Beth Derks-van Damme

Since 2015 I lead the Future Leaders Programme,  a unique extra-curricular programme to a selected group of students to:

• Explore the concept of Leadership in structured dialogue
• Talk to and learn from people who are in a Leadership positions , whether on Local, National or International level
• Take part in an inspirational trip to learn about Leadership-in practice
• Develop Leadership skills, habits and practices in hands-on interactive workshops and activities
  Start with building a network of like-minded people.

Since 2017 I deliver a weeks' workshop as part of Do Different Week on Public Speaking which ends with a Public Speaking Competition in conjuction with celebrating World Speech Day, see http://www.worldspeechday.com/ Since its introduction in 2017 we had 5 students selected to speak at TEDx events!

I joined the UEA in September 2011 and worked on the SeaMedia Project till January 2015 as a project co-ordinator on a part-time basis. This EU funded project set up an Internet TV station where content is made by and for young people from the coastal regions of Belgium, France, the East and South East of England. The UEA was the Lead partner of this 3.3m Euro project.

I also recruited and mentored the internship candidates, co-organized 3 annual international conferences, the annual Media, Culture and Society trip for 50+ students to Belgium and Broadcast Journalism trip to Strasbourg, see https://www.uea.ac.uk/political-social-international-studies/careers-and-employability and worked with BBC Voices to give our students industry experience in producing documentary style stories about life in Norwich and Norfolk. 

I combine working in academic setting with my experience in engaging young people in youth democracy and active social citizenship projects;

In 2013 I was the UEA lead for the Model European Parliament happening and facilitated YP to make this souvenir film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16pm3mQAfPE

In 2013 the British Council selected me to represent the UK to present on ‘Bridging the Gap between young people and decision makers at the Urban Solution Seminar in Athens, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8mxM7v40WI

In 2014 I initiated and co-organized the EU Youth Question event where young people could question the European Parliamentary candidates on their manifestos, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZBR3M_MKGQ

In 2014 I was the UEA Lead for the Digital Democracy consultation, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33Qbs4pCUhQ and I mentored students to organize and attend the European Youth Event (EYE 2014), see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdOo-c6UAPk&feature=youtu.be

In 2014 I contributed to developing the final report on ‘Hear my voice, amplify Youth Participation in Europe’ see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUHpGEEEHSM&feature=youtu

I am and have been an Associate tutor on the following modules:

01/2018 - 07/2018: MA-PUBLIC RELATIONS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND THE MEDIA

09/ 2014 – 12/2014:  Media Technologies

04/2014 –  06/2014:  Broadcast Journalism MA

10/ 2013 – 05/2015:  Introduction seminars to academic life in our department

10/ 2012 – 04/2013:  Enterprise, Employability and skills workshops 

Following the work I did for the Digital Democracy Project I was selected for the Chairs Committee of the Political Studies Association (PSA), https://www.psa.ac.uk/psa/chairs-commissions-reaching-out-and-adding-depth

 I succesfully submitted ideas to the PSA Total Exposure event and was able to pitch my idea on the need for  'An EU referendum bus' to a five major broadcasters https://www.psa.ac.uk/events/psa-total-exposure-grand-pitching-event The idea was to bring information about what the European Union in an unstandable and appealing  massmedia format to a wide audience to increase the understanding of the general public about 'what the EU stands for or actually is, how it operates and how it effects our daily lives.