Volunteer Information
The Ottawa International Children's Festival offers a unique opportunity for the general adult community, corporations, high school and post-secondary students to work together. High school students can include the time spent on the festival activities as volunteer requirement for graduation.
Some of the areas in which volunteers may develop new skills and improve on current ones are: hosting groups and events; stage and house preparation; ticket collection and audience seating; ticket sales; greeting and ushering; public speaking; customer service; animating; working with children; Leadership and performing arts knowledge.
To volunteer for the Ottawa International Children's Festival please fill out our online application form:
Volunteer Online Application Form
For more information, contact Dawne Moses at dawne@ottawachildrensfestival.ca or call 613-241-0999.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN VOLUNTEERING FOR THE FESTIVAL, HOWEVER, WE REQUIRE THAT YOU BE 15 YEARS OLD OR OVER AND BE WILLING TO WORK A MINUMUM OF 8 TOTAL HOURS.
List of current volunteer opportunities:
1. Box Office and Information Agent
The volunteer works with the Festival Staff at the onsite box office. We appreciate volunteers who can work for several days. Usual hours are 8:30-4:00pm everyday of the festival.
Tasks:
• Take orders and fill out forms
• Sell tickets
• Track Sales
• Operated debit and credit machines
• Check and confirm arrival lists for school groups
• Carry items to/from the office and storage trailer
• Other tasks as assigned by the box-office manager
Shift: The daily volunteer shift may be 4 hours or 8 hours. Reports to: The Box Office Manager
2. Stage Set up & Tear Down
The volunteer works with a team of staff and volunteers to erect tents, install seating, build stages and related tasks prior to and during the festival. At the end of the festival, the volunteer works with the team to “tear down” and to clear the site. This job requires the ability to carry heavy items and be prepared for physical labour.
Tasks:
• Lifting and carrying
• Carpentry
• Installing signage
• Erecting tents
• Manual labour
• Other duties as assigned by the Production Manager
Shift: Shifts vary according to the festival schedules for performances. The hours are usually from 8:30-4:30 pm . Tear down takes place after the final performances.
Reports to: The Production Manager
3. Greeter
The OICF has a unique feature that requires greeters to meet bus loads of school children and escort them to the performance venues. The children arrive, accompanied by their teachers and chaperones. The festival grounds are large and contain several performance tents and other stages.
The greeters meet the bus, check the arrivals against a daily list provided by the box-office and escort each group to the appropriate performance gate. School buses start arriving 45 minutes before the first performance of the day. This job is outdoors and requires a lot of walking.
Tasks:
• Monitor arrival of school buses
• Make contact with teachers and chaperones in charge of groups
• Check school information against box-office listing
• Confirm information to Head Greeter
• Escort group to the appropriate performance gate
• Return to bus-stop and wait for next bus
Shift: 8:15-2:30. Reports to: The Volunteer Coordinator
4. Head Greeter
The Head Greeter coordinates the team of Greeters to ensure that each school group is met and escorted to their performance venue. The Head Greeter maintains ongoing radio contact with the Box-Office and with the Performance House Managers regarding arrivals and box office lists.
*One head Greeter is required for each school-day of the festival
Tasks:
• Organize team of Greeters to greet buses at all drop-off points
• Monitor greeters throughout their shift
• Confirm arrivals against Box-Office lists
• Maintain radio contact with Box-Office and House Managers
• Troubleshoot as needed
Shift: 8:15-2:30. Reports to: The Volunteer Coordinator
5. Site Host
A hospitality tent is maintained throughout the Festival. It is a gathering place for volunteers, staff and performers to relax and to enjoy a cup of coffee and a light lunch. The Site Host is responsible for maintaining the tent, laying out coffee supplies, lunches, tidying up and other lighthouse-keeping duties as required. It is a self-service buffet. The host may also be asked to “troubleshoot”, relay messages etc. This job requires good social skills
*One host is required for each day of the festival
Tasks:
• Lifting and carrying light items to/from the hospitability tent and storage trailer • Cleaning and setting the table with coffee, light breakfasts and lunches
• Greeting people
• Tidying up at the end of the shift
Shift: 9:00-4:00. Reports to: The Volunteer Coordinator
6. Site Maintenance
The Festival is held on the ground of a museum, a public facility. It is important to maintain and to leave the grounds as clean and as accident free as possible. The Site Maintenance crew is responsible for ensuring the grounds are safe and clean, especially because our audience comprise of mainly children. This job requires a lot of walking, lifting, carrying, and a variety of “handyman jobs”.
*4-6 Volunteers are required for each day of the festival.
Tasks:
• Walking, lifting and carrying
• Being alert to potential hazards and dangers
• Light carpentry and other handyman skills
• Moving and assembling furniture Clean-up, etc.
Shift: 8:30-5:00 through out the festival and later during the tear-down period at the close of the festival. Reports to: The Production Manager
7. Arts Tent Assistant
The Festival hosts an Arts and Crafts tent throughout the festival, where children are encouraged to produce their own creative art project. The tent is managed like an impromptu class-room by two staff members. Volunteer assistants/animators are required to help them with groups of children. The tent is most active during schooldays, when busloads of children attend the performances and participate in the arts activities. The Manager designs projects, instructs and supervises the volunteers who work with the children. Materials are provided free of charge. This task requires people who like working with children in a creative environment.
*6-8 assistant/animators are required for each day of the festival.
Shift: The tent is open from 9:00-4:00 and shifts may vary within those timeframes. Reports to: Arts Tent Manager
8. Ushers
The Ushers assist and report to the House Managers at the performance venues. They prepare the venue before and after each performance, collect tickets, seat the audience, and ensure house rules are being observed. An example is use of cameras and audio equipment. Sometimes, ushers are asked to perform additional tasks, especially when large numbers of school children are in the audience.
*2 Ushers are required for each performance during the entire festival
*16-20 Ushers are required each day
Tasks:
• Prepare House before and after each performance
• Collect tickets at the gate
• Open and close the gate as instructed by the House Manager
• Hand out Programs
• Seat Audience
• Enforce house rules when necessary
• Other tasks as assigned by the House Manager
Shifts: 9:00-4:00 (may vary sometimes). Reports to: The House Manager
9. House Manager
The House Managers oversees the daily operations of the different tents and theatres where the shows take place. The House Manger is the main contact between the Artists and the Production Crew. He/she will also insure that the volunteer ushers are well informed and tickets are taken and counted properly.
* 1 House Manager is required for each venue
* We prefer to have bilingual House Manager as sometimes they may need to do a
pre-show announcement in French and English.
Tasks:
• Liaise with the artists to make sure the show starts on time
• Take tickets
• Count tickets and deliver them to the Box Office
• Insure audience members are seated properly
• Collect water for the tent
• Deliver lost and found articles
• Make announcement before show
Shift: 8:30am to 4:00pm. Reports to the Production Manager and Volunteer Coordinator
* It is important to have a House Manager that is committed to working most days of the festival to insure the Venue runs as smoothly as possible.