With Pride’s Annual General Meeting only weeks away it’s time for anyone who’s been thinking about getting involved with Perth’s much loved festival to come forward and nominate themselves for a position on the committee.
Many people I talk to don’t fully understand what it takes to sit on the Pride committee, and that’s mainly because there is no set job description. As with most volunteer work, roles can vary depending on several factors including the amount of time a person has available to them and their skills or available resources.
When Pride is running at full capacity, there are twelve committee members, six females and six males. At the very least there must be two Co-Presidents (one female, one male), one Treasurer, one Secretary and one Membership Secretary. The remaining seven committee members are allocated to a variety of different positions in the organisation.
Most of the time, each person on the committee will be allocated a portfolio which they will manage through the course of the year. Generally, these portfolios revolve around events. For example, one committee member may be responsible for managing Fairday, whilst another may be responsible for managing The Parade. This isn’t to say that the person is without help, everyone works together in the lead-up to events to ensure they are run effectively and smoothly with other committee members giving as much support as they can.
Other functions include media liaison and PR and it’s not uncommon to have one committee member dedicated solely to this job. Some committee members may be responsible for keeping the website up to date, or sending out newsletters. The portfolios are varied, and each one comes with its own commitment requirements.
The Pride committee generally meets once a week for around two hours. During these meetings we discuss anything that’s happened in the previous week and upcoming events or business. We update each other on the work we have been doing and make decisions which can only be made by the whole committee. Anything related to money or spending is always decided on by the whole group.
Being on the Pride committee is a great experience which has its share of smooth sailing and challenging times. The great thing about it is that there’s something for everyone. If you want to jump in at the deep end then that challenge is waiting for you. If you only have the time to make a smaller contribution then that is just as appreciated. Pride is all about acceptance and the atmosphere on the Pride committee is testament to that.
Pride needs new volunteers to step forward regularly in order to continue delivering a festival which has become a household name in Perth.
You may have heard the debate in recent months about how Pride should function in the future. Many questions have been raised by community members, like: What does Pride stand for? How is Pride placed in the community? What events should Pride host? How will Pride make enough money to survive? What is the best way to advertise?
These are all valid questions which were addressed on Monday the 8th of February when Pride hosted an open community forum where anyone from our community could express their opinion on how Pride and in particular Pride’s events should be changed for the better.
The outcome of this forum will shape Pride in 2010, but regardless of any changes that may be made one thing will remain true, Pride will require committed, interested and capable people to manage the organisation into the future.
Really, the Pride committee is a group of people who want to make a difference. If you want to make a difference and join the Pride committee in 2010, or even just ask us some questions, you should email us – pride@pridewa.asn.au
Andrew Baietta
Pride WA
