An Afternoon at the Museum: Chat, Craft and Play Volunteer (MERL)
An Afternoon at the Museum: Chat, Craft and Play Volunteer
Location: The MERL on the third Tuesday of the month
Why we want you:
‘An Afternoon at the Museum: Chat, Craft and Play forms part of The MERL’s health and wellbeing programme. It is an informal, free, drop-in opportunity for adults to visit the museum, have a cup of tea, a chat and reminisce over collections, alongside other opportunities such as board games and craft.
All activities are optional, and the real aim is for attendees to be comfortable, feel valued, connect with others and the museum.
We collect feedback to discover what might tempt attendees back, what themes of reminiscence might appeal to them in the future, and to learn how the experience has impacted on their health and wellbeing. It is also a great chance to signpost other activities which might be of interest in our current What’s On guide.
You can find out more about the impact of The MERL’s health and wellbeing programmes, including Chat, Craft and Play here in this blog
What you will be doing:
- help with set up or take down of the activity including setting out activities
- welcome attendees and be a smiley face
- raise awareness of opportunities at The MERL and at our partner Reading Museum
- celebrate the opportunities at both museums
- check attendees are ok and help them with refreshments
- support the activities taking place
- use our collections as a starting point to conversation
This role will suit you if you are able to:
- Provide a confident, warm, and friendly welcome
- Take an interest in the lives, stories and wellbeing of others, with a compassionate and caring nature
- Become familiar with basic information about the museums
- Talk to visitors and gather their feedback
What you will gain in return:
- Develop your knowledge and understanding of health and wellbeing programmes at the museum
- Develop your people skills
- Develop your teamwork skills
- Have a really fun time meeting people!
How much time will it take up?
You will form part of a small team who help with this activity on the third Tuesday of the month from 1.45 – 4.00pm, in all likelihood throughout 2023.
There is no minimum expectation of the amount of time, but many of our attendees are repeat visitors so if you are able to commit to attending monthly, if you are able, that can really add value and bring satisfaction to your volunteering
Who does the role report to?
Phillippa Heath, The MERL’s Learning and Engagement Manager
To apply
New prospective volunteers - If you are not already registered to volunteer with Museums Partnership Reading, please register on our volunteering platform, ensuring you tick the box next to Afternoon at The MERL - Chat, Craft and Play Engagement Volunteer (MERL) in your ‘Interests’ by 9am on 16th June 2023.
Existing volunteers - If you are already registered to volunteer with Museums Partnership Reading, please log in to the volunteering platform, click on My Profile, select the ‘Interests’ section, and ensure you tick the box next to Afternoon at The MERL - Chat, Craft and Play Engagement Volunteer (MERL) in your ‘Interests’ by 9am on 16th June 2023.
Matching to the Role
To help us select our volunteers, we will look through all the application forms of those interested, and we will draw up a shortlist of those who most closely match our ideal requirements.
We will invite a limited number of prospective volunteers to observe a session and have an informal interview to discuss the role. You would be welcome to assist with an aspect of the session to give you an idea of what to expect from the role.