Tags: ambassadors, Volunteering
This week we’re looking back on 10 years of the parkrun Ambassador Programme.
Ambassador roles enable more people to get involved with parkrun, share their knowledge, and support their communities health and happiness.
Find out how it all started, what the Ambassadors do and what we have achieved together.
Firstly, what is the Ambassador Programme?
Originally created in 2013 with around 30 Ambassadors, parkrun communities are now supported by over 700 Ambassadors across 14 unique roles in over 20 countries.
It is a support network of highly engaged, energetic, dedicated volunteers who have applied for a number of different roles through a formal recruitment process. They come from a wide range of experiences and perspectives. In the truest sense of the word ‘Ambassador’, they are the guardians, advocates, protectors and champions of parkrun!
Why do we have parkrun Ambassadors?
Ambassadors support and train our event teams, deliver and activate new events, increase participation, help us translate documents, and keep our communities safe. This support enables parkrun to exist and to grow.
So much of what they help to achieve cannot be quantified, such as engaging with over 8,000,000 registered parkrunners around the world. Here are just a few examples of their contribution:
What’s great about being an Ambassador?
As an Ambassador you’re involved with parkrun on a deeper and broader level and get to see how it all comes together from the inside. You work alongside fellow Ambassadors and parkrun staff, helping the organisation to deliver on its mission of making the world healthier and happier.
It also enables you to develop skills, and gain new ones – a fantastic boost to your CV!
How do you become an Ambassador?
There isn’t a typical parkrun Ambassador – people of every age, gender, race and cultural background are parkrun Ambassadors. Most are passionate, confident, dynamic and strong communicators.
Potential Ambassadors apply online and go through an assessment process with parkrun staff. Ambassador roles include:
Find out more about the roles on our Volunteer Hub.
#loveparkrun
All around the world, we’ve seen over 28,000 unique volunteers in the parkwalker role and they’ve parkwalked over 52,000 times! We speak to one of the parkwalkers, Cathy Hannon, about why she chooses to volunteer in her favourite role every Saturday morning. Cathy’s chronic condition means that parkwalking is the best option for her, she relishes the…
À ce jour, c’est plus de 28 000 différents bénévoles qui ont tenu le rôle de « parkwalker » et ils ont marché plus de 52 000 fois ! Nous avons discuté avec Cathy Hannon, une de ces marcheuses désignées, à savoir ce qui la motive à faire du bénévolat dans ce rôle tant…
