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Last GC meeting

The last IDEA General Council meeting took place in Hong Kong, during the IDEA 2007 World Congress (16-22 July). This is a brief summary of the outcomes of the meeting.

The elected officers of 2004-2007 reported on the strategic foundations it laid for the continuing work of building a project-centred, inclusive, democratic and transparent world organisation, the keywords of the 2004 GCM. They outlined how they had created and tested new integrated policies for Projects, Young IDEA and Solidarity; developed a new interactive website; maintained financial discipline (resolving one overspend as soon as it was identified); contributed actively to practice, scholarship and advocacy in drama/theatre and education through a substantial new publication and an innovative World Congress; partnered the development of a new resource for global advocacy for arts-based pedagogies for the 21st Century by co-launching (and coordinating) the World Alliance for Arts Education and its first world creativity summit; contributed to (and generated) international and regional workshops, festivals and conferences; experimented with different models of internal communication and organisation (working committees) in the attempt to fit all this voluntary work into our existing IDEA structures and constitution; and prepared significant proposals (guidelines for elected officers, research policy, Council of Advisers), debates (about regionalization and communication) and initiatives (exploratory regional IDEA meetings and a membership review), in response to the key challenges IDEA faces in the 21st century.

There was extended discussion around the construction of the 2007 and 2008 budgets as part of a wider debate on the need for greater financial responsibility and planning. There were also valuable debates on the need for clear organisational, administrative and ethical procedures and guidelines to serve the needs of a rapidly growing and maturing world organisation, an effective communication and consultation strategy with members, an effective fundraising strategy, and a comprehensive mapping of members' projects and activities to increase IDEA's curriculum, fundability and advocacy.

These debates left the General Council meeting with just enough time to complete the election of its new officers for 2007-2010, but not enough time to translate strategic debates about the regionalization of IDEA, communication for the 21st Century, membership, funding and research into new the working commissions or policy. However, the debates confirmed and focussed important issues which have been summarised into strategic priorities: procedure, communication (internal and external), strategic planning, funding, regionalisation and sustainability. The newly elected officers will build a strategic plan of action for 2007-2010 guided by these keywords to present to IDEA's members by late October.

In conclusion: the GCM

1. Approved realistic, developmental budgets for 2007 and 2008 which implement policies agreed and reaffirmed during the General Council meeting held in Ottawa, Canada, in July 2004. These policies include the structuring and development of IDEA through project collaborations (which prioritise the greater participation of practitioners and young people from Africa, Asia and Latin America in IDEA), and through a dynamic and interactive communications strategy based on a modernised interactive website;

2. Elected 14 officers to its Executive, Accountancy and General Meeting Committees (see current leadership in About IDEA). As 9 of the 14 elected officers were re-elected (all but one of the EC officers have worked together for at least 3 years), and the 5 new officers bring new languages and a new generation to our committees, the GC has elected a team with considerable shared experience and potential to consolidate and develop IDEA over the coming 3 years.

3. Approved and signed a Memorandum of Agreementwith Drama Australia to professionalise its administration procedures.

4. Accepted the progress report on the location and developments of 2010 IDEA World Congress presented by ABRA (the Brazilian Association of Art-Educators). The IDEA 2010 powerpoint presentation that concluded the IDEA 2007 congress will be available from October in World Congress.

The minutes of the meeting will be available from October 2007.

September 2007