Volunteering with the `Anne Frank (and you) Festival’

The Anne Frank (and You) Festival was held in Fife during January 2007.
The Festival comprised of three major exhibitions, a theatre production, school events and workshops, culminating in a torch procession celebrating International Holocaust Memorial Day.

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Fife Council and Volunteer Centre Fife recruited and trained volunteers to act as guides. The volunteer guides took school groups, students and members of the public around the three exhibitions based at Adam Smith College and Kirkcaldy Museum. The three exhibitions included the `Anne Frank and You’ exhibition, linking the life of Anne Frank with five contemporary panels displaying questions and images relating to issues affecting modern day young people. Next to this exhibition was the `Testimony’ exhibition displaying recent photographs of Auschwitz concentration camp and stories of survivors that ended up in Scotland. The final exhibition was `Anne Frank and Family’ – a display of family photographs of Anne and her family taken by her father Otto during her lifetime before they went into hiding.

The `Anne Frank and You’ exhibition at Adam Smith College

Prior to the Festival, volunteers undertook an inspirational training session provided by the Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre. Volunteers were trained in how to talk creatively about art works or images found in the exhibitions. They also found out how to make an ingenious eight page notebook out of a single sheet of paper. These were then used with school groups to allow them to record their feelings and impressions and reflect upon the images and information found in the exhibitions.

Volunteers Catherine and Eva making notebooks in
preparation for that day’s school groups.

The Anne Frank Trust, who owns and organises the `Anne Frank and You’ exhibition, also provided training for the volunteers. This gave the volunteers background information into the content and purpose of the `Anne Frank and You’ exhibition.

The volunteers that participated in the Festival were, to put it simply, just amazing. They came with differing reasons for volunteering and with differing previous experience, but they all came together to create a professional and industrious team of guides. The following is a summary of their attributes:

Quick to Learn – Volunteers came from different backgrounds, were of different ages and had different levels of knowledge of the Holocaust, Anne Frank and the concentration camps, but all volunteers were so quick to learn and eager to learn. None of the volunteers had any museum or guiding experience but soon gained confidence and were guiding like experts.

Volunteer Robert gets into the swing of exhibition guiding

Informative and Knowledgeable – Aside from the training offered, the volunteers took it upon themselves to undertake further research to increase their knowledge. They were all excellent at conveying information and creating discussion about a subject matter that, at times, could be harrowing and controversial.

Volunteer Marie (pink shirt) takes a school group around the `Testimony’ exhibition,
which included harrowing photographs of Auschwitz

Hard Working – The volunteers all did above and beyond the call of duty. At times the exhibitions were incredibly busy and volunteers were prepared to take groups one after the other to ensure that all visitors got the best possible experience from the exhibitions. To cap it all, volunteers then acted as stewards for the torchlight procession on the final Sunday. Without their input the procession could not have taken place.

The Yellow Vest Team! Volunteers at the torchlight procession.

Patient – Taking school groups around the exhibitions was not always an easy task, and this included herding groups from the College to Kirkcaldy Museum and back. At all times, volunteers kept their patience and their heads, even at the very busy times.

Volunteer Mark keeps his audience of school children
engrossed in the story of Anne Frank

Uncomplaining – While there was a timetable of school groups, it was very finely timed and occasionally there would be a clash of groups. However, volunteers took everything in their stride and endeavoured to accommodate all groups. There was no moaning or complaining even when volunteers had to traipse between venues in the snow.

Flexible and Adaptable – Volunteers were ready to change shifts or take on extra shifts, cover for their colleagues if necessary. They cheerfully adapted to each new experience or situation, such as unexpected groups or members of the public asking interesting and challenging questions.

Volunteers Claire and Roisin engaging with a group of students

Empathetic and Understanding – Volunteers expertly and sympathetically coped with all those that came to view the exhibitions, whether they were children, students, members of the public or even on occasion, engaging with survivors of the Holocaust. The theme of the Festival was `Promoting the Dignity of Diversity’ and the volunteers were shining examples of this aim.

Volunteers Laura and Claire

A joy to work with and so attractive too, in their custom-made T-shirts!

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The volunteers got so much from volunteering with the Festival. Few, if any, had previous experience of museum guiding or working with young people. At the beginning they perhaps doubted their ability and confidence. However, by the end of three weeks, they were amazed at what they could do and what they had achieved. The following are the views of one volunteer – Robert Brewster.

I want to thank you for the opportunity of working as a guide at the exhibition. This was the first time I have done anything like this and I found the experience to be immensely rewarding.

My eyes were opened to the history of the times and so I learned a lot. But more than that, I met some fascinating and interesting people, some of whom shared their harrowing tales of surviving the holocaust. People who remembered those difficult times said with one voice that the exhibition was important and should be viewed by all young people, lest we forget the horrors of man’s inhumanity to man.

The school children I met, mainly primary sevens, were generally very interested, keen to learn and saddened by Anne’s story. Their teachers enthused about how valuable a resource the exhibition was to them, especially as it brings to life the story of the times. They also felt it opened up the opportunity to discuss the relationship issues important in today’s society.

To describe the experience I would have to say
• It was stimulating
• It was informative
• It was a pleasure to be involved
• It left me feeling privileged to have been part of it.
This has been time well spent and a worthwhile exercise for me.

I hope I have been able to add value for all those people I met, including my fellow guides.

If you have similar opportunities in the future I would be happy to hear about them. Thank you once again for this most enjoyable experience.

Fife Council’s Creative Links Team and Volunteer Centre Fife would like to express their admiration and heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who participated in the Anne Frank and You Festival. Many thanks go to: Laura, Claire, Shelagh, Moira, Robert, Roisin, Mark, Eva, Catherine, Trisha, Susan, Emma. (Apologies if I have left you off the list).