ACT Waterford 

Funded by the Climate Action Fund

Closing date: 10 December 2021

“…creativity, arts and culture have a vital role to play in bringing the urgency of this challenge to the forefront; in imagining, communicating and building a sustainable future; and in encouraging and facilitating action and change at all levels of society” Creative Climate Action call for creative projects briefing note

“No-one is too small to make difference” – Greta Thunberg

1.        Who we are

ACT Waterford is an interdisciplinary project which brings together Waterford City and County Council (WCCC) and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) in an exciting project funded by Creative Ireland Climate Action fund. Five different communities in Waterford City and County will be engaged with themes of climate change: transport, domestic energy, rural environment, green spaces and consumption aligning with WCCC’s aim to make Waterford City a decarbonised zone by 2040.

Facilitators will work with these communities to try to understand where they are on climate change action. The community will consider the particular barriers to action and work with creatives to explore solutions. A variety of design and creative media will be used and the output will be shared within the community. The outputs will be shared with the wider Waterford community through public exhibition and performance working with various cultural events. The ACT Waterford website will allow the communities to share their ideas and video will document the process and outputs. The primary participants will reach further into their own communities to hard to reach groups with activities such as workshops.

The project is managed by Calmast, Waterford Institute of Technology, on behalf of Waterford City and County Council. Calmast is Waterford Institute of Technology’s STEM Engagement Hub. It was established in 2002 to address issues in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) building on work of the South East Schools Science Initiative commenced in the 1990’s. The centre leverages the resources of WIT and works in partnership with schools, industry and business, local authorities, public bodies and non-governmental organisations. Calmast has been funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) as the STEM Hub for the South East Region.

Further information in Appendices

2.        Background

Artists & creative practitioners working in any creative field or discipline are invited to apply to work with Waterford City and County Council (WCCC) and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) to become an ACT Waterford Creative. The selected creative(s) will work with one of five communities in Waterford City and County to examine specific themes relating to carbon use; these themes are

  • urban green spaces
  • energy
  • transport
  • consumption
  • rural environment

Creatives will be asked to bring their unique perspective to the project, examining climate change at local community level, and examine how creative solutions can lead to changes in personal, local & community behaviour in how we reduce our carbon footprint. Using creative approaches, ACT Waterford Creatives will assist in building capacity and understanding in the wider community about the challenges of climate change and stimulate climate action. ACT Waterford Creatives will work with the communities to produce a distinct legacy for the project so experiences and learnings gained can be brought to a wider audience. Applications are welcome from individual creative practitioners as well as groups or collectives. The successful applicants will be supported by a project manager at Calmast, and by Waterford City and County Council.

3.        What we are looking for

ACT Waterford (Appendix 1) plans to work with five local communities on five separate but interlinked climate themes. We now seek creative practitioners to bring fresh and imaginative approaches to working with communities in collaborative and co-designed initiatives. There is a sense of fatigue and worry on personal levels about the scale of climate change – ACT Waterford aims to show that individual behaviour change in this area can be beneficial on personal level and impactful in local communities.

We are now seeking proposals from creatives to use creative expression in the area of climate change, which aims to produce behavioural change in climate change action in participant communities, e.g. an art work/s, an event / or activity, storytelling or publication, made or restored objects etc., however this will be decided in a collaborative effort between the creative and the community.

We seek to introduce creative practitioners who bring interdisciplinary and collaborative ways of working with different disciplines such as science, urban planning, engineering, technology; with thought leaders, activists; and involving them with local communities in Waterford. Selected creatives must be willing and able to assist communities to co-design a creative approach to behaviour change in the climate change context. The project work can result in an output: e.g. an art work/s, an event / or activity, storytelling or publication, made or restored objects etc., however this will be decided in a collaborative effort between the creative and the community.

We seek creatives who can focus on action and impact – we want these projects to move beyond raising awareness of climate change, and to discuss, encourage, and facilitate the system, lifestyle and behaviour changes that are urgently need.

Project creatives will be expected to participate in dissemination of project activities, i.e. with providing images & content for social media campaigns, working with photographers, carrying out talks at organised events and with communities, with media or other project activities as required to tell the story of their community collaboration.

ACT Waterford has identified five defined communities to work with. Selected creative practitioners will be assigned to the community and project theme that most aligns with their practice. This pairing will be made by the project partners.

Expected Outputs

Each community & creative will take on one theme and the following are some, but not an exhaustive list, of the expected outputs of the project;

  • Community leaders and participants identified and collaborated with creative practitioners on the relevant theme.
  • Series of town hall meetings attended by creatives, communities, project partners and public.
  • A creative intervention / installation / collaborative piece of work between creatives and community based on the relevant theme
  • An activity at a festival or event or in the local community to showcase the project
  • The outputs will be shared with the wider Waterford Community through public exhibition and performance working with various cultural events. A website will allow the communities to share their ideas and a video will document the process and outputs. The primary participants will reach further into their own communities to hard to reach groups with activities such as workshops.

ACT Waterford may have the opportunity to work with external evaluation / research group (MaREI)  to evaluate the work of the project.

4.        Selection of Creatives

Skills and experience

Applicants should demonstrate in their application the following with regard to the assessment criteria below:

  • Significant proven experience in working with the community and with community groups
  • An understanding of how community groups work, and have the flexibility to engage with these groups
  • Capacity to gain the trust of the participating communities and to bring the community group with them through the project to the delivery of final creative piece
  • Proven track record in dealing with multiple and diverse stakeholders over a period of time
  • Strong evidence of their creative and imaginative practices
  • An understanding of sustainability and a desire to know more
  • Confident public speaker and ability to be advocate on the chosen topic
  • Ability to generate content (text, images or video) for press social media, websites etc
  • Proven track record of deliverables on time and in budget
  • Ability to work as part of a team and collaboratively with all project partners including thematic experts from WCCC and WIT.

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:

Experience in community and creative practice

  • Evidence of working as an experienced creative practitioner with significant experience in a community or socially engaged setting
  • Candidates will need to demonstrate experience of building trust with stakeholders and evidence of collaborative practice
  • Evidence of creative and imaginative practice
  • Demonstrated capacity to act strategically and evidence of capacity to change minds in a community setting

Skills

Demonstrated evidence of the following

  • Public speaking
  • Content creation for social media
  • Video and photography skills
  • Team work
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
  • Knowledge of, and interest in, climate change is an advantage

Weightings:

Criteria Percentage Marks Minimum
Community experience 40% 400 200
Creative experience 40% 400 200
Skills 20% 200 100

Shortlisted creative practitioners may be required to attend a short interview with the project partners.

Application process

Closing date is 10 December at 15:00. Late entries will not be considered.

Applications to be sent to Calmast by email only. Postal entries will not be accepted.

Email: calmast@wit.ie 

Include your name and the project title in the subject line of the email.

Please include the following

  • A covering letter explaining the suitability of the applicant to the role including evidence of community and creative experience and skills. (500 words max)
  • Three examples of relevant creative and / or community projects with images & video links included where possible. Each example should include:
    • Client name
    • Contract description
    • Delivery dates
    • Details of the range of services provided
    • Outline how the example is comparable with the subject matter of the project being advertised.
    • Contact name to verify information provided
  • A one-page description of the relevant skills set of the applicant.
  • Current CV not longer than two A4 pages.

The total application should be no larger than 8 MB

  • If the applicant has queries about any information on this Call for Creatives, they must email their queries by December 1st at 15:00 calmast@wit.ie
  • Selection will be made by the project partners and will be communicated within 3 weeks of closing date. Selection will be based on skills and experience shown in the application. Shortlisting may apply.
  • Closing date is 10 December at 15:00. Late entries will not be considered.

5.      General conditions

Fees and payment

The maximum fee per project (five projects in total) is €10,000. This allows for approximately 53 days working on each project (7.5 hour days) inclusive of VAT to include all expenses such as travel.  There is additional budget for materials to a maximum of €3000 (inclusive of VAT) per project.

Fees are in line with The Arts Council Paying the Artist Policy, 2020.

Fees noted above are VAT inclusive, (whether VAT liability lies with the Creative or the Commissioner). Non-resident creatives from EU and non-EU countries must be aware of any tax or VAT implications arising from the commission and ensure that any costs arising from this are included in their budget.

Payments will be on a phased basis during the lifetime of the project.

Terms and Conditions

The allocation of this time has some flexibility, and the final commitment will be agreed with the selected creative practitioner. It is envisaged that the creative practitioner will spend a significant portion of the ‘allocated’ time engaging with the community. Creatives must spend a minimum of their project time in Waterford working directly with communities and must attend in-person meetings if required in the city. This project is based on office / admin being done remotely. Space may be available in community settings but is not guaranteed.

The successful creatives will be issued with a contract for 12 months by the project partners. The Contracting Authority reserves the right to extend the Term for a period or periods of up to 12 months with a maximum of two such extension or extensions on the same terms and conditions subject to management approval and available budget.

ACT Waterford reserves the right not to award commissions and, in this instance, reserve the right to pursue other selection processes.

The creatives(s) must comply with Health and Safety standards.

In the event that government restrictions are re-instated due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ACT Waterford will work with Creatives and other participants to find a safe solution, which will allow the residency to adapt to any changed circumstances that might arise. Government guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 will be observed throughout the lifetime of the project to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Successful applicants must supply details of up-to-date public liability insurance which indemnifies Waterford City and County Council, Waterford Institute of Technology and Calmast. Value of Public Liability Insurance must be €6.5 million (any one incident). Contracted creative practitioners

  • must immediately advise the project partners of any material change to their insured status;
  • produce proof of current premiums paid upon request;
  • produce valid certificates of insurance upon request.

The contractor shall be an independent service provider and not the employee of the Client.

A valid Tax Clearance Certificate for the duration of the contract must be supplied. In the case of a non-resident tenderer, a statement shall be provided by the Irish Revenue Commissioners that they are satisfied as to the suitability of the tenderer.

Child Protection

  1. A copy of a Garda Vetting Clearance for the person / persons undertaking the project may be required, in accordance with S.I. Number 47 of 2012 National Vetting Bureau under the Children and Vulnerable Persons Act 2012.
  2. A copy of the Waterford City and County Council Child Protection Policy must be read and signed by the successful tenderer and returned to the relevant contact person (copies available via the contact person) . All aspects of this policy must be adhered to for the duration of the contract.

Copyright

All plans, reports, photographs and documents prepared by the successful tenderer on foot of this appointment will be considered the property of Waterford City and County Council and may be used by them at any time, including for other projects, without the prior approval of the tenderer.

GDPR

All successful applicants will be required to sign relevant GDPR contract statements.

Project Governance and Reporting

Project oversight will be provided by Calmast Waterford Institute of Technology and Waterford Council. The project manager/ committee will meet with the creative practitioner at regular scheduled intervals. The Project Manager, who also oversees the administration and co-ordination of the project, will support the selected creative practitioners(s) throughout. The creative’s engagement with the target audiences will be facilitated and supported by Calmast Waterford Institute of Technology and Waterford Council team and the Project Manager. Given the nature of the project and the participation of the community groups, some elements of the project will remain to be developed during the planning phase of the project allowing for input from both the creative(s) and the community groups with a view to empowering the participants and deepening the level of engagement. The project will be documented throughout in order to maximise its potential to influence other communities around the country.

6.         Appendices

Appendix 1: Creative Climate Action: ACT Waterford

Transport, domestic energy, green spaces and consumption are the central themes of ACT Waterford, one of 15 projects from all around the country that are being funded by Creative Ireland through its €2 million Creative Climate Action fund.

The Creative Waterford Team in Waterford City and County Council will team up with Waterford Institute of Technology to engage with five different communities around the city and county to address these vital themes through dialogue.

By recruiting creatives, imaginative approaches will be brought to address these issues and explore solutions. Along the way, this creative output will be shared through public exhibitions and digitally too. At key milestones during the year, Town Hall meetings — both in person and online — will allow the communities to share their experiences and the progress they have made addressing issues.

A purpose-built website will assist communities, creatives and the project team in showcasing images and alerting the public to information-sharing events and more. Libraries, museums, galleries and Waterford’s vibrant festivals such as Spraoi, Waterford Walls and Winterval, will provide a public platform for the communities and creatives involved.

From September 2021 to the end of 2022, ACT Waterford will help communities around Waterford to build for a sustainable and post-COVID future that embed creativity into the community.

Appendix 2: Project Partners

Waterford City and County Council

The project is aligned with WCCC’s climate action policy and Zero Carbon City goal as well as the aims of the Creativity and Culture Team around development and capacity building of Creative Communities. Although of ambitious scale, this project is envisioned as a pilot designed to be scaled and replicated. New communities, new themes and new creative mediums means that the strands will always be different, vibrant and engaging. We are at the beginning of several decades of climate action. The new WCCC Climate Action Team will have a model to replicate from this pilot. WCCC sees it as being a beginning of an exciting era in community cooperation on climate action.

Calmast, WIT

Calmast manages the ACT Waterford project.

Calmast is WIT’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) engagement centre and the SFI STEM hub for the SouthEast. Founded in 2002, the centre has wide experience in managing multi-stakeholder projects with funding over €500k annually.

Calmast runs four STEM festivals regionally, typically engaging 30,000 people annually. The centre organises Maths Week Ireland, annual all-island festival that engages over 350,000. Calmast promotes the importance of creativity and imagination in STEM.

Calmast engages all ages in all areas of STEM and enjoys working at the STEM-culture/arts interface. Calmast has developed many STEAM projects andreceived a number of Creative Ireland and Cruinniu na nOg awards and participates in cultural and arts festivals/events.

Supported by

CCR-G at WIT

The group was co-founded in 2005 in WIT. The research group facilitates collaboration between researchers/communities in various areas of Humanities and beyond, to investigate the concepts of creativity and culture.

The group examines the theoretical principles of these concepts and then applies these to the individual disciplines in order to provide a more in-depth insight into the nature of creativity and culture. In addition, the group considers the interrelationship between creativity in the different disciplines to give a better understanding of how to encourage creative thinking, imagination and innovation. It also looks at the role of creativity throughout history and how it helped to shape culture and to scope change.

A range of subject experts at WIT will be able to support each project strand.

Appendix 3: Background of fund

ACT Waterford is a recipient of the inaugural Creative Climate Action fund, an initiative from the Creative Ireland Programme in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications that supports creative, cultural and artistic projects that build awareness around climate change and empower citizens to make meaningful behavioural transformations.

The Creative Ireland Programme in collaboration with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) invited applications to Creative Climate Action, a competitive fund of €2 million. Creative Climate Action funds creative and cultural projects that can meaningfully connect people with the profound changes that are happening in our environment, society and economy arising from climate change, and can transform that connection into behaviour change or climate action.

Additional information:

Download PDF version of ACT Waterford Call for Creatives HERE

https://www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/news/creative-climate-action-fund-seeks-to-spark-imaginations/

Engaging-the-Public-on-Climate-Change.pdf (creativeireland.gov.ie)

Creative_Climate_Action_Brief_final.pdf (creativeireland.gov.ie)

 

Photo credit: Artwork by Aga Krym as part of the Sustainable Living Ireland Street Art for the Goals initiative, funded by Creative Ireland (Waterford) 2021. Photo by Patrick Browne. Copyright Waterford City and County Council 2021