Hear from Ella, our front of house volunteer, on her experiences at the Museum!
I began my time as a front-of-house volunteer on a warm day in July 2024.
I had considered what to do with my summer and my life as I felt my adulthood – post-university – rushing towards me. I had loved the museums in Norwich, so much so that I completed my dissertation on museum education. I was enamoured with museums and the enrichment and wellbeing benefits they offer. I loved that they represented democratised knowledge.
In loving museums and heritage, I considered it as my career path, but quickly realised it was more uncertain than I can generally bear. As I lamented about this with a curator of a museum local to me in North Hertfordshire – another vision of a life I hoped for, gone – I was gently reminded that I can love museums in a different way, and should fill all facets of my life with those things which enrich it. In being a front-of-house volunteer, I am loving museums in a different way.
I love museums by enthusiastically fulfilling my role, ensuring visitors as best I can that they are welcome; I’ll rifle through things to find a guide in their preferred language, I’ll bend down to a child and provide activities, chat about your day, the Museum and what you liked, I’ll steward your bags, I’ll be helpful any way I can.
When I am a little downtrodden – about the difficulties of finding my way in the world or feeling like something is missing, that I am not living as I could – a shift at the Museum sorts it all out. I come out feeling that I have done good, even in a small way for small organisation and for a small group of people. In coming along to my shift, I have kept the Museum open one more day and perhaps allowed the Museum to raise a bit more money for its continuing work.
Every person who walks through those doors never fails to brighten my day, with whatever they bring – excited children, quiet curiosity or anything else. I get the privilege of seeing people live their lives, if only for just a moment.