During the eleven-day Wild Goose Festival, our town centre nature hub found in the Loreburne Centre, Dumfries, will be open daily from 10:00am – 4:00pm, offering a range of family-friendly activities to enjoy.
This year, we have various volunteer opportunities available. Find out more about each opportunity below.
Pre-Festival Volunteers
Role Description:
In collaboration with the Wild Goose Festival and supported by Creative Scotland, the central hub will host a festival-long ‘drop in and do’ collage mural. We will create this mural using recycled and natural materials.
Volunteers will work in pairs and gather materials for art packs. Before the festival, the materials will be sorted by the volunteers and a record maintained of all that has been collected. Volunteers will then use collected natural and recycled materials into ‘art packs’, ensuring children and young people who participate will receive equal amounts of material.
Previous volunteer experience is optional, but a positive attitude, desire for fresh air, and enjoyment of working within the local community is essential. Gathering sessions will be held rain or shine; please ensure you come prepared for all weather possibilities. In the event of dangerous conditions making gathering impossible, volunteers will be offered a ‘rain date’.
Responsibilities:
- In groups of 2, walking the natural areas of Dumfries town centre, gathering materials such as acorns, leaves, sticks, grasses, flowers, pine cones, pine needles, etc.
- Sorting materials by type at the Stove.
- Counting and taking stock of all gathered materials.
- Following directions, gathering and sorting the provided materials into brown paper bag ‘preparation packs’ for mural drop-in sessions.
- Bringing preparation packs to the hub in the Loreburne Centre.
Time Commitments:
Volunteers helping with the collection of materials: October 11th & 13th. These days will be split in to two sessions, collecting: 11:00am – 1:00pm, and sorting: 1:00pm – 2:00pm.
Volunteers helping with the compilation of Art Packs: October 17th. This day will be split in to two sessions: 11:00am – 1:00pm & 1:00pm – 3:00pm.
Hub Volunteers
Role Description:
In collaboration with the Wild Goose Festival, the central hub will open eight festival days between 10:00am and 4:00pm, offering interactive and creative workshops, partner presentations, and self-led activities.
The general volunteer role is a dynamic position that will see volunteers engaging with various people, activities, local artists, and organisations. Volunteers will be responsible for assisting the Hub Director in the daily operation of the hub and its activities, shadowing the Hub Coordinator, helping direct the flow of visitors, and engaging with children and young people (CYP) under the direction of workshop providers and Stove staff.
Further supported by a grant from Creative Scotland, the central hub will host twelve interactive workshops ranging from a festival-long ‘drop in and do’ collage mural to interactive art development workshops led by locally established artists.
The Stove Networks Creative Spaces ‘emerging artists’ team will each have a turn taking over drop-in sessions, teaching and inspiring CYPs with hands-on mural workshops, while established artists will teach workshops on illustration, praxinoscope, sound design, cyanotype, etc.
No previous volunteer experience is required, just a positive attitude and enjoyment of working within the local community. A short (30-minute) training session will be held before the festival to familiarise volunteers with the Hub and role.
View the full hub programme HERE.
Responsibilities:
- Ensure space is stocked with materials for self-lead activities
- Answer questions and engage with the public, (such as greeting visitors, managing image release forms, etc.)
- Assist in managing visitor flow/ensuring smooth operation of hub self-lead activities
- Assist partners as needed with presentations and activities
- Create art packs/gather natural materials as needed
- Operate a ‘video station’ consisting of a tripod, camera, and praxinoscope machine, record pictures/videos of CYP creations on Proxiniscope & Engage and record (written) participant responses to the following question(s): What is your illustration about? What does this illustration mean to you?
- Help ensure established artist workshops are stocked with paper, pencils, pens, crayons and making art packs as the need arises
- Ensuring the organisation of basic art supplies (paints, brushes, crayons, pencils, pens, etc), and assisting with cleaning up art supplies (cleaning brushes, storing materials, recycling scrap materials, etc.)
- Document/photograph art workshops when the staff photographer is not available
- Interact with CYPs, assisting and providing support as needs arise
Time Commitments:
10:00am – 1:00pm OR
1:00pm – 4:00pm
Clothing Sorting Volunteers:
Role Description:
This year, the Hub will run a clothing drive to support the work of Massive Outpouring of Love (MOOL). Clothing donations will be accepted from October 20th till October 26th. On Friday, October 27th, MOOL will host a donations sorting session at their Depot.
Community volunteers are needed to assist MOOL staff and MOOL volunteers to sort and organise what has been gathered.
Responsibilities:
- Sorting clothing gathered during the festival week
- Organising clothing by size
- Organising clothing into piles for shipping to EU camps, clothing to be sent to charity shops and clothing that may be of use to current asylum seekers in the area.
Time Commitments:
October 27th – Time TBD
Questions?
If you have any questions about each volunteer role or about the Wild Goose Festival Hub please contact Wren Winters our Hub Co-ordinator here.
Wild Goose Festival is an annual, family-friendly exploration of nature, creativity, and place. Produced by The Stove Network and held in Dumfries and surrounding areas, it unites key partners from across the region in celebration of the migratory route of barnacle geese between Svalbard and the Solway as well as the five other species that flock to this part of Scotland.