Volunteer At WOW Perth 2018

With the only Scottish date for the amazing Women of the World Festival happening right here in Perth this September, local women have a unique opportunity to get majorly involved.  WOW are offering 10 people aged 18+ the chance to take part in a 6-week training programme to volunteer as part of the WOW Perth festival team. 

WOW - Women of the World - is a global festival that celebrates the incredible achievements of women and girls, takes a frank look at the obstacles they face, and creates a space to discuss new solutions together. Originating at Southbank Centre in London in 2010, it has taken place in 20 cities across five continents - from New York to Sydney, and from Pakistan to Finland.

Each WOW festival is made up of talks, discussions, music, activism, performance, mentoring and big ideas. Featuring women who are breaking the mould in science, entrepreneurship, the arts, sport, economics, health, and business.

There are sessions on personal issues right through to those of national and international concern, including war and peacekeeping, body image, violence against women and girls, race, religion, the role of men in gender equality, older women’s voices, young women’s stories, and whether Beyoncé is a feminist icon.

The inaugural Scottish event was held in October 2017, and featured Nicola Sturgeon as the opening speaker in conversation with WOW Founder Jude Kelly.  She paved the way for other prominent activists, speakers, business women, artists and broadcasters including Kirsty Wark, Halina Rifai, Lesley Riddoch, Luisa Omielan and more.

Check out the WOW Perth Facebook page over the coming months to see the full list of events in store during the festival weekend.  Follow them on Twitter at @PerthWOW for news and updates on what’s happening.

About The WOW Volunteer's Programme 
By Lou Brodie, WOW Perth Festival Programmer

The training programme will start Wednesday 22 August 2017​, running for 2 hours 6.45pm - 8.45pm ​in at Perth Theatre for 7 consecutive weeks. The training sessions will equip the volunteer team with the festival production​, event management and community engagem​ent ​skills needed to ensure that the festival is a safe, well-run and successful event.

Once trained, the 10 festival volunteers will be part of the festival team for WOW Perth at Perth Theatre ​from Friday 28 - Sunday 30 September 2018. Festival volunteers will perform an important role in ensuring that everyone involved - visitors, guests and speakers - gets the most out of their experience at WOW - Women of the World.

The festival is packed full of events, performances and projects. To make scheduling as manageable as possible, we ask volunteers to commit to at least three shifts during the festival. Occasionally shift times might change or extra shifts may become available at other times, but you will always be given lots of notice so you can decide if you’re able to accommodate the change or take on the extra shift.

Uniforms will be provided and travel expenses reimbursed up to the cost of £10 per day (upon presentation of a receipt) for each day of the 7-week training programme plus each day of the festival. This role may require you to be based indoors and outdoors (don’t worry - we can provide warm layers and waterproofs to combat the Scottish weather!) and you will be stationed in pairs around the festival site.

As a volunteer, the kind of activities you might be involved in could include:

• Acting as an ambassador for WOW Perth, promoting the festival around the city in the lead-up to the festival
• Welcoming audience members and helping them to navigate their way around the festival
• Giving information and directions, handing out leaflets, maps and flyers
• Getting to know the festival programme and letting visitors know what is happening on site
• Assisting visitors in getting the most out of their time at WOW Perth
• Acting as the point of contact for guests and speakers during the festival
• Helping to deliver WOW Perth’s events and activities
• Assisting with the collection of feedback and evaluation data from festival attendees

The support you’ll give as a volunteer is of huge benefit to your community and in turn, we aim to make sure that you enjoy a valuable and memorable experience at the WOW festival.

Who WOW are looking for:

• Polite, friendly and punctual people who are aged 18 or over
• People with an interest in celebrating difference and working with a diverse group of people
• People with a desire to get involved in events in Perth
• People with an interest in gender equality and in using your voice to make a difference
• People who are willing and able to commit to the dates outlined above, including the festival dates: Friday 28 - Sunday 30 September 2018

It would be great if you have (or want to improve) some of the following skills:

• Confidence in speaking with members of the public
• The ability to work as part of a team and be flexible
• Ability to stay calm under pressure and deal with a hectic and busy venue What we can offer you
• A friendly team, led by our dedicated WOW Facilitator
• A chance to meet new people and make useful connections
• New experiences and an opportunity to give something back to your community
• An opportunity to develop new skills e.g. an introduction to British Sign Language (BSL)
• A chance to work on an internationally-renowned festival with a highly-skilled and experienced team

We encourage everyone, men and women, to apply to volunteer at WOW Perth.

How to apply

To apply for one of the Volunteer positions, complete the following and return it wowperth@southbankcentre.co.uk.Closing date ​for receipt of applications is 5pm ​on Monday 2nd July 2018​. All Applicants will be notified by Friday 6th July.

• NAME
• DATE OF BIRTH
• EMAIL
• MOBILE
• PERSONAL STATEMENT (MAX 350) Please tell us a bit about yourself and why you’d like to be part of the Volunteer programme