2019 PTO Board Nominations OPEN

2019 Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Board Nominations Open!

Overview of the PTO Board: The board of PTO is a “working board” that sustains, serves, and supports Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed, Inc., a US 501c3 not-for-profit organization with participants from around the world. Though we are legally based in the US and historically have met there, anyone is welcome to run for election to the board, regardless of nation of residence. PTO was born through in-person conferences intended to bring people together live in time and space to learn about Pedagogy of the Oppressed (PO), Theatre of the Oppressed (TO), and other forms of liberatory work for social justice. While the conference has been the structure that helps us continue to grow our community and do embodied work together, over the years we have evolved to offer additional forms of engagement and support to members and others interested in social justice. Those forms include but are not limited to: sharing information and resources in online venues (previously, through a newsletter), documenting work and captioning it for accessibility, supporting the publication of a journal in which people can share their work (including those not traditionally valued by other journals), providing letters, paperwork, statements, or other items of solidarity or support, offering infrastructure support for a regional PTO gathering, etc. We have historically evolved our support of our members in response to requests and feedback.

We do not have any ongoing paid employees; this is what is meant when we say we are a “working board.” Our volunteer structure–alongside our collaboration model with local host sites–has historically enabled us to keep our first few tiers of self-selected conference costs significantly lower than most gatherings of this kind. We do this while still avoiding corporate sponsorships, as fits with the anti-capitalist economic ethic of our roots in practices like PO and TO. But we continue to seek other ways to make the conference financially accessible without betraying that ethic; board members can play a key role in that.

In summary, the board is responsible for coordinating the work of the organization, making sure certain tasks are completed, being stewards of the resources entrusted to us, paying attention to how our work relates to the past/present/future of the organization and the world around us, etc. Though the board organizes our efforts, that does not mean that those elected to the board are the only people doing the work of PTO. So many people help make what we do possible, and we value of all of those people and groups deeply!

Election Procedures

  1. Review the time commitments on running to join the PTO Board.
  2. Nominations are due by Monday, July 15, 2019. You may nominate yourself or another member of PTO by emailing info@ptoweb.org. Nominees will need to be current members to run for elections. If you are not a current member of PTO, take a moment to enroll or re-enroll here.
  3. All nominees will be asked to submit the following:
    • Name:
    • Email address:
    • Address:
    • Phone number:
    • Statement of interest: A written bio of not more than 250 words and/or a video of not more than two minutes in length that introduces the nominee to the PTO community and explains why they are seeking election to the Board.
    • Photo of nominee
    • Note: Name, City, State, and Country of residence, photo, and statement of interest will be published on the “Nominees” page of the website to assist members in voting.
  4. Voting (open to all current PTO members) will begin on Monday, July 29th and ends Monday, August 19th. All voting takes place online. If you have difficulties accessing technology to complete your vote, please contact info@ptoweb.org to make alternate arrangements.

Information Session at 2019 Conference @ June 16th, 9am MDT
Not sure if joining the board is right for you? Want to learn more so you feel more prepared? Stop by the PTO board’s info session at this year’s conference – Sunday, June 16 at 9am. Current board members will provide information about how to get more involved in the organization. This includes how to join the board and what to expect as a board member, but also other ways to serve the organization in vital roles that don’t involve the same time requirements as board membership. Join us! There will be ample time for Q & A!

Online Webinar
Current PTO board members will host an online webinar for those who are unable to attend the in-person session at the conference, or for those with additional questions. The online webinar will take place on Sunday, June 23rd at 1:30pm PST. Log on to the website to access the live webinar but don’t worry if you can’t join live–the recording will be available on the website following the webinar.

Thank you for your continued support of PTO as an organization! Without you, there is no PTO organization. We hope many of you will consider running to join our working board to continue this engagement within our community! And if you’re unable to commit to the time requirements or other aspects of board service, there will be other ways to get involved and share your skills–stay tuned!

In Solidarity and Love,

PTO Board