About

Caz Brader

I’m skilled in facilitation and training, evaluation, project management and strategy design. These are skills I developed in my specialist field (arts and education) but feel confident using to help any team, manager, charity or small business to plan, reflect and turn some semi articulated visions into straightforward plans and action. The techniques I like to use are great if you want to make sure the whole team have contributed. I write a decent bid and take on some mentoring too.

Background

I’m currently the Executive Director of http://www.actiontransporttheatre.org for four days a week. Prior to that I was the Deputy CEO of http://www.curiousminds.org.uk for 8 years. In addition to my current role, I take on freelance contracts.

My background is in theatre and I’ve always worked in youth and community settings.
Across my 20-year career I progressed from a drama workshop leader to a senior leader of a regional charity and now a theatre. But those drama practitioner skills still serve me, they evolved, and I became a more generic ‘facilitator’. I like the term ‘facilitate’, it literally means to ‘make easier’ and that is what I’m good at. I use simple group processes (usually involving sticky walls, post its or interactive online platforms) that ‘make it easier’ for you to share your ideas and shape a plan. I sometimes use ‘consensus’ techniques’ which are a great way to take the hierarchy away and makes sure every voice in the room gets heard.

My role as a leader and manager within theatre settings, soon became a role as a senior leader and manager across multiple artforms and across lots of different sectors (arts, education, youth, voluntary and LA’s predominantly) and for the last 8 years, my role within Curious Minds was to support Arts Council England and many of their funded organisations to talk, share, to create plans, strategies, policies and to evaluate their work.

Outside of work I co-produce a cabaret night called ‘Tickle your fancy’ and I’m the mum of a young lad who has complex learning difficulties, so you might find me advocating around autism too.