MID is managed by a board of trustees which meets eight times a year. The Board is responsible for overseeing strategy and direction, and monitoring performance and service delivery.
MID is managed and run on a day-to-day basis by a small staff team working out of its Amwell Street offices.
Drum Runners Trading (some members formerly of Traditional Arts Projects,TAPS)
Drum Runners Trading create, promote and run projects, workshops and performances using music, multi-media and the creative arts. Drum Runners are continuing the work formerly done by Traditional Arts Projects who were one of MID’s founding members. DRT plays an active role on the partnership group. Members of DRT have delivered music, dance and performance workshops inside the UK’s IRCs since the MID pilot programme in Summer 2005 and are contributing to the development of the Best Practice Guidelines for work in this unique context.
Music for Change
Music for Change is an educational charity and has been working to promote understanding and respect for cultural diversity through music since 1997. They believe not only in the intrinsic value of music and the arts, but in how these can play a vital role in breaking down barriers between people and cultures. Their work is delivered by workshop facilitators who are high quality performers, and also committed and inspirational educators, who come from all round the globe.
Music for Change is one of MID’s founding members and plays an active role on the partnership group. Music for Change has delivered music, dance and performance workshops inside the UK’s IRCs since the MID pilot programme in Summer 2005 and is contributing to the development of the MID Best Practice Guidelines for work in this unique context.
Oxford Concert Party
Led by ARne Richards, a consultant music therapist, the Oxford Concert Party is a group of highly professional and experienced musicians who have toured throughout the UK and Europe. They have been working in community settings for fifteen years, in prisons, schools and residential homes, in the belief that music is accessible to everyone and is, in the broadest sense, a healing, educative and therapeutic medium.
The Oxford Concert Party is one of MID’s founding members and plays an active role on the partnership group. The Oxford Concert Party has delivered music & dance activities inside the UK’s IRCs since the MID pilot programme in Summer 2005 and is contributing to the development of the MID Best Practice Guidelines for work in this unique context.
Asian Music Circuit
The AMC aims to bring the best of traditional and contemporary music reflecting living traditions from Asia to the widest public possible. They delivered their first workshops for MID in July 2008 in Dungavel, Scotland and have since delivered music workshops at Haslar, Dover and Campsfield IRCs.
Marie-Claude Barker, Education Manager at IRC Haslar
Marie-Claude has been employed by Highbury College of Further Education, Portsmouth, as Education Manager at Haslar Immigration Removal Centre since 2002, and helped found Music In Detention after seeing how the music workshop delivered as part of the MID pilot programme alleviated the pressures of detention and improved detainee well-being. As well as the day-to-day running of the department, she is involved in organising other activities, particularly outside of Education Department hours, to improve the centre regime. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Counselling and was previously a student counsellor and in charge of counselling courses at the college, as well as teaching science. She has a Masters Degree in Education and has worked in education since 1984.
Marie-Claude sits on MID’s board.
Sue Lukes (Chair)
Sue Lukes has been working with refugees and migrants since the 1970s. With a background in housing advice and related services, she is currently a consultant, trainer and researcher. She is a founder member of Music In Detention, and chairs the Board.
Peter Frankental (Treasurer)
Peter Frankental is a founding trustee of the Helen Tetlow Memorial Fund. He has worked in the human rights field for 10 years and is currently the Economic Relations Strategy Adviser to Amnesty International UK. He is Treasurer of the MID Board.
Vebi Kosumi
Vebi Kosumi has been Coordinator of the Dover Detainee Visitor Group since 2004. Vebi is an Albanian from Kosova and has been a naturalised British Citizen since 1999. With a legal background, he has been working to support refugees since 2000. Vebi sits on the MID Board.
Marie-Claude Barker
Marie-Claude Barker has worked as Education Manager at Haslar Immigration Removal Centre since 2002, and has nearly twenty five years’ experience both as a teacher and a counsellor. She sits on MID’s board and is an active partner of MID.
Jan Shaw
Jan Shaw is the Refugee Programme Director at Amnesty International working on asylum and refugee policy in the UK and EU. She has extensive human rights sector experience, and was previously long-term trustee and Vice-Chair at the Refugee Legal Centre. Jan sits on the MID Board.
Philip Spender
Philip Spender joined the voluntary sector in 1972 when he started with Index on Censorship/Writers & Scholars Educational Trust. Much later he worked for OneWorld Online and since 1998 has worked as fundraiser with Midas Charity Appeals and as a freelance. Before joining the board he fundraised for MID.
Sheila Melzak
Sheila Melzak is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist who has worked with young asylum seekers and refugees for over eighteen years. Her current work involves direct individual and group psychotherapeutic work, training and writing clinical reports in relation to the asylum determination process and often helping the judicial system to understand the impact on development of past abuse as well as the asylum seeking process and the care system. Sheila sits on the MID Board.
Ashok Viswanathan
Ashok is a founder and Assistant Director of the NGO Operation Black Vote. His work ranges from running education and youth workshops, and managing the campaign office and its staff. Ashok regularly contributes to regional and national press and media, as well as speaking in public. He has been on Advisory Panels for The Citizenship Foundation, The Electoral Commission, on the council of Charter88 and an Executive Member of the National Assembly Against Racism and Unite against Fascism. Ashok sits on the MID Board.
John Speyer (Director)
Liza Figueroa-Clark (Programme Manager)
Debbie Mace (Accountant)
Debbie Mace is MID's accountant. She has twenty five years experience in accounting and finance. For the last ten years this has been in the voluntary sector, covering all areas of financial management for a range of very small charities and campaigning groups.
