| Volunteer Role | Volunteer Festival Rep (Refugee Festival Scotland 2024) |
| Time Commitment | Some hours in support of our pre-festival preparations (such as mailouts) from mid-May At least 5 shifts across the time period of Friday 14th – Sunday 23rd June 2023 Evenings and weekend work will be available. |
| Responsible to | Festival Manager, Festival Engagement Officer |
| Location | Venues across Scotland (mainly Glasgow) There will be festival events to support across Scotland. |
| Duration | Between 14 and 23 June, and some additional induction and training days late May and early June. |
| Closing date | Thursday 18 April, 5pm, |
To see other volunteering opportunities with us and to read our frequently asked questions please visit our volunteering page at
www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer
What is Refugee Festival Scotland?
Refugee Festival Scotland celebrates the richness and diversity of Scotland’s communities. The festival brings people from refugee and local communities together to celebrate the contribution refugees make to the vibrancy and richness of Scotland’s cultural life and the welcome offered by local people.
Co-ordinated by Scottish Refugee Council, our festival of arts, culture, sport and food gives people from different backgrounds the chance to meet, share stories, get to know each other better and discover how much we all have in common.
Refugee Festival Scotland’s programme of events offers communities the chance to speak for themselves, to define themselves on their own terms and in their own voices. The festival is centred on World Refugee Day, 20 June, established by the UN in 2000. Over the last 24 years, the festival has grown from a one-day Glasgow based music and food event, to a ten-day programme of more than 100 events across Scotland.
This year the theme for Refugee Festival Scotland is Rise.
What gives you strength to overcome challenges and pursue what matters most to you? How do you help others to thrive, be heard and feel connected? How do we rise together above hostile narratives and continue to grow as diverse communities?
We invite you to join this shared celebration and explore what rising may look or feel like. We’re looking for events that bring people from different backgrounds together and celebrate resilience and solidarity through music, dance, film, theatre, visual art, outdoor gatherings, heritage, sports… and food, of course!
Join us to be part of this year’s festival and help build and energise a movement of welcome and inclusivity for people seeking sanctuary in Scotland.
The full Festival programme will be announced mid-May.
Why is Refugee Festival important?
Refugee Festival Scotland is about celebrating and having fun, but it also has a serious purpose. By opening doors and building bridges across communities, we help increase understanding about the need for a fairer and more just asylum system and for a more welcoming reception for people seeking refugee protection in Scotland.
Refugee Festival raises the profile of refugee issues and helps people to understand why refugees flee their homes and seek safety in Scotland and other countries. It challenges negative perceptions and attitudes and provides a platform for refugee voices to be heard – on the stage, in arts venues, communities, and the media.
Festival Volunteers assist us by representing Scottish Refugee Council at events; carrying out evaluation and interviews with participants; providing feedback to the Festival Team; supporting the delivery of events organised by the Festival team (one per volunteer); helping promote the festival and put together mail outs; and helping us document the festival through photography, social media and blogging.
What will I be doing?
Duties will involve:
- Helping with promotion activities in the run up to the Festival, such as poster mail outs
- Giving hands-on support at events organised by the Festival team (one per volunteer)
- Attending Refugee Festival Scotland events on behalf of Scottish Refugee Council
- Giving information to members of the public about Refugee Festival Scotland and Scottish Refugee Council
- Ensuring people complete the evaluation questionnaires
- Conducting interviews with attendees at Refugee Festival events
- Compiling information gathered in the evaluation forms and interviews
- Various administrative tasks associated with evaluation
What skills or qualities do I need?
- Excellent communication skills.
- An interest in arts and community events.
- Ability to work with a range of different people including asylum seekers and refugees.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Reliability, punctuality and enthusiasm.
What do I get out of it?
- The opportunity to welcome people, including asylum seekers and refugees, to the festival
- The opportunity to attend exciting events and be part of a dynamic team
- The chance to meet new people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences
- The opportunity to contribute new ideas to the development of Refugee Festival Scotland 2024
- Training in working with asylum seekers and refugees
- A Refugee Festival Scotland 2024 t-shirt!
How to Apply?
Deadline for applications: Thursday 18 April, 5pm.
Please note: we may close application process early if we reach the maximum number of applicants we can interview – please don’t delay applying to avoid disappointment!
Applications are online: Click here to complete the volunteer application form and choose an interview date (interviews will take place during the week beginning 22 April).
Want more information?
Email volunteering@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk or phone us at 0141 248 9799.
Want to find out more about Refugee Festival Scotland 2024?
For more information on Refugee Festival Scotland visit the festival website or contact festival@scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk / 0141 248 9799.