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Volunteer Program |
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The Japan Foundation Volunteer Program is open to committed individuals who have an interest in Japanese culture and cultural exchange (between Australia and Japan) and who wish to gain experience working in a unique cross-cultural environment. Knowledge of Japanese is not necessary, however will be beneficial.
Conversational English is a basic requirement for most volunteer tasks and you must be over 18 or older.
Volunteer work with our organisation is basic and where necessary instruction will be given.
Daytime volunteer tasks include:
- working at the reception desk of our gallery and library
- basic office tasks such as assisting with mail outs, promotions and data entry
- setting up venues such as our multipurpose room and gallery, for film shows, concerts and other events
- experienced individuals may also assist with the hanging of exhibits
Evening volunteer work includes:
- hospitality work at exhibition openings, concerts and events (once a month on average)
- Fortnightly film screening assistance (Wednesday of every second week)
Weekend volunteer work includes:
- working at the reception desk of our gallery or library (occasional Saturdays)
- event assistance (some Saturdays during the year)
If you are interested in joining our volunteer program, please fill in our online form. When we require volunteers, you will be contacted by email.
For further information about our organisation and its activities please see About Us.
Please direct enquiries about this program to the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@jpf.org.au. |
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 Volunteers, with their selfless commitment, are the backbone of our company.
We would like to recognise the efforts of particularly conscientious Volunteers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide excellent services to our gallery visitors, and or who have applied themselves in ways which have truly assisted the Japan foundation in realising the goals we set out to achieve through our programs
JANUARY
This month we were so lucky to have such a great network of film festival volunteers who all worked together to help us provide what was easily the largest and most successful Japanese Film Festival ever in Australia. Each of them deserve individual acknowledgement and praise, however, we can only choose one for our Volunteer of the month...
Misato Nishimura knows more about the film festival than most people and is a veteran volunteer, having helped us in both 2010 and 2011. This year Misato helped us in a number of promotional tasks pre-festival such as starring in our MX photo shoot, taking charge in the Yukata promotional week as well as doing some incredibly accurate and delicate framing and layout design for the Film Flyer Exhibition. In addition, Misato was a pillar of support during the actual festival, leading by example for new volunteers and bringing a great deal of life and energy to the festival in general.
Thank you Misato for all your help this year. It was a great pleasure to be able to work with you again.
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DECEMBER
It is becoming harder and harder each month to come up with a volunteer of the month.
This month we'd like to acknowledge Richard Luan who is a new member of our volunteer team but in such a short time has made such a wonderful contribution to many of our events. At our gallery he used his creative flair to assist in the setting up of our 'Art Speaks Japanese Comes Alive' exhibition as well as being a responsible and efficient member to pack down. Richard has also been the first one to put his hand up to get involved with our promotional activities for this year's 15th Japanese Film Festival. He wore a yukata and walked the streets with us handing out programs and even featured in Sydney's MX newspaper, posing with his samurai sword!
Richard, thank you for your amazing support. We really appreciate all that you have done and continue to bring to our events. |
NOVEMBER
It is becoming harder and harder each month to come up with a volunteer of the month. So many volunteers are helping out during our events and with such enthusiasm. Despite this fact, there is one person who undisputedly deserves special recognition for the effort and energy they have brought to the Japan Foundation.
Utsana Kotajima came to the Japan Foundation gallery in August to help out as a gallery assistant for the Japanese Design Today 100 exhibition and ever since, she has been helping across all departments of the Japan Foundation and doing an amazing job every time. Utsana impressed us even more by showing great creative initiative during the gallery layout design and installation of the Art Speaks Japanese exhibition which is on at the moment. We are especially grateful for her assistance and creative input during the Japanese film festival.
Utsana, Thank you for your wonderful support. It is an absolute delight to work with you. |
OCTOBER
This month, we would like to acknowledge Rowan Nas for his assistance in the recent Japanese Design Today 100 Exhibition. Being a Design student himself and also having some experience working in other galleries, Rowan was able to bring to the gallery a great deal of knowledge and enthusiasm for which we are very grateful.
Thank you Rowan for your professionalism, consistency and courtesy. Your contribution over the past year is greatly appreciated. |
SEPTEMBER
This month, it has been very difficult to decide on the volunteer of the month because there have been so many great people involved with our current Design Exhibition. In fact this month we would like to acknowledge two volunteers both individually for their long term ongoing support as well as for their great teamwork on Fridays: Patricia Ollerenshaw and Sharon Lam.
Patricia brings to the Japan Foundation a great deal of experience having been an integral part of the organisation of the Paralympic Games’ Australian team for many years and we are very lucky to have her with us. Sharon also brings a lot of experience to the gallery and has been such a great help over the past 12 months, not only by assisting guests, but also by being lightning fast with all the tasks she takes on. We think she must have the ability to control time. As a team, Patricia and Sharon make the gallery a great place to socialise and learn about Japan.
Thank you Patricia and Sharon for bringing something special to the Japan Foundation. |
AUGUST
It is our pleasure to announce our July Volunteer of distinction: Ryan Taylor, who was with us during both Kingdom of Characters and the World Heritage photography exhibition. Ryan has shown great interest and enthusiasm towards our exhibitions and was always a welcoming face to visitors. He was informative to guests, consistent with his shifts and took initative with all tasks. Ryan has been a wonderful asset to the program. Thank you for your support, Ryan. Thanking you!! |
JULY
This month we are starting a program to recognise the efforts of particularly conscientious Volunteers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide excellent services to our gallery visitors, or who have applied themselves in ways which have truly assisted the Japan Foundation in realising the goals we set out to achieve through our programs.
It is our pleasure to announce our first Volunteer of distinction: Alice Byron, who joined our volunteer team during our Kingdom of Characters exhibition after returning from work in Japan. Alice has been extremely supportive of our recent gallery exhibitions and is constantly using her initiative to improve the overall experience for our gallery visitors. Thank you for your support, Alice. |
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I had a very good time as a volunteer and also enjoyed watching some of the movies.
I would like to nominate some Japanese movies for next year and would love to volunteer again!
Takashi |
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I actually have very fond memories of volunteering at the festival. It seemed like everyone was excited about being there, so I connected with people quickly, not just with the volunteers but also the organizers. There was great a mix of cultural backgrounds and nationalities, and we all shared a common interest in Japanese culture and global cinema. After we finished work, the volunteers were usually allowed to watch a film together, and a thank-you party was thrown at the end of the festival for the volunteers. It was lovely!
Ben |
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