About the Beat Initiative...
Beat creates carnival parades and large-scale performances as celebrations for everyone
Having lots of people involved in carnival arts contributes to good relations and community well-being
Calendar of Main 2010 Events
17 March: St Patrick’s Day Carnival Parade, Belfast
17 March: St Patrick’s Day Carnival Parade, Downpatrick
5 April: North Down Carnival Parade, Bangor
18 June: Carnival Puppet Making family fun workshop, Victoria Square, Belfast
Bongar (Brazil), city street drumming and Black Box, Belfast
19 June: Belfast City Carnival 'Puppet Picnic'
Belfast Carnival Party, Mandela Hall. Belfast
20 June: The Beat Carnival Fun Afternoon, Black Box, Belfast
Carnival Wind-down Party, The Menagerie, Belfast
What We Do – and Why
Creating Space For Fantastic Ideas
- The Beat Initiative is a carnival arts training, education and production company.
- Beat creates carnival parades and large-scale performances as celebrations for everyone.
- Having lots of people involved in carnival arts contributes to good relations and community well-being.
- Beat is committed to creating an open and safe space for engaging with communities, learning arts skills and celebrating through carnival.
- This is achieved through Beat's carnival arts centre of excellence in Belfast, with a local, regional, island-wide, and international perspective.
Who We Are
The team's range of skills includes project and event management; artistic direction; business operations; and youth and community work. In 2008 the staff team was expanded to include 4 artist posts (part-time), making a total of 9 staff.
David Boyd
Beat Initiative Director
- Founder-Director of The Beat Initiative: David is responsible for Beat’s artistic development and delivery; strategy implementation; operational management and monitoring performance.
- David has, over the past couple of decades, created innovative projects in areas such as youth-arts, cultural exploration and large-scale events.
- He has formed partnerships with or collaborated with carnival arts companies around Britain, Ireland and in Europe and participates in international networks.
- Recognition of work includes awards such as Special Judges Award in Belfast Arts Awards and a Creative Britons personal award. David is honoured in the 2008 Developing Belfast Top 50, for entrepreneurs who have pioneered business in Belfast. ‘Belfast Top 50’ recipients “demonstrate outstanding commitment to driving economic success in the city”. BMG website - Top 50 list
Eileen Branagh
Project Manager
- Eileen has been Project Manager for Beat events since September 2003.
- She is Health & Safety Officer for Beat events and Co-Officer for Access NI / Child Protection. She has undertaken OCN accredited training in Disability, Equality & Awareness.
- Previous to working with the Beat, Eileen was Production Manager on the Northern Ireland celebratory spectacle for the Opening of the Special Olympics in Dublin and has worked for numerous festivals across Ireland including Belfast Festival, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival and Kilkenny Arts Festival.
- Eileen is a board member of the Community Arts Forum, NI.
Jean Boyd
Programme Manager
- Jean has over 15 years experience in programme management in the preschool sector and is qualified to work with 0-8 year olds. She is an accredited trainer and qualified NVQ assessor for young people and adults and is currently facilitating accredited training with Carnival Creations through the Youth Achievement Awards.
- She is Co-Officer for Access NI / Child Protection.
- She manages Beat’s in-house young people’s carnival training and performance programmes. She has been a Programme Manager on Beat's youth training work for 8 years, with programmes developing end-product for most of Belfast's main performance venue stages, events across Ireland, at the London Millennium Dome and Liverpool Capital of Culture. Jean has worked as stage manager with Cahoots children’s theatre.
- Jean manages costume logistics for Beat events; maintains Beat’s large stock of carnival costume; and the press and photograph archive.
Calendar of Main 2009 Events 14 March Ulster Orchestra Pied Piper Parade, Belfast 17 March St Patrick’s Day Carnival Parade, Belfast 13 April North Down Carnival Parade, Bangor 3 May National Carnival Centre Launch, Luton 20 June Bologna Carnival 27 June Belfast City Carnival 17 October Fly Butterfly – Belfast City Hall re-opening.