Established in 2018, Next In Colour originated from the collaborative efforts of six African community arts practitioners under the initiative known as 'Colour Between the Lines.' Today, this pioneering entity is guided by two of the remaining co-founders Geskeva Komba and Ruth Nyaruot Ruach, and has since evolved into a contemporary community arts organisation dedicated to forging pathways, cultivating opportunities, and engaging in co-design with communities to foster inclusion.Next In Colour’s dedication lies in harnessing the transformative power of creativity and the arts, which serve as both our foundation and instruments for driving change. Our focus extends across the creative industries, academia, community engagement, and education, with a strong emphasis on having an evidence-based practice.

Creative Producer | Artist Facilitator | Performer

Producer Placement supported by Film Victoria with Cathartic Pictures.• Creative Development – research, script reading, brainstorming, writing outlines and proposals.• Production Management – breaking down scripts, scheduling, budgeting, sourcing crew.• Finance & Legal – using templates to draft agreements/deal memos, coordinating execution of agreements, preparing grant applications.• Sales & Marketing - research trends and audiences, build and maintain databases on potential market partners, write flyers/pitch documents, assist with social media.

• Develop and co-design a new cross disciplinary 12.5 online subject in consultation with screen industry partners• Coordinate curriculum workshops and lead where appropriate curriculum guidelines and design• Set agendas, take minutes and notes during the workshops• Research and provide curriculum material as discussed and approved by all parties• Coordinate interviews and 'produce' as necessary all material in liaison with Lead Researcher and Head of School of Film and TV and other project partners.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with community groups as well as internal and external stakeholders to develop workshops and participatory activities.• Keep up to date administrative records, outputs and budgets using Council record keeping systems as well as prepare reports when required. • Coordinate the administration and logistics with the development of a range of print and digital material to support the marketing of allocated recovery initiative community art projects. • Ensure all procurement of materials for all activities and outputs are compliant with Council’s Procurement Policy.

• Successfully co-coordinated and rolled out $8K - $300K budget projects and successfully achieved project goals.• Oversee students on university placement and mentor artists/facilitators to deliver programs by facilitating training workshops and meetings.• Contribute to professional writing activities including research, marketing material, report writing, funding applications and acquittals, literature reviews.• Planned, supervised and coordinated activities of 4 long term and short term projects.• Collaboratively conceptualised and coordinated the implementation of 2 highly acclaimed long term programs (Sisters and Brothers; Art of Radical Listening).• Designing and delivering a wide range of workshops for the cohealth Arts Generator’s Sisters and Brothers program in schools and community settings.• Supporting and mentoring young African Australians in the cohealth Arts Generator’s Benchmark program.• Delivery of workshops as member of the MASSIVE Fam in schools, at Festivals and in community settings including prisons, detention centres and public spaces.

Creative Victoria’s Advisory Panels are groups of people with skills and experience within the arts, creative and other complementary sectors that bring independent and specialist knowledge to the grant evaluation process.• Assessed grant applications, viewed support materials, wrote notes in advance of assessment meetings• Attended assessment meetings to discuss, deliberate and make recommendations to the Minister for Creative Industries on which applications should receive support.• Made recommendations to the Minister for Creative Industries on which applications should receive support as part of the Small Regional Regional Presenters Advisory Panel.

• Collaborated in contemporary theatre performance that blended complex subjects with high artistic standards. Being taught in performance, film, creative writing and research. • Worked cooperatively with others on facilitating and mentoring young people in schools working with large groups of young people.• Trained with adept knowledge of arts education techniques to teach young people.• Trained in the use of sophisticated interactive theatre processes that is used to engage large audiences of young people and CALD communities in dialogue about cultural identity and race-based discrimination.• Presented ideas of the use of theatre as a platform to talk about cultural identity and race-based discrimination at a number of public forums.

A five -month skills development and mentoring program for emerging artists and cultural facilitators who are seeking to enhance their community engagement and arts practice.Through the program and through ongoing mentoring by FCA staff and industry professionals, participants gain skills and strategies to develop and produce community-led, contemporary and innovative arts based programs and projects.

•Support and liaised with Creative Victoria and other young artists about the different processes in engaging with young people in Victoria in regards to providing better networks, access, affordability, training and education pathways.•Contributed to consultations as part of the group to advocate and promote the arts for emerging artists with organisations and institutions, such as the VCA (University of Melbourne) for their Professional Pathways Scholarship Program. The Creative Victoria YARG assessed the EOI's against the programs aims, objectives and criteria and then made recommendations to the Professional Pathways steering Group that comprised representatives from MCM and the VCA.

Youth Voice: Peer Research into Youth Transitions was designed to show how feedback from young people could lead to an improved understanding of the experiences of young people in their transition from schooling to working, while informing the development of transition programs and support services.The project was developed and resourced through The Youth Collaboration, a broad coalition of not-for-profit youth policy and service delivery agencies, government departments and philanthropic organisations.The project was based on a peer research model that provides a platform for young people’s voices to be heard. The key benefit of this approach is that young people are able to obtain the personal views and opinions of their peers, which may not be readily available to adults. Young people are also able to gain access to particular groups of young people that might otherwise be difficult to reach.