Sept 2014
Portals to the WorldVolunteer
at the FitzwilliamMuseum
Why the Fitzwilliam Museum needs this role
The Fitzwilliam Museum Education team is delighted to be running another Portals to the World course this Autumn. Portals is an art appreciation course designed specifically for people with a dementia and their care partners. The aim of the course is to maximise on the known value of the art aesthetic and social engagement in order to provide an enjoyable cultural experience for people with dementia and their carers.
It is a nine week course in partnership with dementiaCOMPASS dementiacompass.com. Eachweek, participants gather in one of the galleries for a short talk by a museum staff member, followed by a handling session or a practical art activity.
We are looking for committed volunteers to support this nine week cultural journey. Portals volunteers need to be empathetic to the needs of both people with dementia and their carers and willing to support the project in a range of ways.
Volunteer tasks
- To work with the Portals team to provide a warm welcome to participants and to undertake welcome activities as directed, to include: helping with seating, distributing badges, assisting with orientation etc.
- To have a clear understanding of the sessions’ planned activities so that this can be shared with participants if necessary, using a person centred approach to communicate plans.
- To empathetically support the participants walk through the museum to the chosen gallery space, seeking guidance from the Portals team where necessary.
- To work with participants to support their undertaking of the associated arts activity or handling session (training given).
- To offer appropriate and respectful responses to the achievements of all participants.
- To take part in a simple evaluation at the end of each event.
- To attend and contribute to planning or training meetings as requested.
- To carry out tasks as directed by Fitzwilliam Education staff and to refer to Museum staff in situations of conflict or uncertainty.
- Other tasks as directed by the Portals team.
What you will gain from this role
- Training in working with people with dementia and their care partners
- Gaining skills to enhance engagement with people with dementia and their care partners
- Joining an enthusiastic and experienced team
- Meeting new people within your local community
- Satisfaction of giving back
- Gaining cultural experience within a supportive environment
- Listening to specialist curatorial talks
- Undertaking hands on creative activities
Skills required
Volunteers from all backgrounds are welcome, especially those who have an interest in or experience of supporting people with dementia and their carers. Critically volunteers must be empathetic to the needs of people with dementia and their care partners and must be willing to understand and embrace a person-centred approach to engagement. A passion for the arts would be advantageous but it is not essential to have art-historical or practical art experience. Excellent interpersonal and verbal communication skills are required, and punctuality and reliability are essential. As we are trying to create a peer-to-peer working environment, expressions of interest from those aged 60 or above are particularly welcome. However, if you have key experience of being with people with dementia and are younger than 60 we would be pleased to discuss the role with you.
Potential time commitment
Portals volunteers will need to attend an introduction session before being selected to participate. Once selected, you would need to commit to a training session and to eight of the nine course meetings. It is important that volunteers attend these sessions in order to build trust and relationships over time.
The training session is scheduled for 1.45-3.45pm Tuesday 30 September and has been designed to ensure that volunteers have an understanding of the person-centred approach necessary for this work.
The Portalscourses will run for nine weeks on Tuesday afternoons 7 October – 2 December from 1.15 - 4.45pm.
Location: The Fitzwilliam Museum, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
Responsible to: Outreach and Access Officer
Training and Support
The Fitzwilliam Museum will aim to provide sufficient information and training for those selected to perform the volunteer rolethrough a Training Day from 1.45-3.45pm Tuesday 30 September 2014 and at other times as deemed necessary. There will also be an opportunity for reflection and sharing learning following every session.
Health and safety responsibilities
Please note: Due to the nature of the Portals project, selected volunteers will need to complete a police check and a DBS (formerly CRB) check. In addition, you will be responsible for your own health and safety and that of others with whom you volunteer, by reporting all potential and actual health and safety matters including accidents using the correct procedures.
To Apply
Please download and complete an Expression of Interest form and send it to or Opening Doors Project Coordinator, University of Cambridge Museums, c/o The Fitzwilliam Museum, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB. For a downloadable copy of the role description, click here.
About the Fitzwilliam Museum
The Fitzwilliam Museum houses world-class collections of works of art and antiquities spanning centuries and civilisations. Highlights include masterpieces of painting from the Fourteenth century to the present day, drawings and prints, sculpture, furniture, armour, pottery and glass, oriental art, illuminated manuscripts, coins and medals and antiquities from Egypt, the Ancient Near East, Greece, Rome and Cyprus. Find out more at
About the University of Cambridge Museums
University of Cambridge Museums is a consortium of the eight University Museums, which works in partnership with the Cambridge University Botanic Garden and other Cambridge University collections. They include: Fitzwilliam Museum, Kettle's Yard, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Museum of Zoology, Museum of Classical Archaeology, Whipple Museum of the History of Science, The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences and The Polar Museum. The University's collections are a world-class resource for researchers, students and members of the public representing the country’s highest concentration of internationally important collections, all within walking distance of the City Centre.