About the new 15th Anniversary Decibels
Decibels was founded as a charitable company limited by guarantee in April 2005 with the aim of promoting the education and training of children and young people with a variety of special needs and disabilities for the purpose of enabling them to learn, appreciate and enjoy sound, music, the arts and drama through the use of technology. It sought to advance this work by providing facilities, equipment, research and a spirit of innovation and incorporating technological developments with a view to including young people in the community and the musical and artistic worlds.
Over the last decade, Decibels has developed a number of projects that have contributed to its charitable aims, but all of these projects have been small-scale, short-term and situated in varied areas of the creative arts with different groups of beneficiaries. The Board of Decibels has determined that its 10th anniversary is a good point at which the organisation should take a step back, re-examine its mission and develop its strategy for the next 5 years.
Our Vision
“Decibels believes in a world where all people including people with disabilities have opportunities to develop their creativity and discover their talents.”
The world is changing at an ever-increasing pace. The educationalist, Sir Ken Robinson, talks about creativity and how young people can be helped to cope with a changing world by becoming more creative and being helped to uncover their talents. Disabled people have the right to develop these skills and talents too.
Our Mission
“Decibels enables people, especially those with disabilities, to develop their creativity and unlock their abilities mainly through the use of technology.”
The new mission statement outlines the nature and identity of the organisation and how it works to achieve its goals. It guides the operations of the organisation. It states what the charity does and why and for whom it exists. Decibels aspires to establish a spirit of innovation by incorporating technological development into most aspects of its work.
It is proposed that Decibels focuses on four activities which will enable it to achieve its mission:
- Decibels delivers inclusive and accessible technology-based arts projects which enables, mainly disabled people, to develop their creativity and unlock their talents
- Decibels supports the development and enhancement of technology which enables disabled people to be creative as well as non-disabled people.
- Decibels disseminates information relating to the research & development of innovative technologies which enables disabled people and others to be creative.
- Decibels creates challenging, empowering and enjoyable activities- without the use of technology- to learn and appreciate sound, music, art, film and drama.
In order to deliver these activities, Decibels intends to:
- Develop restricted and unrestricted income streams which can support its work
- Establish partnerships with schools, community groups and academic institutions
- Establish the Decibels' website and social media presence as a portal for information pertaining to the use of technology in the development of creativity for disabled people
- Build its board and staffing base so that the organisation and its projects can be managed effectively and efficiently
