The New Iceland Heritage Museum in Gimli is inviting youth aged 16 and adults to become volunteer tour guides, help organize exhibits and work in the gift shop.
The New Iceland Heritage Museum in Gimli is looking for volunteers to lead tours and undertake other volunteer jobs. Full training is provided. Youth aged 16 and older can benefit from having volunteer experience on their resumés when they later apply for jobs or educational bursaries
There are a variety of volunteer positions available that come with a host of benefits, including job skills and work experience that youth can add to their resumés, the acquisition of local and provincial historical knowledge, and recognition that comes with a few perks such as lunch for a full day’s work.
NIHM executive director Julianna Roberts said with the school field-trip season quickly approaching, the museum would like to have a good number of volunteers as soon as possible to lead tours in Gimli.
“The school field trips include the museum and the Lake Winnipeg Visitor Centre, a walk around the hill [by the lake] and Viking Park. Guides will talk about New Iceland historic sites. They’ll also do activities with kids such as gathering rocks and creating runes in which the kids inscribe their names on the rocks,” said Roberts. “If it’s a full-day tour, we buy the tour guides lunch.”
In addition to schools, tours are also provide to international visitors and seniors groups.
The museum has roughly 50-60 volunteers doing specialized jobs at various times of the year, said Roberts. But it can always use more helping hands.
In the fall, for instance, the museum typically needs volunteers for its gift shop. Throughout the year, it places volunteers in artefact collections, on exhibits in which they’ll unpack, set up and take down displays, on paper deliveries and positions on committees and the museum’s board of directors.
Full training is provided to all volunteers.
Volunteers’ work doesn’t go unnoticed.
“We have an annual appreciation luncheon for our volunteers,” said Roberts. “This year’s event is on May 1. We buy our volunteers lunch and get them a little gift.”
For youth especially, volunteer work is an excellent way to pad their resumés when later applying for a paid job or when they apply for college or university bursaries, which often ask about volunteer experience, she added.
For more information about becoming a volunteer tour guide or other opportunities at the NIHM, call 204-642-4001 or email giftshop@nihm.ca.
Visit NIHM online at www.nihm.ca.
