Making art, making friends, making memories: All in a festival volunteer’s day!
Yeliz is an artist herself so it only made sense to get involved with volunteering for the Galway International Arts Festival. She keeps coming back because of the sense of organisation and community within the volunteers. She’s met friends, like Sinead, which continues the festival spirit all year long.
Volunteering with GIAF is diverse and asks a variety of things of the volunteers, meaning it’s never boring. Yeliz has taken tickets, ushered patrons, managed queues, and acted as a Green Ambassador, promoting sustainable habits at the festival. One of the most unique opportunities was dancing with the silent disco walking tour through the streets of Galway!
One of her favourite memories of volunteering with GIAF is getting to meet the legendary playwright Marina Carr. She signed Yeliz’s programme and Yeliz says “I was trying not to fangirl so hard. She is one of my favourite playwrights.”
Yeliz loves volunteering because it gives her a chance to meet new people and finds a deep satisfaction in being involved in the arts. She likes giving back to society…and of course free gigs!
This National Volunteering Week, we’re celebrating the connections and relationships that are built and nurtured by volunteering. We’re building community together.
Thank you to Yeliz for sharing her story. Please email [email protected] if you’d like to share yours!
