Community Expert Volunteer
Edmonton is a city of makers, doers, thinkers and learners. At the Edmonton Public Library, we’re committed to lifelong learning and want to invite you to share your skills, talents and passions with your community and our Community Expert Volunteer role.
As a Community Expert, you’ll design and host your own free, specialized skill-building workshop, for adults, at the library to help other community members build their skills and increase their knowledge in your area of expertise.
Whether you’re a tech wizard who wants to share your love of all things digital with fellow library lovers or you’re an urban farmer who wants to buzzzzzz your way into the hearts of EPL—we’re looking to hear from you!
The purpose of this program is to provide a safe, friendly environment for Edmontonians to build skills; to provide a forum for Edmontonians to share their passions, in-depth knowledge and skills in a variety of topics; and to encourage life-long learning and growth in our communities. Programs should be geared towards adults or older teens.
Volunteer Opportunities
Thank you for your interest in volunteering with EPL. There are no volunteer opportunities for this role at this time.
We hope you will visit this again page at a later date!
Volunteer Responsibilities
- Design and plan a community workshop or series of workshops with a hands-on or demonstration component by consulting with an EPL staff member.
- Deliver/host the approved workshop(s) at the established date/time(s).
Volunteer Skills & Qualifications
Required
- Demonstrated specialized and advanced knowledge and experience in the subject area.
- Demonstrated enthusiasm for sharing their knowledge and skills.
- Collaborative and creative problem solver.
- Strong communication skills.
- Must be 16 years of age or older.
Preferred
- Related education and/or professional qualifications is preferred.
- Experience with instruction is an asset.
Digital Topics of Expertise:
- Music recording, editing, and digital audio workstation software (Ableton Live, Logic ProX, FL Studio)
- 3D modelling and animation (Blender, Unreal, Adobe After Effects, Anime Studio Pro)
- Video production and editing (Adobe Premier, Final Cut Pro)
- Programming languages and markup (ex. Python, Javascript, HTML/CSS, Ruby, C/C++)
- Multimedia/digital arts
- Podcasting
DIY Topics of Expertise:
- Food connoisseur (fermentation, cheese making, pickling, kombucha making, beer making, jellies/jams, butchering )
- Urban farmer (bee-keeping, vegetable/herb growing, backyard chickens, eco-living, etc.)
- Urban living (how to change a car tire, bicycle maintenance, etc.)
- Textiles, fibre arts, and fashion (knitting, sewing, embroidery, weaving, repair and alterations, rug punching, etc.)
- Fine arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, creative writing, theatre, etc.)
Please note: EPL partners with organizations to deliver classes on a variety of topics and do not need community experts in these areas. For example; financial literacy, mental health, baking.
Volunteer Commitment
Time Commitment
- Minimum one session, plus preparation time, including session development.
Volunteer Benefits
- Build networks by participating in and helping to expand the interests of Edmontonians.
- Share skills with other members of their communities in a unique venue, providing new avenues and opportunities for learning and development and new outlets for creative expression.
- Gain references from a reputable organization.
- Meet individuals with similar or shared interests, including customers, staff and other volunteers.
