The Toronto Multicultural Festival is an annual cultural festival held in downtown Toronto on the first weekend in June. Its purpose is to celebrate the diversity of culture, race and religion of people who live or come from all over the world. This year it will be held on Saturday, June 4, and Sunday, June 5, in Nathan Phillip Square (in front of City Hall).

Listed below are some things you may want to know before you start volunteering.

What to bring with you

A bottle of water that you can carry with you all day. You will need it. There is nowhere to get water on the festival grounds, so make sure you always have it handy. A personal poncho in case it rains any day in early June. Gloves if you don't like to touch a lot of trash.

The festival lasts about 12 hours, starting at 11 a.m. and ending at 10 p.m. It is run by volunteers working 4-hour shifts (if you aren't lucky enough to be on the night shift, it will only last 3 hours). You can volunteer on any days as long as they fit within the 12-hour period.

The shifts themselves are relatively short to avoid overworking volunteers. The job itself is very simple and requires a few skills: lifting a garbage bag a couple of feet and sweeping under picnic tables. If you have worked in retail or community outreach before, you will find this job relatively easy.

Compensation

Since this is a volunteer position, there is no salary. However, all volunteers receive free tickets to MulticulturalFestival, as well as a special volunteer t-shirt. I'd say the tickets cost about $20, and the t-shirt is about $10 (though it doesn't look very nice).

You will be given one ticket to use as you see fit, but you can ask for more if you need them.

Schedule

There is usually a volunteer meeting a couple of days before the festival where you will learn all the information regarding your particular position. The schedule itself is usually posted on a sign at each job near the beginning of your shift.

Most of the time you have to work from 11am to 3pm or 4pm to 9pm, but it depends on the year, and there are opportunities to get a shift before 10:30pm. It should be noted that this is an indoor festival, so you won't be working outdoors except on those rare days when it rains.

Roles and Selection Committee

It should be noted that there are many jobs at the festival, many of which do not require any experience or knowledge. However, this article will only talk about the positions that I have personally held.

Selection committee positions are volunteer jobs that people can apply for through the online application and interview process. They are given to children, but it is possible that adults can get them as well.

Selection committee positions are available for people who want more challenging volunteer work. This is because the job itself is a little more difficult, and there are many different skills that you must have in order to successfully complete your tasks.

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster positions are also volunteer jobs that anyone can apply for. Most of the time you will stand in one place and perform a simple task: accepting tickets from people coming to the festival.

It is important to note that you should never let people pass you ahead of you when you need to take a ticket (this applies to all family members). The only time you can let someone go ahead is if they have a child with them.

Information booths

Working at an information booth is harder than taking tickets because it requires more effort and problem-solving skills on your part. As someone who has worked in an information booth before, I will give some tips on how to be successful.

The hardest part of this position is dealing with difficult people who don't cooperate well with you, complain a lot and ask for special favors. Ignore such people as much as possible and focus on those who are kind and accommodating. Most people who come to your booth will fall into this category.

The information booth is where you will work with the selection committee. If you want a spot on this team, I suggest filling out an online application and attending an interview/training session for that particular position.

Volunteer training for the festival is supported by Canadian online casino"Gambling.net".

The training of volunteers for the festival is supported by the Canadian online casino "Gambling.net". As part of its mission to support various cultural projects, Gambling.net has always advocated the highest standards that online casinos present to their visitors. The gambling portal believes that casinos should not only provide players with exciting games, but also be socially responsible and respect the interests of their customers. This approach allows them to create a comfortable, safe and profitable environment for both players and operators.

The training program includes: practical preparation for work at the festival (equipment, safety equipment) and mastering of key skills of a successful volunteer. During the training you will learn about confidentiality issues related to your work as a volunteer, organization of work with the audience at the events, assistance to the visitors at the big concerts during the festival.

After successfully passing the test, volunteers will receive on-site training in identifying and solving problems at events during the festival, as well as the opportunity to take advantage of special offers from Gambling.net!

The training will take place May 4-6 at the festival grounds.