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Greater Kennedy Plaza Volunteer Program
Handbook Contents About Greater Kennedy Plaza Volunteer Program About Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy About Greater Kennedy Plaza Greater Kennedy Plaza Operational Protocols Share Your Story on Social Media Volunteer Policies, Procedures & Code of Conduct
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ABOUT THE GREATER KENNEDY PLAZA VOLUNTEER PROGRAM Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy (DPPC) volunteers help build and maintain an extraordinary public space in downtown Providence by playing a critical role in all areas of Greater Kennedy Plaza and DPPC’s operations. When volunteers donate their time and talents to support the Greater Kennedy Plaza project they:
• Have access to a vibrant community that cares about civic participation and honors similar values; • Contribute to one of Providence’s busiest and most diverse public spaces; • Are exposed to new learning opportunities and additional skills through dialogue education and experiential
learning To become a Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy volunteer, candidates print and complete a brief Volunteer Application form, and submit it to the address enclosed in the form. Applications are accepted at all times, but there are a limited number of volunteer opportunities available. If no positions are available, candidates will be placed on a wait-‐list after the application is received. All applicants will be contacted regarding the status of their application. In 2014, volunteers work with the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy in the following capacities: PARK AMBASSADORS Park Ambassadors are committed volunteers that promote community stewardship and bridge the line of communication between the community and the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy (DPPC). Park Ambassadors assist Providence Department of Parks and Recreation, The DPPC, and the Downtown Improvement District with the general maintenance and upkeep of Greater Kennedy Plaza through close observation, which will enhance safety for park visitors while, at the same time, provide a presence to deter crime and vandalism. Park Ambassadors help with the operations of free family-‐friendly programming, and encourage the community to take a proactive approach in maintaining the integrity and intended use of parks and public spaces. COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORTER Communications Supporters are responsible for the day-‐to-‐day management of Greater Kennedy Plaza’s website, Facebook, Twitter and email accounts. Communications Supporters will maintain and promote Greater Kennedy Plaza’s social media presence while assisting with the operations of programming when needed. ON-‐CALL SUPPORTERS On-‐Call Supporters help with myriad projects with the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy, including special events, filing, data entry, and promoting programming via flyer distribution. PHOTOGRAPHERS Photographers contribute their talents to the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy’s public programs, communications initiatives, marketing materials, special projects, and much more. PLAY PARTNERS Play Partners assist the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy in facilitating family activities in Greater Kennedy Plaza, from nature and science programs, to art-‐making activities, to children’s storytelling, and to building workshops.
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ABOUT DOWNTOWN PROVIDENCE PARKS CONSERVANCY “[Greater Kennedy Plaza] is unquestionably the heart of Providence and, for many people, the central square for Rhode Island… the opportunity to create the best and most important civic square in all of New England is a distinct possibility and desirable quest.” -‐Fred Kent, Project for Public Spaces The Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy initiative was formed in 2008 (as “Greater Kennedy Plaza”) to preserve and revitalize Providence’s historic downtown core. For the last several years, the DPPC, Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), and the City of Providence have been working to improve the transit experience at Kennedy Plaza and to make the Plaza and the adjoining Burnside Park a greater civic place. The Greater Kennedy Plaza project evolved from talks more than six years ago, when city officials convened several public and private groups to discuss what to do about crime in the area. The DPPC is now taking the lead on the multi-‐phase project, but is partnering with numerous federal, state and city agencies, including RIPTA, and non-‐profits, private universities, artistic groups and businesses. With a small staff and limited budget, the DPPC has benefited from major grants for programming and infrastructure in recent years. In 2011, the National Endowment for the Arts gave $200,000 to a coalition that included the DPPC for programming and public space improvements. These funds helped to organize a large-‐scale multi-‐stage event, the FirstWorks Festival on the Plaza. The festival engaged the public with live performances by 200 artists in September 2012. In the summer of 2013, Southwest Airlines funded the construction of an Imagination Center, equipped with children’s books and a play area, to make the Greater Kennedy Plaza area more welcoming to families. On July 15, 2014, Mayor Angel Taveras, along with city and RIPTA officials, formally broke ground on the reconstruction of Kennedy Plaza. It’s been 15 years since the last round of renovations to the plaza, but officials are hoping to transform the old and tired public square into a community-‐gathering place. The reconfiguration of Kennedy Plaza will not only beautify the area, but also better organize the bus stops and greatly improve safety for passengers and pedestrians alike. MISSION The Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy works to build and maintain extraordinary public spaces in downtown Providence. We seek to provide a beautiful and safe meeting place for citizens, maintain grounds for healthy recreation, and inspire new ways of thinking about the city, parks, art, public space, preservation, and community. We support the economic health of our city and aim to enhance Providence as a dynamic destination for tourism and an economic attraction for businesses of all sizes. Through excellence in operations, stewardship, innovative programming, and world-‐class design, we seek to engage the vibrant and diverse community in and around Providence, the Creative Capital. CONTACT INFORMATION • Jennifer Smith – Program Manager: (401) 952-‐0734, [email protected] • Liam Blank – Senior Park Ambassador: (401) 829-‐5991, [email protected]
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ABOUT GREATER KENNEDY PLAZA “Kennedy Plaza is the city’s most constantly reworked space, and fully interpreting its history would fill a book that could be a landmark in understanding American urbanism.”
-‐William McKenzie Wormwood, Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission GREATER KENNEDY PLAZA: THE LOCATION The Great Salt Cove, a tidal pond, once filled the area that has become, over the past 160 years, the city’s center for transportation, civic life, and commercial activity. Formed between 3,800 and 2,700 years ago, it was a major Native American settlement and a crossroads for travelers along Narragansett Bay, up the Blackstone River or to Massachusetts Bay. Little development occurred after European settlement on the east side of the Providence River in 1636, but by the Revolution four wharfs extended from the Cove’s east bank. Building on the west side of the Providence River increased after 1750, and Cove Street, constructed on the waterfront in 1825, regularized the Cove’s southern edge. The Cove was first significantly transformed in the mid-‐1800s. In 1844, the Providence and Worcester Railroad petitioned the City to fill the Cove to create an elliptical Cove Basin, 1,300 feet long and 1,180 feet wide. On the filled land, the built rail lines, freight houses, and the then-‐largest rail station in North America. Union Station, designed by Thomas Tefft, stood immediately south of the Basin. The area in front, 150 feet wide and 900 feet long, was named Exchange Place. Soon it was lined on the south by large commercial buildings. Exchange Place grew in civic stature after 1870. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, commemorating the Civil War, was erected at its west end in 1871. Just beyond it, on a lot acquired for that purpose in the 1850s, the Second Empire-‐style Providence City Hall, designed by Boston architect Samuel F.J. Thayer, rose between 1874 and 1878 to anchor Exchange Place’s west end. In 1887, the equestrian monument of General Ambrose E. Burnside was installed at Exchange Place’s east end. Conditions apparent by the 1880s led to the next transformation of Exchange Place. Trolleys regularly passed in front of Union Station and enhanced public transportation connections. The Cove Basin, never properly engineered, had become polluted and silted. Two hundred trains daily came through Downtown Providence, crossing streets at grade and creating traffic problems. By 1889, the city, state, and railroads agreed on a plan to fill the Cove Basin, move the rail lines north approximately 200 feet, and build a new Union Station complex on an artificial knoll well above street grade. Reconfiguring the Cove Lands began immediately, and construction of roads, bridges, and the new Union Station complex, designed by Stone, Carpenter & Willson, continued for almost ten years. In 1896, fire damaged Tefft’s Union Station, but it remained in use until the new station’s completion, after which the old station was destroyed. The reconfigured Exchange Place provided transportation and public-‐space improvement opportunities, but fifteen years passed before they were all realized. More than 400 electrified trolleys (introduced here in 1892) passed directly under the elevated Union Station and made direct connections between local and long-‐distance public transportation. The open space north of Washington Street created by moving the rail lines was developed in 1899 as City Hall Park. In 1901, a fountain commissioned by Paul Bajnotti to memorialize his late wife, Carrie Brown Bajnotti, was installed in the eastern half of City Hall Park. In 1902, the city acquired the lot at the east end of Exchange Place and deeded it to the United States government for a new Federal Building; built between 1903 and 1908, it handsomely balances City Hall on the west. But controversy surrounded the development of the area south of Washington Street. Merchants wished to keep it open for free parking. Some lobbied for public open space, with a landscaped mall the length of Exchange Place. Others wanted a trolley shelter. In 1906, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument was moved to the center of Exchange Place, half way between City Hall and the rising Federal Building. Debate over Exchange Place continued until 1912, when the City Council approved creation of the landscaped mall. In 1913, the council approved construction of a trolley shelter at the east end of the mall. By 1914, with completion of the shelter, designed by local architects Martin & Hall, the mall reached the configuration it retained for more than fifty years. In 1925, the Hiker, memorializing the Spanish-‐American War, was dedicated.
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The new Exchange Place became a magnet for important buildings. For years, Providence’s tallest buildings located here, beginning with the Providence Biltmore Hotel (1922; Warren & Wetmore, New York, architects) and the Industrial Trust Company (1928; Walker & Gillette, New York, architects) and continuing with Hospital Trust Tower (1973; John Carl, Warnecke & Associates, Los Angeles, architects) and Fleet Center (1985; Helmut Obata Kassabaum, St. Louis, architects). A new Post Office by Jackson, Robertson & Adams was built just north of the Federal Building in 1939. As the city’s transportation center, Exchange Place saw the evolution of vehicles. Electric trolleys were gradually replaced: by buses in 1925 and trackless trolleys in 1935. The last streetcar ran in 1948; the final trackless trolley, in 1955. In 1964, Exchange Place was renamed Kennedy Plaza in memory of recently assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Major changes occurred in Kennedy Plaza in the 1980s. To create a central transit center, Kennedy Plaza became an auto-‐restricted zone in 1984. The Plaza was widened to the north, and the mall’s west end was extended toward City Hall beyond the 1914 Trolley Shelter, which had become a restaurant in 1981. The mall became a center island exclusively for buses. In the late 1990s, the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA), organized in 1966, began planning studies to reconfigure traffic flow, bus berthing, and the center island and to enhance the city’s central public space by creating an attractive pedestrian space in front of City Hall. In 1999, RIPTA launched a downtown circulator system, the Providence LINK, with vintage-‐style trolleys powered by a clean fuel – compressed natural gas. In the fall of 2000, RIPTA began to reconstruct the Plaza’s central island for a state-‐of-‐the-‐art passenger terminal, incorporating the restored 1914 trolley shelter, and modern bus berths around an oval-‐shape central island. The Soldiers & Sailors Monument and The Hiker were refurbished and installed near their original locations. The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority’s Intermodal Transportation Center in Kennedy Plaza opened in 2002. GREATER KENNEDY PLAZA: THE PROJECT “We relocated the river, the train tracks, the highway. This is the next step. This is our generation’s big revitalization.” -‐Clifford Wood, Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy
This year, the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy, RIPTA, and the City of Providence are leading efforts to make major changes to Greater Kennedy Plaza. Beginning on July 15, 2014, and for about six months after, commuters will give way to construction workers in Kennedy Plaza, as work begins on a re-‐arrangement planners hope will create a more socially welcoming and logistically efficient plaza. The rearrangement is intended to serve two masters. For the city, it’s a chance to create an open public space in the heart of downtown that can host farmer’s markets, festivals or just strolling pedestrians. For RIPTA, it means upgrading the plaza with new shelters and devices with screens that will show real-‐time arrival updates for waiting riders. It is also the first step of a long discussed expansion of the mass transit network in the city that RIPTA hopes will position it to take advantage of expected new development in the city, particularly in the Jewelry District and the old Route 195 land. The plaza project will cost about $2.4 million, $1.7 million from city bond money and $700,000 of RIPTA funds. Work is expected to be finished by the beginning of December 2014. When it’s done, the area in front of the Federal Courthouse that now hosts a half-‐dozen bus lanes separated by long, narrow islands will be replaced by a tree-‐lined plaza. The bus stops will be pushed out to the surrounding streets. Clifford Wood, executive director of the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy, said the project will make the plaza a social hub as well as a transportation one. RIPTA marketing director Amy Pettine said the plaza redesign is part of a more ambitious plan to expand mass transit in the city. The reworking of the plaza is meant to go along with secondary hubs at the Amtrak Station on Gaspee Street and another somewhere in the Jewelry District, near the Garrahy Courthouse and Davol Square. A $40-‐million bond that will be on the November ballot would finance that other work.
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All of the improvements made to Kennedy Plaza are intended to help achieve a grand vision that might one day include attractions such as a café, open market, water garden, red brick and pedestrian-‐safe crossings, bicycle rental station, bocce, chess tables and carousel. Spots for reading, art, music, dancing, parties, weddings, food trucks and a movie night are also part of the long-‐term vision. GREATER KENNEDY PLAZA TIMELINE
• 1846: The Great Salt Cove is partially filled, beginning the transformation from water to land transportation in what is now Kennedy Plaza.
• 1848: Union Passenger Railroad Station is completed and Exchange Place is christened. • 1864: The first horse-‐car is introduced to Providence. • 1871: The Soldiers & Sailors Monument was erected at the west end of Exchange Place. Over the next 125
years, the monument was moved several times to accommodate Exchange Place’s growth as a civic and transportation center.
• 1878: Providence City Hall is erected at the west end of Exchange Place. • 1892: The first electric streetcar runs through Providence. • 1896: Union Passenger Railroad Station is damaged by fire; Exchange Place is widened and a park is started
on its north side. • 1903: A new Union Passenger Railroad Station and the filling of the Great Salt Cove are completed as
Exchange Place becomes the epicenter for the city’s business. • 1914: A mall and a trolley shelter are built within Exchange Place – now the central transfer station.
Exchange Place is becoming a major center of civic life, commercial activity, and mass transit. • 1922: The first buses appear and the Biltmore Hotel opens. • 1931: The first trackless trolleys appear. They run until 1955. • 1948: The last electric streetcar runs in Providence. • 1964: Exchange Place is renamed Kennedy Plaza after President John F. Kennedy. • 1984: Kennedy Plaza becomes an auto-‐restricted zone. The mall area becomes a center island and bus traffic
is given right-‐of-‐way. • 1998: Fleet Skating Rink opens. • 1999: Trackless trolleys are reintroduced to Providence. This time, they run on clean compressed natural gas
(CNG). • 2002: The central island of Kennedy Plaza is reconstructed as an Intermodal Transportation Center, and the
1914 trolley shelter is incorporated into a new passenger terminal. • 2014: Ground breaks on Kennedy Plaza reconstruction.
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GREATER KENNEDY PLAZA OPERATIONAL PROTOCOLS OVERVIEW In the course of day-‐to-‐day operations in Greater Kennedy Plaza (GKP), a number of common issues arise that should be handled in a standardized manner. Incidents involving the violation of Burnside Park rules, unauthorized vending and events, injuries, lost items, and graffiti should be brought to the attention of Providence Police or Park Rangers quickly and professionally. DPPC staff, volunteers, interns, and independent contractors are asked to notify the appropriate personnel rather than address these incidents directly themselves. If you do not know the correct response for a particular incident or question, reach out to the Program Manager for the answer. ACCESS AT GREATER KENNEDY PLAZA
• Burnside Park, Biltmore Park, and Kennedy Plaza are free and open to the public all year long (unless under construction).
• Although considered to be part of Greater Kennedy Plaza, the Providence Rink is owned and operated by Bank of America.
• Burnside Park has five (5) access points. • Public restrooms are located inside the Kennedy Plaza bus terminal across the street from City Hall. Hours of
operation: open seven (7) days a week and holidays 6AM – 7PM. • The DPPC headquarters is open daily from 9AM – 5PM.
ACCESS TO THE IMAGINATION CENTER The Imagination Center is located at the southwest corner of Burnside Park. Inside the Imagination Center is where most of DPPC’s program equipment and material is stored. There are three doors to the Imagination Center, all of which are only to be used by DPPC staff members and volunteers. The DPPC Program Manager on duty will have keys to unlock the Imagination Center doors. ACCESS TO DPPC HEADQUARTERS The main staff and volunteers entrance to DPPC headquarters is located at 30 Exchange Terrace (intersection of Francis Street & Exchange Terrace) on the south side of the building, which faces the Biltmore Hotel. Reminders!
1. Verify that any door you unlock is closed and locked behind you. 2. The public is not allowed to enter DPPC headquarters and the Imagination Center unless specifically
specified. PARK RULES Park rules prohibit:
• Littering and/or feeding pigeons • Drinking alcohol, except in authorized areas • Obstructing entrances or paths • Commercial activity, except by permit • Picking flowers or plants • Amplified sound, except by permit • Solicitation • Events or gatherings greater than 20 persons, except by permit • Film or photography requiring equipment or exclusive use of an area, except by permit • Smoking • Profanities • Indecent exposure • Skateboarding • Unleashed dogs and dog leashes which exceed six (6) feet in length
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LOCATIONS Please become familiar with directions: e.g. which way north, south, east, west in Greater Kennedy Plaza, as well as names of popular gathering places and Kennedy Plaza-‐specific reference points:
• Kennedy Plaza (bordered by Dorrance, Washington, Fulton, and Exchange Streets) • RIPTA bus terminal (across from City Hall between Washington and Fulton Streets) • Burnside Park (bordered by Washington and Exchange Streets, East Approach, and Exchange Terrace) • The Providence Rink (front entrance at intersection of Dorrance and Washington Streets. The rink separates
Burnside Park from Biltmore Park) • Biltmore Park (across Dorrance Street from the Biltmore Hotel. Bordered by the Providence Rink and
Exchange Terrace) • Waterplace Park (from Providence Rink, walk through tunnel underneath Exchange Terrace and continue
through tunnel underneath Memorial Boulevard) • City Hall (across from the west side of Kennedy Plaza, bordered by Dorrance, Washington, and Fulton Streets) • Providence Place Mall (from Burnside Park, follow Exchange Terrace to The Omni Hotel, enter through front
entrance and go up the escalators to cross the sky-‐bridge into the Mall) • Providence Train Station (from Burnside Park, follow Exchange Street past the intersection of Memorial Blvd,
across the Providence River and go to end of street) EMERGENCY RESPONSE In the case of a severe medical emergency or the threat of harm to persons or property, call 911 directly. This call should be immediately followed by a call to the Program Manager (401) 952-‐0734. Identify yourself by name, location, and a concise, accurate description of the issue. For non-‐emergency incidents, call the Program Manager (401) 952-‐0734. MEDICAL EMERGENCIES: SPECIFIC PROCEDURES If someone is ill or injured and requires outside assistance immediately, contact 911 with the following information: Your name
o The exact location in Greater Kennedy Plaza where the person needing assistance is located. o Example: “The emergency is located next to the Burnside Statue in the northeast corner of Burnside
Park and the nearest entrance is at the intersection of Exchange Street and Exchange Terrace.” o The nature and extent of the situation. o After your call to 911, contact the Program Manager. o If possible, send another Greater Kennedy Plaza volunteer to the appropriate location to direct EMS. o Keep the victim calm. Do not attempt to move the victim. o Do not attempt to perform first aid or CPR unless you are trained and authorized. o Do not attempt to administer medication – aspirin, creams, etc. DPPC staff will administer band-‐aids and ice
packs only. o Avoid unnecessary conversation and limit your communication to quiet reassurances. o Stay with the victim until help arrives.
BODY FLUID SPILLS Staff should treat all body fluids (blood, vomit, etc.) and live skin as potentially infectious. If you see any body fluids in Greater Kennedy Plaza, please call a Park Ranger immediately. Remain at location until the appropriate personnel arrives. REPORTING OF MEDICAL NON-‐EMERGENCIES For non-‐emergencies (minor cuts, etc.) wherein medical assistance is not necessary, please do continue notify the Program Manager who will make note of the incident. If the Program Manager is not available for assistance, contact the Park Ranger on duty. Only band-‐aids and ice packs may be administered by Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy personnel. The first-‐aid kit is located in the Imagination Center. NOTE: ANY INJURY – NO MATTER HOW MINOR – INCURRED BY STAFF OR VOLUNTEER ON THE JOB MUST BE REPORTED TO THE PROGRAM MANAGER IMMEDIATELY.
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REPORTING COMMON RULE INFRACTIONS Violations of Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy Rules should be communicated to the Program Manager. If the Program Manager is unavailable, call the Park Ranger on duty. You must provide a full description of the visitor or situation, including the location where the incident was observed and a detailed and accurate description of the incident or violation. VENDORS All vendors in Greater Kennedy Plaza must first be approved by the Program Manager before vending. Any unauthorized vendors are to be reported to the Program Manager immediately. ALL DPPC VOLUNTEERS ARE ASKED NOT TO ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION OR DEBATE OF ANY KIND WITH UNAUTHORIZED VENDORS. MEDIA Please refer all media inquires regarding the organization and its operations to the Program Manager. Only the Program Manager is authorized to make or approve public statements on behalf of the organization. No employees or volunteers, unless specifically designated by the Program Manager, are authorized to make public statements to the press on behalf of or as a representative of the organization. Please direct any request for comment to [email protected]. GRAFFITI Any form of graffiti (paint, marker, “scratchiti,” engraving, etc.) appearing in Greater Kennedy Plaza must be reported to the Providence Department of Parks & Recreation and Downtown Improvement District staff immediately. The graffiti will be photographed (with the location noted) and then removed promptly. A call should also be made to the Program Manager to inform them of the incident. PRINTED MATERIAL Printed materials promoting religious and political views or other personal expressions may be passed out in Greater Kennedy Plaza as long as they are not left in unattended piles. Printed materials that are commercial in nature are not allowed. (Examples include promotional fliers for clubs and restaurants, free handouts of a new perfume with advertisements, etc.) LOST AND FOUND Lost and found items are housed in two locations based on the value of the item.
o For items valued at $20 or more – bring items to the Program Manager’s office in the DPPC headquarters (30 Exchange Terrace, 4th floor)
o For items valued at $20 or less – bring items to the Imagination Center in Burnside Park
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SHARE YOUR STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA WHY? One of DPPC’s goals is to raise awareness about the diverse community of volunteers like you who come together each year in downtown Providence and make it all happen. HOW? Help us spread the word about the Volunteer Program and the role you play! Each of you has an amazing story to tell. Share your experience with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, and other social media sites. Here are some ways to get involved:
POST SNAPSHOTS Post pictures to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the hashtag #KennedyPlazaPVD. You can also email photos to [email protected]. Please include a description with your photos.
TWEET During (or after) your volunteer shift, you can tweet about the weather, an event, the amazing person you just met – whatever you’d like to share. Twitter is a great way to help tell a story, so feel free to be creative and use your sense of humor! Greater Kennedy Plaza’s Twitter handle is @KennedyPlazaPVD. Please include our handle when tweeting about your experience. We just might retweet you to our fans!
SHARE PHOTOGRAPHS Upload your photos in the Greater Kennedy Plaza Flickr Pool, a digital gallery that provides Greater Kennedy Plaza fans near and far the opportunity to experience downtown Providence, even when they’re not able to come out and visit. Upload your photos into the pool. You can access the pool via this link: https://www.flickr.com/groups/1069682@N24/ SHARE STORIES One of the best parts of volunteering for Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy is the anecdotes, fond memories, and interesting insights you gain while working in Greater Kennedy Plaza. Email your stories to [email protected] and we’ll post your comments on the GKP blog and DPPC’s social media channels. If you have any questions about how you can share your story, reach out to Liam Blank at [email protected].
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VOLUNTEER POLICIES, PROCEDURES & CODE OF CONDUCT This code of conduct is written to provide overall guidance and direction to volunteers and staff engaged in volunteer and management efforts. These policies do not constitute, either implicitly or explicitly, a binding contract or employment agreement. Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy (“DPPC”) reserves the exclusive right to change any of these policies at any time and to expect adherence to the changed policy. Changes to or exceptions from these policies may only be granted by the Program Manager, Jennifer Smith, and must be obtained in advance and in writing. DEFINITION OF VOLUNTEER A volunteer is anyone who, without compensation or expectation of compensation beyond reimbursement of expenses, performs a task at the direction of and on behalf of DPPC. A volunteer must be officially accepted and enrolled by DPPC prior to performance of the task. Unless specifically stated, volunteers shall not be considered employees of DPPC. REPRESENTATION OF DPPC Volunteers are asked to not contact other organizations or individuals on behalf of DPPC or to respond to inquiries regarding DPPC unless they are given express directions to do so by DPPC. Prior to any action or statement that might affect or obligate GKP, volunteers should seek approval from appropriate staff. Actions requiring prior approval of GKP staff may include, but are not limited to, public statements to the press, coalition or lobbying efforts with other organizations, or any agreements involving contractual or other financial obligations. CONFIDENTIALITY Volunteers are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of all propriety or privileged information to which they are exposed while serving as a volunteer, whether this information involves a staff member, volunteer, client, or other person or involves overall DPPC business. If the volunteer has questions about whether certain information is confidential, he/she should contact his/her manager. SCREENING/REFERENCE CHECKS For some tasks, or as a precursor to being selected as a volunteer, volunteers may be required to submit professional references and/or samples of work. If a volunteer’s position requires a background check, including a criminal background check, he or she will be notified. OWNERSHIP Material produced by volunteers for DPPC including, but not limited to, graphics materials, Web page designs, narratives, research, compilations, instructional texts, etc. becomes property of DPPC upon submission. ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY As a volunteer, please be conscientious about your attendance and punctuality. You are part of a team, and timely performance and availability are important elements in fulfilling our mission. Volunteers should make every effort to maintain all scheduled appointments and/or meetings. Occasionally, of course, you may be ill, injured, or have an unanticipated situation arise that prevents you from performing your responsibilities for DPPC or that causes you to be late. In this case, please contact the Program Manager or the Senior Park Ambassador as soon as practically possible to provide notification of your absence or lateness and the date and time you expect to be able to return to performing your responsibilities for DPPC. Please advise the Program Manager and the Senior Park Ambassador of any anticipated absences, such as vacation, personal business, etc., with as much advance notice as possible.
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TECHNOLOGY DPPC prohibits the use of computers and the computer system in ways that are disruptive, offensive to others, or harmful to morale. For example, the display or transmission of sexually explicit images, messages, and cartoons is strictly prohibited. Other such misuse includes, but is not limited to, ethnic slurs, racial comments, off-‐color jokes, or anything that may be construed as harassment, discrimination, or showing disrespect for others. Email may not be used to solicit others for commercial ventures, religious or political causes, outside organizations, or other non-‐business matters. VOLUNTEER FILES It is the responsibility of each volunteer to promptly notify DPPC of any changes in personal data such as personal mailing addresses, telephone number(s), and individuals to be contacted in the event of any emergency. ANTI-‐HARASSMENT/ANTI-‐DISCRIMINATION DPPC strives to maintain a workplace free from harassment and discrimination of any kind. DPPC strictly prohibits its staff and volunteers from engaging in any discriminatory or harassing behavior based on race, age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, disability, or any other category protected by law. If a volunteer feels that he or she has been subject to any discriminatory or harassing behavior, please report it immediately to the Program Manager or the Senior Park Ambassador. USE OF ALCOHOL OR DRUGS The use of alcohol or drugs by a volunteer when volunteering for Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy is strictly prohibited. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in immediate termination. REPORTING Volunteers should report questions, concerns, and complaints to the Program Manager or the Senior Park Ambassador. Reporting of criminal or emergency incidents should be written and/or documented as soon as possible and turned into the Program Manager. TERMINATION OF THE VOLUNTEER RELATIONSHIP Volunteers may be asked to leave DPPC at any time, for any reason, including failure to follow these policies, misconduct or insubordination, theft of property, misuse of DPPC materials, abuse of mistreatment of clients, staff, or other volunteers, or failure to satisfactorily perform assigned duties. Volunteers may terminate their relationship with DPPC at any time, for any reason. We would appreciate as much advance notice as possible so that services and operations are not interrupted.
