As a Festival volunteer you can choose one of the following three roles:

Activity Centre Volunteer

Primary Responsibilities

• operate selected activity centre
• deliver intended water message
• ensure active participation of all students

Before the Festival

• read over the activity description and familiarize yourself with its purpose and concept

On the Day of the Festival

• attend 8:00 a.m. briefing session at the Registration Tent and pick-up the materials for your activity
• meet your activity centre partner
• tour the site for a quick orientation
• report to your activity centre and review it with your partner
• operate your activity centre and report any materials that are missing, running low or malfunctioning
• have fun and fill out an evaluation form before leaving

Remember

• discourage all participants from accessing the river's edge
• help students discover their relationships to water
  (ask open-ended questions rather than teaching)
• use comparisons that students will understand (150 bags of milk to fill one bath tub)
• share the task with your partner and be enthusiastic
• dress for the outdoors
• no smoking at the activity centres

Marshall/Floater/Farewell Volunteer

Primary Responsibilities

• meet schools and buses and guide them to their marshalling area
• provide on-site orientation and information to parent helpers and teachers
• ensure all groups find their way to desired activity centres
• provide support/relief to activity centre volunteers
• provide crowd control at activity centres to ensure that all students get an effective presentation
• provide a farewell on behalf of the PCWF committee

Before the Festival

• read over the activity description and familiarize yourself with activity names
• tour the zoo by foot and learn the location of trails, washrooms, etc.

On the Day of the Festival

• attend 8:00 a.m. briefing session at registration tent and pick-up the materials for your role
• meet your volunteer partner
• tour the site for a quick orientation
• report to bus arrival area and deliver on-board greeting when schools arrive
• direct teachers to registration tent and students and parent helpers to assigned meeting area
• advise participants of activity and lunch areas and remind them to ask volunteers for any information they need
• report to assigned floating area to keep groups moving and participating
• relieve activity centre volunteers as needed
• ensure each departing bus has all participants on-board
• monitor pedestrian traffic in parking and bus loading areas
• deliver an on-board quick farewell to each departing bus

Remember

• discourage all participants from accessing the river's edge
• you are the Festival's first and last impression and set a positive tone
• parent helpers may be apprehensive, remind them their most important role is to keep their group together and participating
• use the school's name to address the groups
• dress for the outdoors
• no smoking at the activity centres