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Ireland

Art Projects Volunteering program

Volunteers work at community arts projects including art centers, art festivals and museums which welcome international volunteers to support their work all year round.

Highlights

  • Unique insight into the Irish Art sector
  • A chance to work alongside the experienced Irish staff and meet other volunteers from different parts of the world
  • Enhance your skills and gain first-hand working experience
  • Engage in a positive cultural exchange during your stay with a local host family
  • Incredible opportunity to immerse in the culture & lifestyle of Ireland
Vrijwilligersprogramma voor professionele artiesten

Overview

Giving a little boost to our creative cells is extremely important and what can be better than polishing your artistic skills as a volunteer?

In Ireland, we collaborate with community arts projects including Arts centers, Arts Festivals and museums which welcome international volunteers to support their work all year round.

Arts centers present a range of visual arts exhibitions in their gallery space, they also create opportunities for children, young people and adults to engage with high standard arts programmes through creative workshops and classes. Arts festivals in Ireland come in all shapes and sizes and contribute to making Ireland a cultural center for the arts. Festivals present and produce programmes across theater, music, film screenings, visual arts, opera, street spectacle, dance etc.

Sample Placement Profile : Clonmel Junction Festival

Arts festivals in Ireland come in all shapes and sizes and contribute to make Ireland a cultural center for the arts. The festival brings the best in live music, theatre, street performance, comedy, visual art, food events and much more to Clonmel and the surrounding region. It features a diversity of Irish and international artists. What makes the festival very special is that it is rooted in the community with “participation” programmes, whereby artists work alongside local schools and community groups to produce work that appear at the festival. The festival takes place the first week of July and is in need of motivated volunteers all throughout the year, particularly during the few months preceding the festival and during the event itself. The festival team also runs a smaller festival early March which organises music concerts by women composers around International Women’s Day.

The main role of the volunteers is to assist project staff in organising, promoting and running the festival. Task can be varied and may include:

  • Marketing -
    - Distribution of material
    - Social media- merchandising

  • Administration assistance
    - Assisting the manager and director in carrying out all admin tasks

  • Hospitality- Artist Liaison
    -Welcome artists
    -Prepare artist packs

  • Box office
    -Staffing temporary box office daily (from June 6th)
    -Giving information about shows/events
    -Selling tickets to events

  • Stewarding
    -Welcoming public to venues
    -Ticket collection
    -Set up and tidying down

  • Production
    -Supporting production staff
    -Installation and take down of production materials

  • From September to December: the volunteer work mainly involves strategic/development work


Volunteer Work Schedule

Volunteer Work Schedule

Volunteers usually work from Mondays to Fridays, for about 5 to 7 hours each day. the work schedule might vary. Weekends are generally free for the volunteers to explore and enjoy on their own.


Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities

Volunteer Roles & Responsibilities

Volunteers can get involved in a wide variety of activities from carrying out administrative and marketing tasks to organising events and helping facilitating workshops.

Volunteers can help in several areas such as :

  • Assisting in art workshops facilitation

  • Providing administrative support

  • Assisting in organising events with partner organisations

  • Supporting social media activities

  • Supporting marketing and promotion campaigns

  • Assist project staff in running, organising and promoting art festivals


Project Requirement

Project Requirement

Volunteers are required to be adaptable, flexible people. Participants must be over 18 when the project starts. Volunteers joining the project should have at least an intermediate level of spoken English (B1/B2). Participants will join a group of workers and local volunteers composed of people from different backgrounds and different age groups. Volunteers need to be able to partake in teamwork, but personal motivation, maturity and responsibility are also important. Volunteers joining the project should provide a criminal background check. A video call interview may be done to check participants suitability. Volunteers with a diversity of profiles are welcome; they do not necessarily need to have an artistic background.
 

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Living

Living

Airport Transfer
Participants are picked up by a driver who will be waiting with a sign displaying the participants’ name. Participants are transferred to a hostel accommodation located in Cork city centre.

Volunteers who arrive at a different airport (Dublin or Shannon) need to make their own way to Cork. It is very easy to arrive at Cork city from Dublin airport as there are buses from just outside the arrival terminal in Dublin that go directly to Cork city center (aircoach.ie). Participants are picked up from their point of entry in Cork (bus station or train station).

It is preferable to book a flight that arrives before 2pm in Dublin airport not to miss the welcome dinner!

If a participant arrives earlier than the arrival date, they should arrange their accommodation and transfer themselves.

Orientation
On the morning of the second day, participants are met by the coordinating staff at the hostel reception and will walk to the Cork Volunteer Centre where the orientation workshop takes place.

The orientation workshop lasts approximately 3.5h and includes the following topics:

  • Sharing and discussing fears and expectations

  • Exploring motivations

  • Skills and attitudes to make the programme a success

  • Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders(sender/host/volunteer)

  • Lines of communication

  • Potential challenges

  • Introduction to Irish culture

  • Cultural adaptation, culture shock and inter-cultural competences

  • Cultural adaptation in the Irish context

  • Practical tips for a successful voluntary service

  • Health issues

  • Safety and security, risk mitigation

  • Overview of what to do during free time

After the orientation workshop and their lunch, participants take part in a 2 hour walking tour of Cork City. During the tour, they are provided with practical advice, cultural and historical information.

At the end of the tour, participants are brought to the bus or train station and go to their project location. In some cases, depending on the location and availability of project mentor, the transfer could be done the following morning.

Accommodation & Meals
On arrival in Cork, volunteers are provided accommodation at a hostel in the city.The hostel is located in the city centre, a very short walk from all the shops and attractions of the city.

Hostel facilities:

  • Bed in shared dormitory bedrooms (4 to 8 beds per room)

  • Free Wi-Fi all over the hostel so you can stay in touch wherever you are

  • Free Home Cinema with big plasma screen, comfy beanbags

  • In-House Sauna

  • Always Open Coffee Dock and shop

  • Personal Lockers

While on the project, volunteers will live in local host family accommodation allowing you to get a real sense of life in an Irish family and community.Staying with a host family allows participants to be fully immersed within the Irish culture. Our local team in Ireland has developed a network of host communities in different part of the country. Host communities are managed by the local coordinators who deal with local families. Every host family goes through a thorough selection process, we make sure our participants are placed with welcoming and supportive hosts. Host families come in different shapes and sizes: e.g. parents and children with a spare room, a single host mother, or a retired couple. Families give participants an instant support system and help them learn the local language and culture. Most host families offer participants generally their own single room. On occasion participants might have to share a bedroom with another participant from the same gender. Many families are living at a walking distance from the projects while others can be based a bit further out of town. In this case volunteers are either given lifts, use bicycles or local transportation (cost not included in programme fees).

Meals will be provided along with a packed lunch as needed.

The host family provides breakfast (cereals or toasts, hot drink etc.), packed lunch (sandwiches, fruit etc.) and hot dinner in the evening (e.g. pasta, sausages, potatoes, pizza etc.). It is possible to cater for vegetarians (this information is subject to change, please check with us).

During your Free Time
Ireland is a wonderful place to visit. From vibrant, exciting cities like Dublin, Cork or Galway or Belfast to breath-taking landscapes along the Wild Atlantic Way. Attractions include the world-famous sceneries of Connemara and West Cork, the ring of Kerry, the cliffs of Moher, the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin etc. There are also a multitude of less touristy but equally interesting places to visit and activities to do such as whale watching in county Cork! Local staff will give participants further information on visits and excursions during their orientation and in the welcome pack.

Volunteers will have the weekends to explore. There is always something happening in Clonmel, with frequent theater, concerts, live music, art exhibitions, and festivals.

During your free time, volunteers can discover the countryside around Clonmel, Tipperary region. They can visit famous attractions such as the Rock of Cashel Castle and Cahir Castle located in nearby towns. They can also discover cities such as Kilkenny, Cork or Dublin.


Dates

Dates

January

06

27

February

17

March

10

April

07

28

May

19

June

09

30

July

07

28

September

08

October

06

November

03

Available

Filling Fast

Booked Out


Costs

Duration
Program Fee
Choose your currency
3 Weeks $1745
4 Weeks $1975
5 Weeks $2245
6 Weeks $2495
7 Weeks $2775
8 Weeks $3075
Extra Week $445

Please Note: An application fee of is charged over and above the program fee as an application payment.

Inclusions

  • Pre-departure Information guide and support
  • Pickup in Cork
  • First night in hostel in Cork City
  • Transfer to Project
  • All Meals except lunch on arrival day
  • Accommodation in Host Family or at Project
  • Orientation with local staff
  • Ongoing support from project mentor
  • Local staff support and coordination

Not included

  • Flights
  • Lunch on arrival day
  • Return airport transfer (local team can assist with this)
  • Visa Fee
  • Vaccinations
  • Medical & Travel Insurance
  • Personal Expenses

FAQ's

Application and Program Details

Can I volunteer as part of a group?

Why Volunteer in Ireland?

When should I apply for the volunteer programs in Ireland?

I haven’t traveled or volunteered abroad before. Can I still be a part of VolSol?

What happens after the end of the Program?

How long will it take to process my application? Will my application be accepted?

Does VolSol provide with a reference or a certificate after program completion?

Are there any necessary requirements to participate in the programs?

How do I get to the program location?

Health and Safety

What vaccinations will I need?

Connect with Past Volunteers

How can I connect with past Volunteering Solutions alumni as well as other former and current volunteers?

Flights and Visa

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