Get Involved!
Wanna volunteer at EXILE? There are many, many ways to do so!
Becoming a Shift-Working Volunteer
Anyone is welcome to volunteer at EXILE as long as they understand the principles, as underlined in EXILE's mission statement, that contribute to a just, accessible, anti-oppressive environment. We encourage all volunteers to contribute their own ideas to the Infoshop so that it keeps growing into a creative and radically diverse community space. The following outlines the process for getting involved in the Infoshop as a shift-working volunteer:
1) Fill out an application form and drop it off at the shop.
2) Attend a collective meeting to express your interest in joining the project.
3) Interview / meet-and-greet: This is a two-way process whereby you, as a potential volunteer, can interview us to learn more about the Infoshop, and members of the collective can interview you to make sure you're a good fit for the project.
4) The collective will make a decision about accepting you as a probationary shift-worker volunteer.
5) If you are accepted as a volunteer, you will begin your probationary period and train for shift work with collective members. This period lasts as long as it takes you to complete 5 buddy shifts and attend 5 regular (usually weekly) collective meetings, during which time you cannot vote at meetings (though your input is welcome and encouraged), do not have keys to the space, and cannot work a shift alone.
6) Evaluation: Once the criteria established in item 5 (above) have been met, and once you feel ready, you can request at a collective meeting to join the collective. The collective then makes a decision at this meeting whether to accept you as a full collective member.
7) Once accepted into the collective, your responsibilities are as follows:
- Work shifts alone;
- Work at least one shift every week, on average;
- Train probationary volunteers;
- Obtain a set of keys;
- Vote at collective meetings;
- Can count towards quorum at any meeting;
- Attend at least 75% of all regular and special collective meetings;
- Equally share financial responsibility with other collective members;
- Be willing to be entered into rotation of the project's Board of Directors; and
- Contribute $120 to the project's contingency fund (suggested donation).
