When did you join the WEA and why?
I joined at the end of October last year (2024). I saw an advert for the role of Membership Specialist at the WEA; it aligned with my interests and experience, so I applied and was delighted to be offered the position.
What is your background/story, and how did you come to work for the WEA? Do you feel the organisation aligns with your values?
I studied English Literature, then Film Studies, both at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. After that, I worked in an organisation that promotes the use of moving image in education. I joined as a cataloguer on a fixed term contract, and ended up working there for 24 years, but really wanted to join the WEA when I heard more about it.
At my previous organisation, I worked on a range of projects and services, always with a strong focus on member support. I mostly worked with members from the University sector.
Even though the organisation was smaller, I could transfer many of my skills and experiences to the WEA, as there are many similarities - education sector, membership council, charity - I love the membership model, as it feels like a community, and working in education is also important to me.
As a Senior Membership Specialist, what does your role involve day to day, and what impact does this have on how the WEA operates?
It involves adding new members, responding to queries, logging payments, exploring ways we can streamline the membership process and increase engagement etc.
I also organise the Member Lectures, which restarted in January this year (Thursday evenings for an hour) - expert WEA tutors deliver a talk, and they are well received by members, with excellent feedback. The process of arranging the lectures involves making connections with tutors, generating contracts, hosting the talks, and uploading videos to the website.
At the moment, we have different stakeholder groups at the WEA - members, learners, staff, volunteers etc - and we're looking at how we can make membership more accessible to all these groups. We have undertaken member surveys and are using the feedback to nurture connections with others who feel strongly about the WEA and adult education in general.
