Becoming a Guardian Guardian / Gatherings Date: Dec 12, 2003 - 04:33 PM It occurs to me that there may be members of our community who may be interested in becoming a Guardian, but don't know how to go about becoming one... Well, here ya go! 1) Work as many Safety Volunteer shifts as you can, to be certain that this is a line of full-time volunteer service that you will be interested in and committed to... (I am NOT suggesting that you work more than your 4 hour total community service requirement, but rather that you work ALL of those 4 hours, at every event you attend, as a Safety Volunteer) 2) If you're still interested in becoming a Guardian, go to the Guardian Coordinator (GC), and state your desire... not certain who the GC is or where to find him/her?? Ask at Registration -- someone there will either radio-call the GC or direct you to the Staff Camp... 3) Within the PhoenixFestival events, an individual wishing to become a Guardian must first serve as a Guardian-In-Training (GIT). This apprenticeship period is one-year-and-one-day long and requires that you also worked three full, pre-approved events as a GIT (so, in other words, if you can only work one event per year, then you will not be qualified to become a Guardian until three years have passed... on the other hand, if you manage to work three, pre-approved events, within 6 months, you still will not be qualified until your one-year-and-one-day period has passed...).... As a GIT, you will be paired with a full Guardian to work an 8-hour shift, every day of the festival... you will not be subject to "off-days", which are a luxury, and reserved for those who have achieved the rank of full Guardian... You will be scheduled to work a variety of shifts (rather than a "straight shift") and the GC will endeavor to pair you with each Guardian on the team, so you have a chance to work with every team member at least once... 4) Once you have completed your apprenticeship period, you will be evaluated by your Guardian peers... They will base their appraisal of you on factors such as: how well you work within the community... how well the community responds to you... how well you fulfill your Guardian obligations... how well you follow directions/instructions/orders... how well you work with the Guardians as a team, and the other Staff members, as a team... Are you polite? Can you remain objective, even in the midst of controversy? Can you manage your emotions? How are you at managing the emotions of others? How do you handle confidential material? What specialized training have you had in the past, or will you endeavor to get in the future, that will aid you in being a Guardian? Etc... A vote will be taken within the Guardian team -- majority rules... however... the GC can overturn any team vote... likewise... the Event Coordinator can overturn any GC decision... The Guardian vote can be one of the following: Yes -- invite this person into the ranks of the Guardians... No -- do not invite this person into the ranks of the Guardians... Maybe -- this person has the potential for being a good Guardian but is deficient in one or more important areas and needs a bit more time in training... 5) Invitation into the ranks of the PhoenixFestival Guardians does not guarantee acceptance into any other Guardian group, though we, as Guardians nationwide (and under a variety of titles) generally work well together... A lack of invitation into the ranks of the PhoenixFestival Guardians does not prevent acceptance into any other Guardian group (though you would be subject to their training period and evaluation techniques)... A decision to prolong training should not be seen as a "negative", but rather as the ultimate sign of our respect and care -- we consider you definite Guardian-material, and want to ensure that you receive the best training possible, for your safety, the safety of our community, the safety of our team, and the safety of the event coordinator and other members of staff... We do not discriminate based on gender, age, race, or religion... However, you must be a legal adult, and you may be subject to a background investigation... you must be able to serve as a "credible witness" in a court of law, and willing to accept all legal ramifications for any of your actions while serving as a Guardian at an event... you also should be in a physical condition capable of continuous walking for up to a full 8 hour shift... While attending an event as a Guardian, whether on-shift, or off-shift, you will be expected to be legally sober at all times, and to not only avoid improprieties, but also the appearance of improprieties (see Webster's dictionary for the definition of "impropriety")... you will be held to a very high standard and you will be under scrutiny at all times -- you will be expected to accept this and act accordingly. You will be working with other Guardians, all of whom are under the supervision and direction of the Guardian Coordinator (GC), who is, in turn, under the supervision and direction of the Event Coordinator. You will not be expected to "like" every one that you work with or for, but you will be expected to always be polite, professional, and a "team-player" at all times... any Guardian failing to act in the expected manner is subject to disciplinary actions... (There is a Guardian Policy Manual that you will be given) We, as Guardians, love our work and have great fun doing it... but it is not a game... it is not a "power-trip"... and it is not for those who don't know their own limits, and are willing to accept those limits... We wish to recruit hard-working, dedicated, mature, responsible adults who feel a calling to community service... background experience in Law Enforcement, EMS, Fire/Rescue, etc is helpful, but not required... Still interested?? Well, come see us at AutumnMeet and let's talk! Until then, bright blessings to all......... Rowan This procedure applies ONLY to the PhoenixFestival events! I can not, nor will I, comment on procedures used at events sponsored by other organizations and/or groups! This article comes from Phoenix Phamily - Supporting the Phoenix festivals community http://www.phoenixfestivals.com./ The URL for this story is: http://www.phoenixfestivals.com./modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=310