With funding support from the Community Services Recovery Fund (funded by Employment and Social Development Canada and administered by the Canadian Red Cross), KAM has developed a new volunteer program, entitled: Connecting with Cultural Heritage. This initiative serves to connect individuals to cultural heritage organizations within Kingston & area, expanding opportunities for engagement across our diverse communities, facilitating personal growth and skill development, and building capacities of cultural heritage sites through strong volunteer contribution and involvement.
Connecting with Cultural Heritage invites applications from three categories of volunteers:
- Student (Secondary, 14-18)
- Student (Post-Secondary 18-65+)
- General (18-65+)
Each applicant will complete an Expression of Interest form that includes contact details, volunteering availability, reasons for volunteering and activity interests, references, pertinent skills, and experiences, and of course, the site or sites at which they would like to volunteer (based on the host sites registered with the program). Program registrants will then complete a basic volunteer training program that includes the following topics:
- Leading Visitors through Cultural Heritage Sites
- What’s the big IIDEA? Inclusion, Indigeneity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility in Cultural Heritage Sites
- Collections Awareness
We accept applications through out the year. The training program takes place three times a year: October, January and April. If you are interested, review the Program Participant Guide and complete your Expression of Interest and Declaration forms, then submit to info@kingstonmuseums.ca with the subject line: Connecting with Cultural Heritage Community Applicant.
All KAM members are welcome to participate in the Connecting with Cultural Heritage Program as a host site or organization!
This program is considered part of KAM member services, but participation is optional, and renewable on an annual basis. The Connecting with Cultural Heritage program is not intended to replace individual site policies and procedures related to volunteer management, but rather as a complimentary support service to help connect volunteers to cultural heritage sites and to support best practices.
KAM members must actively register to participate in the Connecting with Cultural Heritage program as a host site. You will be asked to complete a registration form detailing your site and staff contact information, volunteer type and roles available, times and dates required, CRC and Vulnerable Sector Check requirements. KAM will transfer the applicant files to the appropriate host sites for consideration. At this stage, it is the host site’s responsibility to review, assess, contact, and screen potential volunteer applicants. As part of program registration, host sites agree to initiate these processes within a timely manner of receiving the applicant files (usually 2-weeks). Once the volunteer has officially been accepted by the site, all responsibility for volunteer HR management, additional site training, scheduling, task assignment, etc. transfer to the host site.
KAM will be responsible for organizing volunteer consent and permissions from program participants, providing basic volunteer training, creating an applicant file and record of training, and then, transferring volunteer files to the appropriate host sites. KAM will also be responsible for promoting this program to the communities of Kingston & area, though we welcome member promotion as well! Once a program participant has been accepted as a volunteer at a host site, the participant will be discharged from the Connecting with Cultural Heritage program. If a host site is unable to accept a program participant as a volunteer, KAM will assist the individual in finding a placement at another participating site.
If you are interested, review the Connecting with Cultural Heritage Volunteer Program Guide, complete the Host Site Registration, Declaration, and Volunteer Opportunities forms (available for download below).
Submit to info@kingstonmuseums.ca with the subject line: Connecting with Cultural Heritage Host Applicant.
