AWVT Governance & Representation Consultation

About you

This helps us understand whether different parts of the volunteer technical community have different priorities.

Which of these best describes your involvement? *Select all that apply.Volunteer audio or audiovisual technicianTechnical or team leaderChurch leader, trustee or staff memberTrainer, educator or assessorProfessional audio/AV practitionerManufacturer, supplier or systems integratorTheatre, arts or community venue representativeIndustry or professional bodyOther

In which setting(s) are you principally involved? *Select all that apply.Church or Christian worshipOther faith communityAmateur theatre or performing artsCommunity venue or organisationEducationPub, club or live-music venueProfessional AV, production or eventsManufacturer, supplier or systems integratorOther

Standards & custodianship

Who should safeguard AWVT’s standards over the long term, and how should decisions about their development and technical content be made?

Who should ultimately be responsible for safeguarding the AWVT standards over the long term? *Please select the option that comes closest to your preferred approach.AWVT itself, as the permanent custodian of the standardsA separate independent charity, foundation or trustAn established professional or industry bodyA consortium of participating organisationsThe standards should be jointly owned or controlled by several organisationsAnother arrangementNot sure

Standards governance

Who should have a voice in shaping the standards, and who should have formal responsibility for approving changes?

Who should have responsibility for approving the addition, amendment or removal of competencies within an AWVT standard? *Feedback may come from anyone who uses the standards. This question is about who should have formal responsibility for deciding whether a proposed change is educationally and technically appropriate.The AWVT Board of DirectorsA dedicated AWVT Standards Council or PanelQualified education and assessment specialistsTechnical subject-matter experts in the relevant fieldAWVT members through a formal voting processA panel combining technical and education/assessment expertiseA combination of the Board, expert panels and wider consultationAnother arrangementNot sure

Wider accountability and a Council of Reference

One option being considered is a representative Council of Reference: a group drawn from the communities AWVT serves that could advise on AWVT's direction, provide challenge and accountability, and help ensure that the organisation remains connected to the needs of volunteers and venues. It would not normally manage AWVT's day-to-day activities or make detailed technical decisions about individual competencies.

Would a representative Council of Reference increase your confidence in AWVT? *Please select the answer that comes closest to your view.Increase it significantlyIncrease it to some extentIt would depend on its membership and powersIt would make little differenceI would prefer a different form of accountabilityNot sure

Membership and influence

AWVT’s constitution allows for membership, but the future membership model has not yet been determined. We want to understand who should be able to become a member and what influence members should have over the organisation and its standards.

How much influence should AWVT members have over the technical content of the standards? *Membership and technical competence are not necessarily the same thing. Which approach would give you most confidence in the standards?Members should have a direct vote on changes to technical standardsMembers should be consulted, with specialist panels making the technical decisionsMembers should be able to propose changes, with specialist panels evaluating themMembers should elect or nominate representatives who participate in standards governanceTechnical standards should be determined entirely by appropriately qualified specialistsNot sureAnother approach

Leadership and public credibility

One option being considered is an independent Chair, President or similar recognised figure who could represent AWVT publicly, support good governance and provide an additional source of credibility without being responsible for its day-to-day management.

Would AWVT benefit from a recognised independent Chair, President or similar public figure who is not responsible for its day-to-day management? *Yes, definitelyProbablyPossibly, depending on the person and the roleProbably notNoNot sure

Are there particular people or organisations whose involvement would give you greater confidence in AWVT? Why?

Christian identity and wider accessibility

AWVT is constitutionally Christian-led and its purposes include serving churches and Christian worship. However, the technical competencies needed to operate audio and audiovisual systems are relevant in many other settings.

Does this provide an appropriate basis for AWVT to serve its Christian purpose while making its technical standards useful to the wider volunteer technical community? *Please select the answer that comes closest to your view.Yes, this provides an appropriate balanceBroadly yes, but the distinction between AWVT's Christian identity and its technical standards needs to be clearerThe technical standards should be governed more independently from AWVT's Christian identityAWVT should concentrate primarily on Christian settings, while allowing others to use the standardsAWVT should concentrate exclusively on Christian settingsNot sureAnother view

Is there anything AWVT should do to make its technical standards appropriately accessible outside Christian settings while retaining its Christian identity?For example, you may wish to comment on language, governance, assessment, certification or how the standards are presented.

Final thoughts

Finally, we would like to understand what would matter most in earning your confidence as AWVT develops.

What is the single most important thing AWVT should do to earn your trust?

About you — optional details

If you are happy for us to know who you are, you may provide your details below. These are optional, and you can complete the consultation anonymously.

Name

Church, venue, organisation or companyIf applicable.

Email AddressPlease provide this if you would like us to contact you about your response.

May we contact you about your response or invite you to a future discussion about AWVT’s governance? *YesPossibly — please send me information firstNo

Privacy statement

Privacy statement

Your responses will be used to help AWVT develop proposals for its governance, representation, membership and standards oversight. We may publish aggregated findings from this consultation, but we will not identify individual respondents without their permission.

Providing your name, organisation or email address is optional. If you agree to further contact, your contact details will be used for that purpose and will not be added to a general marketing list solely because you completed this consultation.

For further information about how AWVT handles personal information, please see our Privacy Policy.

AWVT Governance & Representation Consultation

Help shape how AWVT should be governed, represented and held accountable.

About you

This helps us understand whether different parts of the volunteer technical community have different priorities.