Young Panel
For a number of years now, VIERNULVIER Arts Centre has been toying with the idea of establishing a young board of management that would operate both together with and independently of the existing board of management. We took inspiration for this from Contact Theatre in Manchester, who fundamentally changed their management with their radical embrace of young people and diversity.
The Young Panel is a new governing body. It has been active since April 2021 and currently consists of:
Quinten Pouliart, Yik Ling Kwan, Faber Pennings, Yeliz Akman, Rodja Gülüzar Karakus, Haroun Iqbal, Camille De Vos, Jean-Luc Habiyambere Sangwa, Kaj Zwerver, Madonna Lenaert, Nona Demey Gallagher, Oscar Dehollogne, Koen Vanderschelden, Toon Jans, Naomi Van Wesemael, Elena Decock, Fran Vanassche, Lucie De Groen.
Specifically, their mission consists of a series of annual governance moments, where members provide operational, financial and artistic feedback. This can take different forms and at different times: a meeting on the internal and external operations of VIERNULVIER, a cultural and artistic event, a meeting of the board of directors or general assembly, or a meeting of VIERNULVIER's team.
History
We found inspiration from the Contact Theatre (Manchester), which radically transformed their board by radically playing the card of rejuvenation and diversity.
In 2018, VIERNULVIER commissioned cultural management student Astrid Jans to explore the role of a young board of directors within Voo?uit. With the development of expanded public engagement and the arrival of international dramatists such as Róise Goan and Kopano Maroga, that assignment gained momentum.
In December 2020 we launched an open call and in 2021 the mission of that Young Board began: to lead, challenge, constructively critique and encourage the workings of VIERNULVIER as an arts organization, much like the current board of directors. You can read the report of 3 years of work here:
In September 2023, we welcomed a new batch of young directors to what is now called the Young Panel.
In September 2024, five new young panel members were recruited by the Young Panel itself via a 'closed' open call.