Working with youWay of Working

8 Principles – EEA’s Way of Working 

• We aim to work 'with' people, not just take work 'to' places.
• Invest in, nurture and credit artists & freelancers
• Amplify underrepresented voices, particularly those from Black & Global Majority backgrounds, disabled people and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds
• Put on work in unexpected places where underrepresented people live work & play
• Be open, responsive and flexible
• Share power in the process and strive for equity with all participants.
• Meaningful community collaboration
• Prioritise principle-led partners and clients with a commitment to equality, human rights, sustainability and the other principles of EEA’s way of working

How we work with “Communities”

• EEA’s mission to enable people and enhance places means we work across the country. We hope that whoever invites us in to work there has a long-term ambition to help make that place an even better place to live & work in. We hope that rather than just coming in and creating spectacle (something we do well) that we will be asked to co-create with individuals, creatives and organisations living in those places. 
• Sometimes working with “communities” could mean starting with a blank piece of paper and a hot meal, so we can devise together what might be most appropriate for that community. Other times there is already a plan in place that needs more development/input. Each project is unique.
• Co-creation with communities takes time, care, experience, bravery and money. It can sometimes be a slow process – as the process is more important than the “product” it can and should lead to long-term sustainable change. It can be a bumpy road but it is worth sticking to it.
• If ever an individual or member of a “community” is dissatisfied with the way EEA is working, please let us know and we will happily discuss 

How we work with “Partners”

• Partners come in many different guises. They may be clients or departments of Local Authorities who commission us; they may be other organisations whom we work with locally.
• There is sometimes equal “power” in a partnership...and sometimes an unequal share of “power.” We are aware of this and ask that partners consider this too. We are not always equal, but everyone always deserves mutual trust & respect.
• EEA endeavour to have an open and respectful dialogue with partners. We expect to be credited for the work we do and in return, we expect to credit others for their input.
• Finances: EEA is a charity and report accordingly to the Charities Commission and Companies House. We are part funded (around 10%) by public money through Arts Council England and through Royal Borough of Greenwich. We are grateful for their support and as a charity have obligations to use this public money wisely and effectively.
• If at any time you are unhappy with the partnership you are experiencing with EEA, please contact us and let us know, details of how to do this below

How we work with Freelancers

• We recognise that much of EEA’s reputation is based on the skills & hard work over many decades of the freelance artists and technicians we work with
• We aim to reward fairly. Whilst we know that some other organisations can afford to pay more than we pay, we aim to reward fairly, pay freelancers for planning, travel time, preparation and meetings (including online). As a minimum, we will always pay the London Living Wage. Volunteers can claim travel and subsistence expenses.
• We try to recognise and credit freelancers for the work they do.
• We are open to have conversations on ideas a creative practitioner might have. We will respect intellectual property and discuss on an individual basis how we can support these ideas to be manifested.
• Once a freelancer has worked with us regularly for 2 years, they are invited to become an Associate Artist which allows for deeper engagement (through training, feedback and decisions making processes etc), with the organisation and access to our Employee Assistance Programme and Membership Model
• EEA want to work with more freelancers from underrepresented (e.g., practitioners from black, global majority, disabled, lower socio-economic backgrounds) groups. We make significant effort to play our part in helping to change this. 

How we work with Employees

• EEA employ around 10 people in a variety of roles. Some full-time, some part-time 
• We try to be a great employer, supportive of individual needs, making allowances for other commitments people have and nurturing and developing talent
• We try to be flexible as to where people work and recognise that coming together as a team, and in subgroups, is important.
• We try to be non-hierarchical and give everyone a voice in their work. But we are not a collective. We like to encourage each other to give and receive constructive feedback on our performance so we can strive to improve together. All staff should be open to this.
• We expect staff to work smart & hard but not at the expense of their health. If staff members feel that their health is under threat, or have any other physical or mental health considerations, we encourage them to inform your manager or a Board member.
• We develop an annual Workplan, which should clarify the main aims of each employee, and the organisation each year.

How we work with Trustees

• EEA has a board of up to 12 Trustees led by Chair, Dana Segal
• Trustees sit for a term of three years up to a maximum of nine years and are also members of the organisation
• Trustees are recruited based on the skills and experience required to govern the charity including, artistic, HR, Finance and Legal and are appointed by the other Trustees
• EEA Strive to ensure the Board of Trustees is as inclusive as possible and welcome Trustees from diverse backgrounds
• The board meet quarterly to review the organisations progress against set targets and ensure all legal obligations are being met
• EEA has a membership model made up of Associate Artists who also attend board meetings

Our Impact on the environment

• We are striving to minimise our impact on the environment.
• We have identified that there are 4 main areas where we impact the environment the most. These are:
• Materials we use in construction and workshops
• Transport to and from our events and work
• Heating and utilities of our buildings
• The subject of our artistic output (whilst realising that raising awareness is not enough).
• We are currently in the process of re-evaluating our commitment to the environment, and we are committed to reporting on it annually. Our next report will be published on our website by March 2024.

Want to discuss this further? 

• Please contact your main point of contact to start with
• If you would like to go further, please contact [email protected]
• In some circumstances you might want to look at our Grievance procedure here
• If you would like to look at our impact, please see here
• If you would like to look at our finances, please see the Charity Commission here
• Our Diversity Action plan is available on request