The Art House has just 4 paid part-time staff, all of the rest of the crew are volunteers and even the paid staff volunteer lots of extra hours too. So when you come in, chances are the person serving you or cooking your lunch is doing it just for the love of it.
Our crew is a varied, great big rainbow of personalities, beliefs, backgrounds and lifestyles......
- Our oldest volunteer is nearly 80, the youngest is 15.
- We have teachers, scientists, students, writers, artists, marathon runners, solicitors, administrators, shop workers, cleaners, musicians, poets......
- Some are very extroverted and love to play host in the cafe, some prefer to join the kitchen crew a little out of the spotlight!
- We have Christians, Pagans, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindu, Agnostics, Atheists and Undecideds.
- Every political colour from red to green to blue is covered (which generates some interesting debates!).
- Some have families, some have pets including a tortoise, rabbits, budgies, giant African land snails, dogs (including one who is expecting puppies!), cats and of course a parrot.
- Of course we have men, women and transgender - some are hetero, some homo and some bisexual.
- Some are veggies, some are omnis and some are vegans.
- We come from all over the world including Belgium, Algeria, South Africa, Japan, USA...... and speak lots of languages including sign language. We also have a fair few born & bred Southamptonians.
- Some work full time and volunteer just once a month, some have more time to offer and come in once a week.
What our crew have in common is a real connection with what we are doing, a love of The Art House and a commitment to come in and help with the day-to-day running of our venue. This involves working in the cafe and kitchen where they learn new skills and enjoy plenty of time to socialise! We also have regular crew socials, outings and events so everyone can get to know each other.
Want to join this wonderful bunch of people? Volunteering can be a very rewarding experience, giving you the chance to meet new friends and be part of something really special.
If you are interested and want to find out more, please visit here.
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