To volunteer at the Incinerator applicants should possess a desire to learn, or an interest in contemporary art and culture, architecture and local history, and a desire to share that with our visitors. No previous experience, qualifications, or special knowledge is required to volunteer at the Incinerator. We are looking for people with excellent presentation, communication and interpersonal skills. Everything you need to know for this role is covered in the training. Indeed, some people volunteer to gain skills that will help them to apply for paid work.

Volunteers are invited to self-roster themselves according to Gallery program and ad hoc tour bookings as they come in to the Gallery and to attend training opportunities provided.

A typical shift requires a volunteer to be onsite for two hours.

It is expected that volunteers will be available to deliver at least one tour each month and assist with the delivery of programs at least two times a month.

Volunteers are also provided with training opportunities to increase their skills and knowledge and this in turn helps the Incinerator to ensure a high quality of visitor engagement. We find that volunteers want lots of information to help them perform their role well. This includes training meetings about twice a year, as well as independent research from home. The amount of time you spend doing this independent research up to you.

Exhibition fact sheets are provided to volunteers that include basic information and suggested reading lists, including books, articles and websites as a starting point to learn more.

Volunteering at the Incinerator Gallery is for adults over 18 years of age.

At the Incinerator  Gallery training for new volunteers is structured as follows:

1. 1. The Induction and Training day is one of the final stages of an application and all finalist applicants must attend. On this day information is provided regarding:

• Incinerator Gallery history, current exhibitions, venue orientation, providing excellence in visitor service, engaging with visitors and daily logistics.
• Moonee Valley City Council corporate and organisational overview, policies and processes that affect volunteers including; MV2040, Confidentiality, Privacy, Child Safety and Equal Opportunity Occupational Health and Safety, and Child Safe Standards and general safety and security.

2. At their first shift a staff member completes an Induction Checklist with the Volunteer.

3. Readings and training dealing with services provided regarding general interpretation and guiding including public speaking skills, techniques for dealing with diverse visitor types and handling groups of visitors.

4. Readings and training dealing with formal education (school) groups including achieving curriculum goals, working with teachers, inquiry based learning methods, techniques for managing school groups.

5. Volunteer training assessment will consist of an online quiz responding to questions and potential scenarios, and a trainee Volunteer review and evaluation of training.

After Induction and Training volunteers have ongoing opportunities to learn more at briefings before their shift. Other opportunities to learn include:

• Orientation, curator, artist or educator lead floor talks and training sessions for exhibitions and historical displays.
• Other briefings or training opportunities as they arise, one-on-one mentoring from the Curator Education and Community Learning, and other Gallery staff, team teaching, ongoing shadowing of tours and education programs presented by other Volunteers and staff.
• Additional texts regarding the Incinerator Gallery, exhibitions and general information will be distributed and available online.
• Other volunteer training opportunities may be offered by Council from time to time.

At the Incinerator volunteers have a role that puts them at the forefront of visitor interactions, and as the face of the Incinerator, they should dress professionally.
Volunteers are encouraged to be ‘sun smart’ when working outdoors and to keep hydrated.

All Incinerator Gallery volunteers are required to pass both a Police Check and Working With Children Check (WWCC) prior to the Induction and Training Day.

Volunteers must abide by current legislation as outlined in the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic.). WWCC and Police Checks are one part of creating and maintaining a child-safe environment that the Incinerator Gallery and Moonee Valley City Council takes very seriously and there are penalties for organisations who do not comply. Checks are renewed on a regular basis.

• Police Checks are submitted to CrimCheck and paid for by Council.
• WWCCs can be completed online at the Department of Justice website workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au and are free for volunteers.

Teachers with Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration have a WWCC included in their registration. This registration does not exempt holders from completing a CrimCheck. Volunteer hours spent working with students at the Incinerator Gallery can be used towards the 50 days currency of practice and professional development for the purposes of VIT registration. Refer to the VIT website vit.vic.edu.au.

Aside from giving back to the community, volunteers are passionate people who freely provide their time and energy to support the work of paid staff at the Incinerator Gallery. The benefits you could enjoy include:

• The chance to learn new or extend skills and knowledge (i.e. public speaking, personal communication, art and history knowledge and develop employability skills).
• Opportunities to broaden social circles and meet a diverse range of people, including staff, volunteers and visitors with similar interests.
• Opportunities to gain deeper understanding of the day to day running of a small art gallery.
• Involvement in exhibition openings and other specialist programs.

The application process and important dates vary for each Incinerator Gallery recruitment and are outlined on this page during recruitment periods.

As a guide, the process to volunteer at the Incinerator Gallery is as follows:

• Applications invited
• Successful applicants invited to attend group interview
• References checked
• Successful applicants invited to submit WWCC application and fit2work Police Check
• Succesful applicants invited to attend Induction and Training Day
• Volunteer is ready to commence shifts at Gallery

Please read the Incinerator Gallery Position Description carefully. All points in this handout are covered in greater detail in the Volunteer Training and Induction day. If you have other questions please send an email to incinerator@mvcc.vic.gov.au.

For other general information about Moonee Valley City Council volunteering see the Moonee Valley City Council Volunteering page.