"My mother has instilled the value of community service from an early age, yet Arabesque was my first volunteer experience in the arts. This remarkable festival has been a great experience not only aesthetically, but culturally as well. My mother and I just joined the Friends because we had such a wonderful experience. Shukran, Arabesque!"
- Nawal Ziyadeh, first generation Jordanian-American [daughter of Kwala Nimri, Jordan]
Other Volunteer Opportunities
Festival and Event Volunteering
The Festival/Event volunteers assist the Friends volunteers with staffing the international festival as well as other events at the Kennedy Center.
If you are interested in joining the Festival/Event volunteer team please email vols@kennedy-center.org with your name, address, phone number, and email address. We will then add your name to our Festival/Event database!
Past international festivals that utilized volunteers include Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World in 2009 and maximum INDIA in 2011 and Nordic Cool 2013. These festivals reflect the unique perspective of the international flavor of the Kennedy Center's programming.
Other volunteer positions for Festival/Event opportunities can be as diverse as assisting with check-in for one-day workshops, to working side-by-side with an artist visiting the Kennedy Center, to assisting with the NSO Women's Committee Instrument Petting Zoo to Opera in the Outfield at Nationals Park. Festival/Event Volunteers receive benefits during their time of service, including discounted parking in the Kennedy Center garage.
Here are a few testimonials from Festival volunteers who worked the maximum INDIA festival, held at the Kennedy Center in March 2011:
"Since I am a Friend and a native of India, my volunteer work for maximum INDIA had a very special meaning for me. Because the Kennedy Center showcased the rich and diverse cultures of India in a superb manner, it was a most enriching and joyful experience for both me and the other volunteers from India.
It was also such a wonderful treat for me to see so many outstanding artists, musicians, authors, events for children, arts, and crafts at such a grand location: the Kennedy Center."
– Santosh Sharma, Friend of the Kennedy Center Volunteer
"Working with maximum INDIA as a volunteer was a wonderful experience, made more special for me as I was able to share my knowledge of India, its culture, art, music, and food with many visitors and young people. Working with a group of dedicated volunteers was an additional plus. Congratulations to the Kennedy Center for spearheading this event.
– Elfreda Baptist, state of Mysore, maximum INDIA Volunteer
"Having a three-week-long festival of arts and culture from India at the prestigious Kennedy Center was a time of pride for Indians in the United States. The opportunity to volunteer at this event was a memorable experience indeed!
– Chander Gambhir, state of New Delhi, maximum INDIA Volunteer
"Volunteering for maximum INDIA was an eye-opening experience for me. This was especially true because of the conversations I was able to have with native-born Indian visitors who explained how so many of the articles in the various areas affected their lives. It was absolutely amazing!"
– Ruth Wolff, Friend of the Kennedy Center Volunteer
"One of the most touching aspects of volunteering for the maximum INDIA festival was the opportunity to witness parents and grandparents impart their cultural knowledge to the next generation. Many of our guests were of Indian heritage, and the Kaleidoscope exhibit in particular seemed to prompt fond memories and an opportunity for families to connect and understand more about one another. These interactions also enabled me to learn quite a bit about the Indian culture, beyond the excellent works of Jhumpa Lahiri and Anita Desai. It was a tremendous honor to be a part of an event that fostered so many rich connections—across cultures, across nations, across generations—in just a few weeks."
– Jessica Simon, maximum INDIA Volunteer
"Since I am a Friend and a native of India, my volunteer work for maximum INDIA had a very special meaning for me. Because the Kennedy Center showcased the rich and diverse cultures of India in a superb manner, it was a most enriching and joyful experience for both me and the other volunteers from India.
"Working with maximum INDIA as a volunteer was a wonderful experience, made more special for me as I was able to share my knowledge of India, its culture, art, music, and food with many visitors and young people. Working with a group of dedicated volunteers was an additional plus. Congratulations to the Kennedy Center for spearheading this event.
"Having a three-week-long festival of arts and culture from India at the prestigious Kennedy Center was a time of pride for Indians in the United States. The opportunity to volunteer at this event was a memorable experience indeed!
"Volunteering for maximum INDIA was an eye-opening experience for me. This was especially true because of the conversations I was able to have with native-born Indian visitors who explained how so many of the articles in the various areas affected their lives. It was absolutely amazing!"
"One of the most touching aspects of volunteering for the maximum INDIA festival was the opportunity to witness parents and grandparents impart their cultural knowledge to the next generation. Many of our guests were of Indian heritage, and the Kaleidoscope exhibit in particular seemed to prompt fond memories and an opportunity for families to connect and understand more about one another. These interactions also enabled me to learn quite a bit about the Indian culture, beyond the excellent works of Jhumpa Lahiri and Anita Desai. It was a tremendous honor to be a part of an event that fostered so many rich connections—across cultures, across nations, across generations—in just a few weeks."
