Newcastle NOW - Volunteering
Several of our ongoing projects are implemented through a group of dedicated volunteers.
Our volunteers are a highly valued support team. Not only do they perform a valuable service but they also have a lot of fun while they work. Many firm friendships have grown from this collaborative effort to help make our city better.
Our volunteers are currently involved in:
City Guides Program
The Newcastle City Guides are all volunteers, they have been providing a friendly and welcoming, roving information service, for visitors and residents in the Newcastle City Centre seven days a week since the program commenced in 2005. At present we have 15 dedicated City Guides, a number of which have been with us since its inception in 2005.
The services they have provided over that time have included:
- Information and assistance to locals, visitors and tourists regarding activities, services and events.
- Directions to streets, shops, buildings, transport and public services.
- Information about cultural, community, social and recreational events in Newcastle.
These services have been extremely well received, with both visitors and residents alike expressing nothing but praise for the men and women who make up our band of volunteers and the contribution that they make to the city centre.
In addition to this valuable role of providing information and directions, the guides program has evolved and developed.
- They maintain contacts with business operators and deliver our regular newsletter, which is designed to keep businesses informed and up to date.
- They have conducted surveys of businesses and public perceptions. The guides were instrumental in establishing a ‘clean & safe’ database. In this database they logged incidents of graffiti, vandalism, safety hazards and posters that they encountered as they went on their rounds each day. The information generated from this database was used to monitor efforts to cleanup the city.
- They have been involved in photographic studies, researching the history of important sites, and collecting date on the changes occurring in business profiles.
- They have recently completed a building vacancy study within the CBD.
Our City Guides take great pride in their volunteer work and it is hoped that they will continue this valuable service for many years to come.
We are always keen to expand our team so if you would like to get involved please contact us.
Volunteer at Nobbys Lighthouse
Newcastle NOW is currently calling for volunteers who can offer three hours of their time once a month so we can keep opening up the lighthouse to the public. With limited funding, we rely heavily on the goodwill and interest of the people of Newcastle who are willing and able to volunteer.
Anyone who is interested in volunteering should contact John Waring on 02 4925 3969 or john@newcastlenow.org.au.
Commercial Heritage Project
This project is underway to monitor the changes over time in some of the city’s key commercial sites.
Photo & Observational Surveys
Focusing on business developments, graffiti, vandalism and the like through Newcastle CBD.
WORKING PARTIES
From time to time our working parties like to call on specialist knowledge on a project-by-project basis to help in the planning of initiatives.
The specialist knowledge we seek often includes web based strategies, fund-raising, technical knowledge around street cleaning, graffiti removal, engineering, design, marketing and media, historical research, statistics and business planning. If you feel you could occasionally help out on a working party we’d be glad to hear from you.
If you have an interest in joining our enthusiastic band of volunteers contact us.