User:Wilderman

Hi

I feel so foolish not to have used wikipedia before this. I looked up something so obscure I expected a reference at best and found so much info I can hardly use it all!

So I've only just discovered that there's an online community and I will be feretting about to get to know how it works before I get more involved. I am a definite and immediate fan - this is what I hoped the internet would be used for. I can't wait to get 'stuck in'.

I'm a 45 year old black brit, who's spent 25 years working in community development through arts -as an animateur, director, writer and tutor. In 2000 I began to work as a freelance fund-raiser and capacity-builder plannning the development of voluntary sector organisations.

In 2003 I came from London to Newcastle where I have been working in the Regional Development Agency, first as Voluntary Sector Liaison then as Link Officer to the Regional Museums service. The focus of my work was to identify opportunities for the heritage sector to increase its contribution to the region's economy. An interesting set of possibilities arose from one of our open air museums: "Beamish" that was having difficulty finding people with the traditional skills to maintain buildings, 18th and 19th Century landscapes as well as work with heavy horses. By the end of my contract in March I had created a region-wide initiative to deliver training in a targeted list of "Traditional Skills" and to create an environment to support new enterprises. The market is worth at least £200m per year; and establish our region as a national centre for traditional trades.

I hope to apply for the job of Regional Coordinator when it is advertised soon. In the mean time I've been enjoying a redundancy-funded sabbatical and am getting involved with community development in the Gay community in Newcastle: We're getting close to completing the paperwork to launch a Community Interest Company in collaboration with one of the bar owners. -I'm a former General Manager of the London Lesbian and Gay Centre - the one who oversaw its only period of commercial success(lol). The secret? - Serving the community: a lot of what we did was about enabling people to do things for themselves. The Community Interest Company we plan will deliver social support services like promoting community businesses, accommodation and employment bureaux as well as pactical support and mentoring to new enterprises. A commercial back-bone will be provided by leisure and retail outlets.

I like to keep busy.

I hope in time, to offer pages on the following:


 * Traditional Trades in England


 * Gay Community Development in England (1977 - present)


 * The African-Caribbean Gay Experience in England 1977 - Present)


 * Deptford South East London

But I may seek out a collaboration first or seek something on the "to do" list I'm unlikley to mess up.