing the jobs and skills thematic priority with British Council and Nesta’s creative economy teams.
E.4. Ability to understand specific local situations and adapt tools and content to different local realities:
The global Creative Enterprise Programme (British Council-Nesta) involves a three-day workshop for emerging entrepreneurs, training for local workshop leaders, networking of participants and an iterative evaluation process. My year-long support to the programme involves a review of current practice and design of new tools and processes that both improve outcomes for learners and increase the potential for local policy impact. These tools have to be operable in a wide range of geographic contexts, for cities across Ukraine, Senegal, Mexico and Sri Lanka. Each tool (surveys, case study templates, discussion guides, manuals) has to welcome and inspire a wide range of users, working with different policy contexts and different mores relating to learning and evaluation. There are three key elements to my approach: focus, flexibility and consultation. Each tool is focused on its essential purpose – for instance, to measure economic impact – and the minimum requirements established for doing this consistently are clearly established with all partners. Through consultation and testing, I have learned that the concept of turnover – whilst the simplest economic measure – is not universally understood: I therefore created a new workshop module to teach the concept. Flexibility is allowed in delivery of the tool: at recruitment, in-workshop or follow-up call. Adaptation ensures no barriers are created to participation but the core common tool is robust.
Summary Expertise:
I have worked with over 30 local authorities, regional cultural bodies for London and other UK areas, with the British Council and with the cultural and creative sector internationally on policies which promote the inclusion of disadvantaged communites and develop sustainable cities through culture, skills and economic growth. In engaging with new communities whether city fringes, ethnic minorities, established or emerging professional groups I know the importance of personal commitment, genuine dialogue and concrete delivery. I have developed and delivered policies to protect and share London’s diverse heritage, to support an inclusive global network of creative entrepreneurs and to advise 16 Great Place projects on participatory approaches to economic and cultural development. As a trained research professional I am able to focus on the essential shared tools for robust delivery and monitoring whilst being sensitive to the needs to flex approaches for local contexts. With current projects with Nesta (the innovation foundation), the Mayor of London’s department for culture and the World Cities Culture Forum, I am working at the forefront of new approaches to sustainable urban development with a focus on culture-driven growth.