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Volunteers: Frequently Asked Questions
Volunteers at the Clean Water Festival provide an invaluable service by acting as Class Guides, Troubleshooters, Co-presenters, Co-exhibitors, Runners and Overall helpers.
Q : I have never been to the Clean Water Festival. What can I expect as a volunteer?
Lots of fun, and you may even pick up a few bits of water knowledge you didn't have before the Festival!
Whether you are a Class Guide or volunteering in some other capacity at the Festival, you will have a blast! You will see kids from more than 35 different classrooms during the course of the day and every one of them will be having a good time.
The majority of our volunteers who are not directly associated with a presentation or exhibit are paired with a class for the day and act as Class Guides. The Class Guide receives the class's schedule during pre-Festival orientation, and has a plan for moving the class from one activity to the next as easily and quickly as possible.
Each class will have a lunch period scheduled. At that time, the Class Guide is encouraged to either eat with his or her class or relax for a bit.
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Q : How can I direct people around PCC-Sylvania when I don't know my way around the campus?
Volunteer and campus orientation is provided before the Festival. Normally two training sessions are scheduled that are geared specifically for volunteer orientation. One will be held during the early evening and one will be held during the afternoon on the week of the festival. During these 1-2 hour sessions, volunteers are given their class schedules and are walked through the campus as a group, identifying routes between buildings and rooms, taking note of the choices of exits and entrances to cut down on congestion and confusion while a class is moving through its schedule of activities. The orientation also provides information about where to check-in at the Festival.
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Q : If I am a Class Guide, am I responsible for controlling my class's behavior?
Your responsibility lies in getting the class to each of its assigned activities on time and together. Student behavioral issues are very rarely an issue AND are the responsibility of the teacher bringing the class to the event. Teachers are required to bring one chaperone per 10 students. Those adults should also take responsibility for the behavior of the students. Class Guides should never be left alone with a class without a parent chaperone or teacher.
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Q : As a Class Guide, do I need to stay with my assigned class throughout the day?
In short, yes. Staying with your class helps the students recognize you as their guide and feel confident following you around campus. There may be an occasion, however, after you have deposited your assigned class into a presentation, that you take a moment to find a room you may be unsure about locating, or take a break. The really important thing this that you are back to your class 10 minutes prior to the end of their activity and stay with them the majority of the time they are at the Festival.
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Q : What if I am an activity helper? How do I know which activity I will be helping with?
On occasion, activity presenters and exhibitors request an assistant to help with their activities. Once we have volunteers assigned to the most urgent jobs (class guides, registration area, trouble shooters, and a select number of Exhibit Hall activities), if we have additional volunteers signed up, we will ask volunteers to assist a classroom activity presenter. The Volunteer Coordinator will give you this assignment, based on the greatest needs of the presenters.
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Q : As a classroom activity helper, how will I know what to do?
Classroom activity presenters have been very good at preparing assistants the morning of the Festival. The assistance they need may involve re-setting activity supplies between classes, welcoming students in the door and directing them where to sit, helping with activity stations, or other such activities. We will make all attempts to put you in touch with your Activity Presenter in advance time to learn what will be entailed in your work with them.
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Who do I contact if I have more questions?
Please contact Terrence Conlon, US Geological Survey, tdconlon@usgs.gov
or Lisa Peters, Volunteer Coordinator at the Portland Water Bureau, lisa.peters@ci.portland.or.us.
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