Citizens Jury at Birmingham Museums Trust: Laying The Foundations Project

BMT is currently commissioning a team of experts to review its Governance, Business Model and Fundraising, with a view to recommending new approaches to create a radically democratic museum and the structures, skills and capacities to deliver them and the Citizen's Jury is integral to this work. We are looking to have representatives from all sections of society involved in a single conversation about what Birmingham means to them and what roles the museum could play in enhancing the life of the city. We wish to delve deeper than what is currently possible in focus groups, advisory panels or surveys, and host at least 30 hours of facilitated conversations with at least 25 representatives. We are looking for consultants to: • Carry out the required planning, design, liaison and project management. • Work with us to set up the Oversight Group and facilitate Oversight Group meetings. • Work with the Oversight Group to identify key expert witnesses and source other expert witnesses to address topics raised by the participants. • Planning and facilitation of CJ sessions with participants. • Management of participants including vouchers, onboarding and childcare. • Facilitate launch and public closing event. • Commission a documentary film of the event. • Submit final report.

What we're looking for:

The collective team will bring to the table big ideas and ambition that creatively respond to the vision, unafraid to challenge accepted norms, collaborating to support the client in further refining their vision and objectives, rooted in community needs. The team should have a strong sense of Birmingham and its unique characteristics and super-diversity. You will need to have a deep understanding of this area of work, but you do not necessarily need to be a bricks and mortar consultancy firm. We welcome responses from individuals, companies, or collaborations.

Ultimately, we do not mind who you are (although if you are not based in the city, we hope that you would see the benefit of spending ample time here to get under the skin of its residents). Our teams are diverse, as is our city, and your work will recognise, celebrate, and respond to this.

If you consider yourself suitable for certain parts of the brief but not the whole, we would still like to hear from you as we are looking to create the right team who can bring something to the table, which may involve a certain amount of matchmaking with those who have different skill sets. We want you to understand our passion for change, appreciate the exploratory nature of this work, and be robust and brave with your assertions.