PTO Board Nomination Info

Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed, Inc. (PTO) is calling for nominations for open PTO Board positions. You can nominate yourself or someone else. Please be sure to fully read the requirements and qualifications below. Nominations are due by Friday, August 23, 2024 TUESDAY, AUGUST 27! We are looking for several fantastic people who want to be a part of the organization’s work and leadership!

The PTO Board actively seeks board members who will aid us in our goal of representing the diversity of PTO’s constituency across a wide spectrum of identities and experiences, including (but not limited to): ability, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual identities, national origin, geographical location, immigration status, age, locale, class, employment status, interests, and personal experiences and history.

If interested, please review all the content in this page:

  1. What does PTO Do?
  2. Overview of the PTO Board
  3. Overview of PTO Board Member Commitments
  4. Desired Skills
  5. Nomination Materials and Election Process

What does PTO Do?

PTO Mission Statement: Pedagogy & Theatre of the Oppressed, Inc. supports people whose work challenges oppressive systems by promoting critical thinking and social justice through liberatory theatre and popular education.

PTO is a US 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with participants from around the world, and 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. Our approaches stem from the theories and practices of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal. We foster collaborative connections to share, develop, promote, and document liberatory theatre, popular education, and other revolutionary actions. PTO serves as a resource for oppressed peoples and their allies in diverse communities, contexts, and traditions around the world.

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, 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 regional PTO gatherings, etc. We have historically evolved our support of our members in response to requests and feedback.

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.

What is a working board? While some boards operate as advisory boards, the board of PTO is a working board that provides the volunteer labor necessary to ensure all PTO events happen. We do not have any paid employees; all work for the organization is completed by the working board and additional volunteers. Our volunteer structure–alongside our collaboration model with local host sites–has made it possible our conference costs significantly lower than most gatherings of this kind. And we do not accept corporate sponsorships, as fitting with the anti-capitalist economic and collectivist ethic embedded in PO and TO. Our board service helps us keep true to our ethics while keeping costs low to engage more communities. 

The board is responsible for:

  • Coordinating the work of the organization,  
  • Making sure all tasks are completed, 
  • Stewarding the resources entrusted to us, 
  • Aligning our work with past/present/future of the organization and the world around us, 
  • Ensuring that we meet all legal requirements and obligations as a United States-based non-profit [501(c)(3)] organization, etc. 

Overview of PTO Board Member Commitments

ELIGIBILITY: Nominees MUST be current members to run for election. If you are not a current member of PTO, take a moment to enroll or re-enroll here.

CONVERSATIONAL ENGLISH: Currently monthly board meetings are conducted in English. (Nomination materials may be submitted in Spanish or Portuguese and will be translated into English to share with the PTO community.)

2-YEAR TERM: PTO board members serve two-year terms, September-August, with eligibility for re-election. There is currently no term limit for a PTO board member.

TIME COMMITMENT: Minimum of approximately 5 hours per month. This can vary, as different roles require significantly different labor. 

BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE: 

  • Attendance the annual conference. Except in cases of unavoidable conflict or emergency, all board members are expected to attend and actively work to support the annual conference (usually scheduled between late May and late June, with most conferences in late May or early June). Registration is paid for board members in recognition of their board service, but lodging and travel are not paid by PTO.
  • Attend monthly 2-hour board meetings via internet or phone. These are currently on the first Sunday of each month, but we will survey the new board for a time that works best for the collective. 
  • Attend the annual virtual Working Weekend. This meeting usually takes place over a long weekend, typically between October-December, and usually takes place over Zoom or another video call service. The date is determined collectively by the board. 
  • Serve on one Action Group. Action groups allow us to split up responsibilities. Each board member is expected to serve on at least one action group. These groups determine the majority of the work a board member is responsible for doing in between meetings.
  • Participate actively in online communication. The PTO board uses email and Google Drive to communicate. PTO board members are expected to respond to inquiries by the stated deadlines and to contribute to decision-making processes that may occur outside the monthly board meeting. (NOTE: All incoming board members receive training in these tools, so no need to worry if you are unfamiliar with one or more of these communication platforms.)
  • Remain committed to working in a collectivist, anti-capitalist model in keeping with the values of both Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed. This may mean working in ways to build consensus and allow for many voices to have input before making decisions.
  • Engage with the core methodologies of Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Theatre of the Oppressed, and/or demonstrate an ongoing commitment to learning about them.

Desired Skills

If you have any of the following skills, we are in need of support in these areas. Please reference these skills in your nomination bio.

  • Experience with/in popular education, critical pedagogies, and other Pedagogy of the Oppressed-aligned methodologies, philosophies, and practices
  • Grant writing, fundraising
  • Legal advising and review
  • Communications, website management
  • Social media
  • Conference/large event planning, including working toward great accessibility

Nomination Materials and Election Process

Nominations are due by Friday, August 23, 2024 TUESDAY, AUGUST 27! You may nominate yourself or another PTO member. Be sure to review the above commitments for joining the PTO Board. And note that nominees MUST be current members to run for election. If you are not a current member of PTO, take a moment to enroll or re-enroll here.

To nominate yourself or another PTO member, you must fill out this Google Form and submit following:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Physical Address
  • Phone number
  • Statement of interest: A written bio of not more than 250 words 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. Please include a statement about what skills you bring to the Board.
    • If preferred, you may submit your nomination materials in Spanish or Portuguese and they will be translated into English to share with the PTO community. Please note that all monthly board meetings will be held in English. 
  • Photo of nominee

CLICK TO SUBMIT NOMINATION MATERIALS

Once you have submitted materials, you should receive an acknowledgement from PTO within a few days. If you do not receive a response from PTO, please email Leigh at leigh@sleighthompson.com.

Name, photo, and statement of interest will be published on the “Nominees” page of the website to assist members in voting.

Questions: If you have any questions, or would like to speak with a current Board member about the position, please email Leigh at leigh@sleighthompson.com.

Thank you for your continued support of PTO! Without you, there is no PTO organization. We hope you will consider running to join our board to continue this engagement within our community! 

If you don’t think board service is for you but still want to contribute more to PTO, we would love to have you join one of our action groups! Send us a message at info@ptoweb.org and we’ll tell you more!

In Solidarity and Love, 

PTO Board