Strategic Plan

The Director and Chairperson of IAYO presented a strategic plan for 2022-2024 to the Annual General Meeting of the company. This has subsequently been adopted by the board as the official plan of IAYO. A summary of the plan is below.

The new strategic plan can be read in full and downloaded in PDF format here.

The 2018 -2020 plan can be downloaded in PDF format here.

Goals

We will encourage co-operation between all organisations and groups involved in the development of youth orchestras.

  • Build and strengthen the community of youth orchestras.
  • Provide and facilitate advice and information for youth orchestras.
  • Foster excellence through provision of training and resources.
  • Promote best practice artistically and in working with young people.
  • Offer and facilitate performance and collaboration opportunities.
  • Present excellence in the youth orchestra movement to a wider and more
    diverse public.
  • Encourage collaboration between all stakeholders in the development of youth
    orchestras.
  • Act as a connection between youth orchestras in Ireland and the movement
    internationally.

We will develop the Youth Approach in IAYO’s Activities. The development of a youth approach will involve the incorporation of a model of youth participation that will facilitate the prioritising of young people’s ideas, opinions and voices in the work of IAYO.

  • Bring youth leadership and decision-making into our board discussions as a standing agenda item.
  • Gather data on existing youth leadership best practices from within IAYO’s membership and networks, both national and international. Promote this best practice among IAYO members and encourage engagement in relevant further training and development.
  • Seek funding to employ a part-time youth leadership support worker for IAYO.
  • Develop a capacity-building framework for young musicians so that they will directly inform the work of IAYO’s board and staff.

We will focus on equality, diversity and inclusion matters.

  • Establish a board subgroup that will drive IAYO’s focus on equality, diversity and inclusion and develop and implement an IAYO Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan;
  • Gather data and review the current status of equality, diversity, and inclusion matters within IAYO, its membership and audiences;
  • Raise awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion matters amongst our community of members;
  • Provide guidance and support to IAYO member organisations to focus on equality, diversity and inclusion matters;
  • Explore links with organisations representing minorities and disadvantaged communities.

We will embed environmental sustainability into all IAYO Activities. Our focus on environmental sustainability will be an over-arching theme and will be integral to our strategic priorities.

  • Bring environmental sustainability into our board discussions as a standing agenda item;
  • Establish a board subgroup that will drive IAYO’s focus on environmental sustainability;
  • Evaluate the positive impacts that music-making and participation in youth orchestras can have for environmental sustainability and initiate actions to promote these impacts;
  • Evaluate the negative environmental impacts of music-making and participation in youth orchestras and initiate actions to mitigate against these impacts.

Deliver a high-quality and appropriate programme of activities. We will continue to engage with our membership and to improve the quality of the membership experience. We will deliver excellence in our programme of services and activities for the youth orchestra community.

  • Assess and review the current activities and the annual programme of IAYO to ensure that these continue to be of high quality and relevant to our members and to young musicians and aligned with IAYO’s mission, vision and aims;
  • Encourage community building and regional collaborations, for example through funding awards and sponsorship;
  • Build the membership community through networking and collaboration;
  • Consider piloting member representatives as a conduit between IAYO and its membership. These could be an effective mechanism for evaluating how IAYO is performing, increasing the visibility of IAYO at members’ events, and maintaining a vibrant relationship with the membership;
  • Review and enhance membership and stakeholder evaluation systems.

Programme Summary

Resources and Services

  • Network Development
  • Advocacy
  • Information & Advice
  • News Service
  • Workshops for Conductors and Artistic Staff
  • Organisational Workshops
  • Youth Orchestra Collaboration Grant
  • Instrument Bank
  • Music Library
  • Public Liability Insurance Scheme
  • Garda Vetting

Artistic Programme

  • Festival of Youth Orchestras
  • ConCorda Chamber Music Course
  • Irish Youth Wind Ensemble
  • Esker Festival Orchestra
  • Irish Youth Baroque Orchestra
  • IAYO National Chamber Music Workshops
  • Orchestra and Player Workshops