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Posts Tagged "volunteering"

Zimfest Updates

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News — No Comments ↓

Greetings all,

Some Zimfest updates now that we are starting to work on the 2025 festival:

  • Good news! We have been able to secure ample space for Zimfest campers at the Kittitas Valley Event Center (Ellensburg Rodeo grounds!), within walking distance of our 2025 festival site at Central Washington University. These inexpensive dry camping (tents only) sites will help ease the need for housing given the low-ish number of campus dorm rooms allocated to us by CWU. Campers will be able to register and pre-pay for space through Zimfest registration, scheduled to open in early May.
  • We have updated the Virtual Marketplace on our website in time for the holiday shopping season. Support our Zimbabwean vendors! If you are an online vendor for Zimbabwean goods and want to be listed, please contact us at marketplace [at]zimfest[dot]org.
  • Plea for Volunteers for the Organizing Committee (OC): As you know, Zimfest depends on volunteer help. One of the most important volunteers is the person(s) who recruits and manages all those who donate their time:
    • Volunteer Coordinator(s)!  We are badly in need of someone (or ones) to step up and replace our wonderful VC from the past three years. No experience necessary, just some willingness to work and people skills!
    • Concert Production: I have only recently heard that our very efficient and experienced Concert Producers will not be available for set-up tasks before the festival this year.
    • These are both big gaps in the OC. Please write claire[at]zimfest[dot]org for more information and/or to raise your hand!

Enjoy the holiday season,

Claire J.
Zimfest Coordinator

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Call for ZA Volunteers

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfest community!
Despite our long silence, members of the Zimfest Association Board want you to know we are busy making plans for the next couple of years and working on various projects. We need your help, even (especially!) if we will not be producing an in-person festival in 2024.  Can you:

  • Edit Zimfest video and audio recordings and post to social media?
  • Research funding sources and/or write grant applications on behalf of ZA?
  • Help out with the Zimfest website?

Check out the Why and How to Volunteer webpage for a list of needed and hoped-for volunteer tasks. Fill out the Volunteer Contact form on the bottom of the page to indicate your skills, interest and availability.

Heads-up!
The Support Zimfest page has been updated with new ways to support ZA, including online shopping with goodshop.com and igive.com.

We are working on updating the Virtual Marketplace in time for the holiday shopping season. If you know of anyone selling Zimbabwean crafts who might like to listed on this page, please let us know at marketplace{at}zimfest{dot}org.

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend!
Claire Jones and the Zimfest Board

 

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Zimfest Registration Notes

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfesters,

The OC worked hard to get Zimfest Registration open at midnight May 1 as advertised! Those of us up late saw many new members registering for their preferred rooms and workshops. We have a few additional pointers for you:

  • Once you have registered as directed and received your invoice/verification, you will notice it lists all concert prices whether or not you purchased concert tickets. Not to worry, it doesn’t mean you have been charged for tickets you didn’t buy, it is just a quirk of the registration system.
  • If you have registered and would like to change or add to it,  you will need to go to the Registration Manager and claim your account. See detailed instructions under Making Changes to Your Registration on the How to Register page. Be forewarned that there will be short wait times after logging in and after selecting a registrant to view or to edit.
  • We have now published the concert schedule as it currently exists, to help you plan your days between workshops and hanging out at the Outdoor Stage and Marketplace area.
  • And don’t forget to sign up for volunteer shifts once you know your schedule! Volunteers make Zimfest go!

Happy May Day,
Zimfest Coordinator Claire

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Zimfest Volunteers – We Need You

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Posted on behalf of Ev Keller, Volunteers Coordinator:

Zimfest is: 
 
Z-imbabwean culture and music learning/listening opportunities
I-n a welcoming and supportive setting
M-aking meaningful and memorable moments
F-un for families, friends, fellow music lovers
E-veryone volunteers!! 
S-haring the good vibes
T-ogether crossing borders and taking flight in the experience
 
Please, take a moment to check out the (many) volunteer opportunities where you can lend a hand to help make light work for all. The sign-up link is here. We need YOU to make this a successful festival. Thank you for joining us – we appreciate you! ~Ev

And some alerts from Webmaster Larry Israel:

  • The Zimfest Ride Board has now been published – set up your ride sharing to and from the festival
  • Explore the evening and afternoon concert schedules for recent changes
  • And Festival Updates for workshop changes and additions

Till next time,
Zimfest 2022 OC

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Zimfest 2021 Updates – Workshop Registration is Open

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest community,

Zimfest 2021 is less than two weeks away, taking place from July 30 to August 1. The Organizing Committee has been hard at work and has the following updates for you:

  • The Festival Schedule gives an outline of activities for the weekend. Detailed lineups will be posted soon.
  • See Festival Overview for an introduction to the amazing performers and presenters who will be joining us online on Facebook Live.
  • Live Participatory Workshops will take place on Zoom; registrations are required and donations requested. Workshop descriptions, teacher biographies and a link to the registrations are here. 
  • The 2021 Virtual Marketplace is now open, featuring vendors and importers selling instruments and wares made by Zimbabweans.
  • Emcees needed: why not get a buddy to hold a viewing party with you, enjoy the show for a 2 to 3 hour block of time, and get paid to engage with the music together! Write to volunteers{at}zimfest{dot}org for info. 

Zimfest mourns the loss of Gwenyambira Matemai Newton Cheza-Chozengwa, who passed away on Saturday. We extend our condolences to his family and friends, and all the mbira lovers whose hearts he touched. Enjoy the recording of Matemai singing with Rattletree Marimba at Zimfest 2009 on our homepage (lower left corner).

Zimfest Organizing Committee

Zimfest 2021: A Quilt of Local Events… Stitched Together

 

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Zimfest 2021 Village Meeting

Posted on by Alex Weeks Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,

Zimfest 2021 is now only 2 weeks away! (Friday July 30th – Sunday August 1st). Thanks to the work of this year’s Organizing Committee—headed by Claire Jones—a final schedule comprising three days of workshops, performances, and presentations will be posted in the coming days. Many performances will be by musicians in Zimbabwe who are new to Zimfest.

The last two years have required unprecedented changes to how Zimfest is structured and organized, and we hope that you will attend these sessions to learn from, and enjoy, some of the most talented teachers and performers of Zimbabwean music in the world.

In addition to attending the Festival, one of the most important ways you can support our community is by participating in the annual Village Meeting.

This year, it will be held virtually (by Zoom) from 3:15–4:15 PM PDT (08:15–09:15 UTC) on Sunday, August 1st. A Zoom link will be provided in a subsequent blog post and on the Zimfest Facebook page.

The Village Meeting serves as the required annual public Zimfest Association business meeting. It also provides an opportunity for us, the members of the Zimfest Association Board of Directors, and Organizing Committee, to hear from our community, and for you to voice your opinions about the Festival and how it is organized. This meeting is usually where the seeds of next year’s Festival are planted.

In particular, because we are planning for an in-person festival next year, your participation and ideas will be vital to putting on a safe and successful Zimfest 2022.

Finally, if you are interested in volunteering or learning more about volunteering, either as a member of the Organizing Committee, or Board, the Village Meeting is a great place to meet us and voice your support.

Looking forward to seeing you soon at Zimfest 2021!

Sincerely,

Alex Weeks
President, Zimfest Association Board of Directors

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Treasurer volunteer opportunity

Posted on by Alex Weeks Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,

With our current treasurer rotating off of the board, we are seeking community member(s) with relevant experience who would be able to volunteer in this extremely important capacity!

Currently, the duties of the treasurer include:

  • Attending monthly board meetings
  • Preparing the annual budget
  • Accounting/financial reporting
  • Tax filings
  • On-site money management at the festival
  • General financial oversight for the festival

As of right now, these duties are covered by a single board member, but we are open to dividing these roles among multiple people, not all of whom need to be board members; this may help to reduce the workload.

You would also have the support of our current treasurer, Chris Halaska, and other board members, as you transition into this role.

If you are interested, please reach out to .

Thank you,

Alex Weeks
Board President

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Volunteer Needed: Digital Media Curator

Posted on by Alex Weeks Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest community,

This year, as the Festival has transitioned to an online-only format, the value of digital media to our community has become more evident than ever. Zimfest has a large catalog of existing media, which we would love to make available to our community with proper curation. Additionally, we need to improve our processes for handing these media into the future.

To this end the Board and Zimfest Tech Committee are putting out a call for interested volunteers who can help us lead in this area.

These digitally-minded volunteers would lead Zimfest’s media presence (video, audio, image, etc.) by:

  • Cataloging Zimfest’s existing collection of digital assets
  • Working with the Board and Tech Committee to edit, curate, and make these assets available to the public
  • Establishing processes for collecting, organizing, editing, and presenting these assets into the future

Helping here is a terrific way to put your skills and interests to use for a great cause. We also welcome volunteers who may wish to shadow a lead Media Coordinator! On top of the incredible music, this an opportunity to learn more about digital rights and music licensing, so that artists receive credit for their creations.

If you’re interested or would like more information, please reach out to us at !

Thank you,
Alex Weeks
Zimfest Board President

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Zimfest Online News

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest community,
As disappointed as we are not to be able to physically gather this summer, the Zimfest Board and OC want you to know we are working on ways to virtually engage with you all.

  • Go to the Kutandara (Boulder, CO) website to learn about their many online activities. Randy and Amy have instituted the #KutandaraPlaysMarimba project offering free song-of-the-month marimba lessons on YouTube to get everyone playing “together.”
  • The Zimfest Organizing Committee will be offering the Cultural Presentations that the festival is known for on an online basis. Stay tuned!
  • Calling for a Digital Media Curator for Zimfest. We have a need for a digitally-minded volunteer to help us out as we work on putting more music and media online. This individual(s) would lead the way for Zimfest in the sourcing, collection, adjustment, inventory, and presentation of media types including audio, video, and photos.
  • Our call for designs for Zimfest this year has resulted in an updated logo – see below! Thanks to Penny Martindale for her creative eye!

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Ride Board and Registration Clarification

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Howdy,

Want to get to know a Zimbabwean teacher or performer better? Give them a ride to or from Zimfest!

* We have Zimbabwean teachers and performers coming from all directions this year. Some will arrive directly from Zimbabwe and some are visiting communities elsewhere in the US before the festival. Some are experienced US travelers and some are first-time visitors. Given the variety of schedules and arrival points, it’s quite a logistical challenge to get all our Zim guests to Monmouth for the festival and to get them off to their next destination after the festival. As with so many aspects of Zimfest, we depend on festival goers to help by giving rides to teachers and performers on their way to and from Monmouth. The Ride Board on the website is the place to make connections between drivers and riders. You can post an offer or request a ride yourself, by entering some basic info on time and place plus a contact email or phone number.
 – Mark Keller, Zimbabwean Guest Coordinator

* Also, a clari-fication from the Festival Coordinator: Housing and dining registrations are now closed, and the last day to register for workshops and sign up for volunteer shifts is July 31. These systems will close at midnight that day and no registration can take place until August 8 onsite.
 – Claire Jones, Festival Coordinator

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Request for Volunteers

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival Details

Hey Zimsters,

With less than a month before we all converge on the shady, accommodating campus of WOU, it’s time to think about packing yer dancing shoes, sharing rides, maybe adding another workshop, and VOLUNTEERING! There are plenty of opportunities to share your special gift of time (and a little muscle!). So please go to the Volunteer Sign-up https://zimfest.org/volunteer/signup/ and find some shifts to plug into. With your help, this is how Zimfest rolls!
–Heron Stombock, Volunteer Coordinator, Zimfest 2019

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Call for Zimfest Tech Volunteers

Posted on by Alex Weeks Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,
I’m here to pass on a request from Nora Holmquist, head of the Zimfest tech committee, who has been working hard over the last few years to improve the technical infrastructure of the festival:

Volunteers wanted: do you have technical skills? A bit of time? The Zimfest Tech Committee is looking for help in the following areas: a) spreadsheet formula scripting to help us streamline the workshop scheduling process b) website graphic design to help us re-envision the website c) google doc scripting to generate workshop acceptance letters d) data mashup and reporting.

Please contact za-tech [at] zimfest {dot} org if you can help in any of these areas.

– Nora Holmquist
Zimfest 2019 Workshop Coordinator & Tech Team Lead

—
Alex Weeks
Zimfest Board President

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