Co-Investigator: Storytelling and Partnership Development (Freelance)
Deadline: Monday 23 June 2025
Midday
Brief
Dwellbeing Shieldfield, Shieldfield Art Works and The NewBridge Project are in partnership, co-producing and working closely with local people in Shieldfield to help our communities flourish through creative activity. Our current collaborative work is centred around Shieldfield Youth Programme and Shieldfield Grows.
We are looking to nurture longer-term collaborative work in our neighbourhood around cooking, growing and food sovereignty, place making, and youth voice.
The Role
This co-investigator role seeks to respond to and support the mutual relationship between Dwellbeing Shieldfield, Shieldfield Art Works and The NewBridge Project. We have been working together for five years, our work is rooted in the local area of Shieldfield and we are now looking to make our collaborative work sustainable by looking for longer-term funding and creating capacity to bring more voices into our strategic planning processes.
Tell the story of the partnership between Dwellbeing Shieldfield, Shieldfield Art Works and The NewBridge Project and our collaborative work in Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne.
We are looking for a co-investigator to develop a process and method in dialogue with key members of the partnership.
Your co-investigation needs to be developed with our ethos and values at its core; looking back at what has been developed and achieved to date, and looking forward to the future of our work together.
We will support you to understand the process we have undertaken so far to work together and how our programmes (“work packages”) are developing across the three organisations.
The co-investigator will be supported to build on and facilitate future visioning processes to ensure future collaborative activity, funding bids and strategic plans are shaped by many voices.
The co-investigator will bring together a portfolio of evidence, collating the work done to date on needs based analysis, impact reports etc.
The co-investigator will develop a robust way of telling our story and create a case for support to support our work longer-term. We are open to the format and methods, you could use written and visual storytelling.
Period of work: August/September 2025 to March 2026
Milestones: To be agreed with the co-investigator, with a midway visioning meeting in December 2025/January 2026
Rate of pay: £43 per hour / £344 per day
Number of days: 20 days
A budget of £5000 is available to cover development and production costs. This may include room hire for larger group meet ups, hospitality for a visioning process, additional facilitator costs, design and editing costs. We anticipate the breakdown of activity as the following →
What we’re looking for
Essential skills and experience:
Understands the current funding landscape and language and how to shape a grant bid
Can assimilate a vast amount of existing resources and research
Can facilitate space for dialogue with multiple stakeholders, enabling a variety of voices to be heard
Can write and present a robust and engaging case for support
Application Process
Deadline for expressions of interest is
Monday 23 June 2025, midday. At this stage, we are seeking expressions of interest including a short outline of how you would approach the brief (no more than 2 sides of A4). Your proposal should outline the following:
How you would develop a process and the methods used, referring to our outline above.
How you would develop outputs (visioning meetings and case for support) and what mediums/ methods you would use
How you would work inline with our ethos, values and shared approach Breakdown of your time (timeline of activity)
We would encourage you to attend an online open-day to find out more about the partnership and the role on Wednesday 11 June, 2pm – 5pm. This will be held online with a member of Dwellbeing, SAW and The NewBridge Project in 15-20 minute slots.
Please book here. Any queries and to apply send a proposal to applications@thenewbridgeproject.com.
Proposals will be reviewed and shortlisted by a panel of representatives from each organisation. We may have meetings with shortlisted applicants, which will take place on 8 or 9 July.
Background
The ethos and values underpinning our partnership include:
Using creativity as a tool for change
Challenging injustice
Cultivating an ethic of solidarity and care
Supporting communities in exploring alternative ways of being / existing (e.g. Degrowth, circular economy etc.)
Being respectful of partners working methods and testing ideas collaboratively
Enabling art to be accessible to all
Empowering communities and residents to take ownership of, and have agency, where they live
Regular reflection on work, plans, ideas and future
In our approach we seek to:
Co-produce, particularly working with those most affected by injustice and marginalisation
Be needs-led and responsive
Create opportunities for training, work and knowledge sharing with and for local communities
Make opportunities as open and accessible as possible
Use creative ways to listen to the needs, wants and hopes of the communities they work with
Adopt a people-focussed approach – internally with teams and externally with communities .
Further information
Dwellbeing Shieldfield is a welcoming community group and co-operative for people of all ages and backgrounds. Our aim is for community members to play an active role in shaping life in Shieldfield.
The NewBridge Project is an active artist-led community that supports artists, curators and communities through the provision of space for creative practice, curatorial opportunities and an ambitious artist-led programme of exhibitions, commissions, artist development and events. It is a place where artists and local communities can come together to work, learn and socialise.
Shieldfield Art Works (SAW) is a project of the Methodist Church in Newcastle upon Tyne which is seeking the good of the city through creative practice. Since 2010 we have worked with experienced artists as well as invited people to make art alongside us, in order to seek truth, challenge injustice and operate for the common good.
