Volunteers are considered a vital part of a public event. And for the multi-day, multi-venue, and multi-disciplinary extravaganza in the form of the annual Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) where a massive and diverse crowd turns out; the happy-to-help brigade functions as an integral part of the organisation.
Hence, Serendipity Arts Foundation under the patronage of founder Sunil Kant Munjal, puts in a lot of attention on screening thousands of applications from aspiring volunteers from all over the country and picks the best hundreds depending on their skill-sets and past record suited to fit the roles at the respective disciplines of SAF, which caters broadly to six segments- Music, Dance, Theatre, Visual Arts, Culinary Arts and Craft.
With most of the programmes being free of cost for the members of the public, while some are only ticketed due to a limited seating capacity, from this year at a nominal pre-booking price of Rs 99; lakhs of people of varied nationalities, cultural backgrounds and intellectual levels visiting the festival, pose a huge challenge and test the skills of the volunteers.
As such, the volunteers training via an ‘Orientation Programme’ designed by some of the best trainers in Goa; dealt with the aspects like the Code of Conduct, effective Communication Skills, Inclusivity, Creativity & Team work, Organisation & its Policies, and Prevention of Sexual Harassment at workplace.
The Volunteers Orientation Programme was held over two days at Dempo College, Cujira-Bambolim.
Serendipity Arts:
Serendipity Arts is an arts and cultural development foundation created to encourage and support the arts as a significant contributor to civil society. It aims to promote new creative strategies, artistic interventions, and cultural partnerships that are responsive and seek to address the social, cultural, and environmental milieu of South Asia. Committed to innovation, SA intends to promote and create platforms for creativity, providing the wider public with a unique source of contemporary art and culture. SA programmes are designed and initiated through collaborations with partners across a multitude of fields, and each intervention uses the arts to impact education, create social initiatives, foster community development, and explore multi-disciplinarity forays in the arts, with a special focus on South Asia.
Serendipity Arts Festival:
The Foundation’s primary initiative and largest project, Serendipity Arts Festival is a multi-disciplinary arts event held annually every December in Goa. Curated by a panel of eminent artists and institutional figures, the Festival is a long-term cultural project that hopes to instigate positive change across the arts in India on a large scale. Spanning the visual, performing and culinary arts, the Festival’s programming includes music, dance, visual arts, craft, photography, film, and theatre. The Festival addresses pressing social issues such as arts education and pedagogy, cultural patronage, interdisciplinary discourse, and access to the arts. Serendipity Arts Festival’s intensive programme of exhibitions and performances is energised by spaces for social and educational engagement. The sixth edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival will take place in Goa from 15-23 December 2023.
