Become a Luminato Volunteer

a
THANK YOU TO OUR 2008 LUMINATO VOLUNTEERS!

The second annual Luminato Festival ended on Sunday, June 15, 2008 and it was a huge success! Luminato could not occur without the assistance of the over 500 Luminato volunteers, who "warmly welcomed" and "actively engaged" with the over 1,000,000 guests and visitors.

On behalf of the entire Luminato staff and Manulife Financial, the 2008 Volunteer program sponsor, a very heartfelt thank you to all the Ambassadors, Festival Administrative Volunteers, Special Events Volunteers and Team Leaders...you were all amazing!!

We look forward to working with you all again in 2009!

Best regards,

Scott Gainsburg, Tahnee Lloyd-Smith and Ron Koperdraad
Your 2008 Luminato Volunteer Team

"Congratulations on a job very well done and an amazing event that defines Toronto."

"I just want to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to help out in this event. Luminato was more a celebration of humanity and I am proud that was able to be a part of it this year."

"For a week, art takes over Toronto and the city's people embrace it."

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR NEXT YEAR'S FESTIVAL - JUNE 5-14, 2009!!

AND WATCH OUR WEBSITE FOR FURTHER DETAILS

GET INVOLVED!

Do you have a passion for the arts and the city of Toronto? Luminato, Toronto's Festival of Arts and Creativity, is seeking enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to enhance the visitor experience and to assist the Luminato staff in a variety of roles. Covering the worlds of music, dance, theatre, film, literature and visual arts and design, our aim is to have a volunteer force as diverse as our programming and the city itself.

This past year, Luminato volunteers warmly welcomed and actively engaged with over 1,000,000 guests throughout the spectacular ten days (June 6-15, 2008). Our volunteers, Luminato Ambassadors, played a vital role in our resounding success and were an integral part in Toronto's cultural history helping to create Luminato's place among the world's most vibrant arts festivals.

If you would like to be considered for a volunteer position for the2009 Luminato Festival, June 5-14, 2009, the first step is to register online. (Please note that if you have already previously registered as a volunteer, you do not need to register again.) Please click here to be connected to our secure online registration process. It only takes approximately 5 minutes to complete the online application. If you need assistance or prefer to register via telephone, please call our Volunteer Department at 416 368-3100, ext. 230, Monday-Friday from 9am-5:30pm.

We've also provided some more information on volunteer roles and frequently asked questions below to help you better understand the Luminato volunteer experience, as well as contact details for more information on the program.

We hope you will join us as a volunteer in 2009! Click here to register.

VOLUNTEER ROLES

While most of our volunteer force will be needed during Luminato (June 5-14, 2009), there are also additional volunteer opportunities available throughout the year on as a needed basis. Below are brief descriptions of various volunteer positions:

AMBASSADORS: The Ambassador acts as a friendly facilitator of information and assistance during the festival. Our ambassadors have a visible presence at the venues and festival sites "warmly welcoming" and "actively engaging" with our guests. Roles include greeting guests at performances and events, ushering in some venues, providing information on festival activities at venues and. All Ambassadors must attend 1 mandatory training session (dates and times to be determined) in May/June, 2009.

FESTIVAL ADMINISTRATIVE VOLUNTEERS (FAVs): We recognize that not everyone feels comfortable in a public, customer facing role. Prior to the start of the festival and during the festival, there is a need for those who have administrative skills to assist the Volunteer team with a myriad of office related tasks which are essential to ensure the smooth running of the Ambassador program. FAVs should have strong organizational and communication skills. Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is a plus, but not required. All FAVs must attend 1 mandatory training session (dates and times to be determined) in May/June, 2009.

INFORMATION TEAM: As a member of the Information Team, you will work exclusively at our Information Hubs located throughout the downtown core. This role is ideal for those who passionate about the arts and the city of Toronto and posses excellent communication skills. Special training and materials will be provided for this team of volunteers.  The Information Team must attend one mandatory training session and these dates will be announced in early '09.

TEAM LEADERS: Do you have previous experience supervising others and embrace taking on extra responsibilities? If so, our Team Leader program might just be the ideal fit for you. Our Team Leaders supervise the Ambassadors at large events by providing onsite support and guidance. Team Leader shifts are selected via an interview process and receive separate training and additional volunteer benefits. To be considered for a Team Leader role, please make sure that you submit a resume when registering. Those selected for interviews will be contacted in early 2009.

YEAR ROUND VOLUNTEERS: While Luminato is only 10 days each year, there is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into planning the festival throughout the year. We are looking for volunteers with strong organizational skills and a keen eye for detail to assist our various departments such as marketing-media, sponsorship/development, programming, public relations, production and volunteer department. Tasks vary and volunteers will be informed of opportunities as they arise. Individuals with computer skills and web experience are most welcome!

Volunteering at Luminato provides many rewards. In 2008, our volunteers received a volunteer tee shirt and hat, Vichy sunscreen and complimentary tickets to several performances during the festival, as well as ticket offers to performances by our many arts partners throughout the year. Those worked 3 or more shifts also received an invite to a fantastic thank you party and those who worked 7 or more shifts will receive a pair of tickets to an event in the 2009 festival. Most importantly, our volunteers have told us the biggest reward they received was the ability to make a difference in our visitors' lives and having a lot of fun while doing volunteer! 2009 volunteer benefits are still being determined.

If you would like to be considered for a volunteer position for the2008 Luminato Festival, the first step is to register online. Please click here to be connected to our secure online registration process. It should take approximately 5 minutes to complete the online application. If you need assistance or prefer to register to be a volunteer via telephone, please call our Scott Gainsburg at 416 368-3100, ext. 238, Monday-Friday from 9am-5:30pm.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: Do I need to have previous experience to volunteer with Luminato?

A: While some positions such as Volunteer Team Leaders do require specific skills, our Luminato Ambassador, Festival Administration Volunteer (FAVs) and Year Round Volunteer roles do not require any previous volunteer experience - it only requires a passion for Toronto, the arts and your enthusiasm!

Q: Is there a minimum commitment of hours required to volunteer with Luminato?

A: Each volunteer role has different time requirements in terms of shift lengths, training and tasks being performed. More information on specific time commitments and required training for each role is located in job descriptions on the Activity Sign Up section when you register online. Please note that you cannot actually sign up for any shifts until after you have attended a mandatory training session in May/June 2009 (dates and times to be determined)

Please click here to be connected to our secure online registration process. It should take approximately 5 minutes to complete the online application. If you need assistance or prefer to register to be a volunteer via telephone, please call Scott Gainsburg at 416 368-3100, ext. 238, Monday-Friday from 9am-5:30pm.

Q: Can children (under 18 years old) volunteer for Luminato?

A: As many of the venues in the 2008 Luminato Festival were licensed venues serving alcohol, it was difficult to have individual volunteers under the legal drinking age working in these environments; however, we are currently investigating the possibility of creating supervised for those under 18.

Q: Do I get free tickets in exchange for my volunteer hours with Luminato?

A: Every volunteer program is unique in terms of the benefits they offer to their volunteers. As over 60% of our events in 2008 festival were free events and many of our events take place in smaller venues, we were unable to offer tickets in exchange for volunteer hours served. However, we did offer volunteers tickets to select performances.

Q: What are the steps required to become a Luminato Volunteer?

A: The first step to volunteering with Luminato is to fill out our online volunteer application. Please click here to be connected to our secure online registration process. It should take approximately 5 minutes to complete the online application. If you need assistance or prefer to register to be a volunteer via telephone, please call Scott Gainsburg at 416 368-3100, ext. 238, Monday-Friday from 9am-5:30pm.

Q: How can I learn more about Luminato and volunteer opportunities?

A: Beginning in early 2009, we will host voluntary monthly information sessions for those interested in volunteering for Luminato and wish to learn more about the organization. Attendance at one of these sessions is not a pre-requisite to becoming a Luminato volunteer. Sessions last approximately 1 hour. Please check back on this portion of the website in early 2009 for dates, times and locations of these sessions.