Would you like to take part in the Amsterdam City Swim on Sunday 3rd September, but dry land is more your thing than being in the water? Then make a difference and sign up as an Amsterdam City Swim volunteer. We cannot say it often enough; you are indispensable!

What makes it fun to be a volunteer at Amsterdam City Swim?  

• You participate in an amazing (international) event.
• You contribute to the fight against ALS.
• You receive a packed lunch and of course coffee, tea or soft drinks during the event.
• You will receive a thank-you note to take home as an appreciation of your efforts.
• You are welcome at the afterparty at the Marineterrein to end the day together!

Different functions

We have many great positions available in various teams so there is something for all skills! See below the discriptions of the several positions. Everyone is welcome and your invaluable help is needed to make the event a success!

Additional questionnaire

In May, you will receive an additional questionnaire from us so that we can find out more about you and your preferences. This is when you can tell us if you are coming with someone else, which shift you’d like to be involved with and how you will travel to the event. This means we can take into you into account when we are assigning roles. We will try to accommodate your preferences as much as possible.

What working hours can you anticipate?

• Working hours for the shifts are between 4 and 8 hours.
• We work different shifts:
  • Most shifts start around 9am and last until around 5pm.
  • There are also shifts that start earlier: from 7.30am.
  • The last shift is from 11am to 7.30pm.
• In between there is a (lunch) break.

Action page

Every volunteer gets their own action page. With this, you can also raise money for charity. This is not obligatory because we are already very happy with your contribution as a volunteer. But every extra euro for the fight against ALS counts towards finding a solution!

Points of attention

• The minimum age to volunteer at ACS is 16 years old. For some volunteer positions (such as supervisor and first aider) you must be at least 18 years old.
• As a volunteer, you will not receive any compensation for your time invested. However, you can claim any travel expenses you have incurred. You will receive a claim form on the day itself.
• We would like to count on your commitment after registering as an ACS volunteer. In the unlikely event that something happens that forces you to cancel, please let us know as soon as possible so we can take this into account in our planning.

In short, we hope to organise another great event this year and bring it to life with our many enthusiastic volunteers.

Thanks in advance for your application!

Positions discriptions

Start or finish area
If you are working in the start or finish area you will help the organization and swimmers with everything to get everyone in or out of the water properly. This consists of many different parts:

Start – there a the swimmers! On the canal, ready to jump into the water. Possibly a little tense for what they are about to do. You, as a volunteer, will help on the route from the bus to the starting pontoon, give the swimmers last good luck wishes, check start numbers, collect flip-flops, etc.

Finish - there they are, the swimmers after they completed the 2km. They have crossed the finish line. What a relief. You make sure they get out of the water safely and then get a rest. They are then escorted across the pontoon towards the changing rooms. Along the way they receive a bathrobe, towel, banana, water and medals handed out by you. You will guide them in the right direction (walk through and avoid congestion) and, of course, supplies must also be provided.

Supervisor
To ensure the safety of the swimmers, there will be several volunteers along the entire route of the swim to keep an eye on the swimmers at tactical places. As such, you will remain in the spot assigned to you so that we can ensure coverage of the entire route.

As a supervisor, your job is to keep an eye on the safety of swimmers from the first swimmer to the last. The moment a swimmer gets into trouble and you see this, you take action (e.g. by blowing your whistle) so that the danger is removed. For this you work closely with your fellow supervisors, the lifeguards in the water, the first aid stations and the security guards along the shore. 

Junior swim assistant
You will supervise the Junior Swim on this day. The children between the ages of 10 and 14 who participate in the Junior Swim swim 700 meters through the canals. They are required to swim together with a supervisor. As a volunteer on this team, you will make sure that the group goes from the MEA grounds via the Maritime Museum to the starting pontoon and that everyone enters the water safely. You may also take on another position in the afternoon after this position.

Hospitality team
Within the hospitality team are several positions that are filled by volunteers. These are all located in/around the MEA grounds. See here some of the positions (you may alternate between several positions): welcoming everyone at the entrance gates and ticket scanning, managing crew area, managing registration desk, catering support or bus coordination.

Patient guidance
You will accompany patients on this day during their participation or visit to the Amsterdam City Swim. This means that you accompany patients upon arrival to enter the grounds, to the start and to and from the dock at the finish. Patients themselves always have one or more attendants/introducers with them. That means you supplement where needed and make sure they get around and enjoy themselves as much as possible.

Runner (flex team)
If you want to volunteer as a runner you will be part of the flex team. This means that you are multi-deployable during the day and will run where necessary, a very important role! It may happen that you fulfill multiple functions. 

FIRST AID
If you apply for the first aid function, you will support the first aid personnel who are also present at the various first aid points. These points are along the route and also at the rest pontoons in the water.

It is your job to work with the first-aid personnel to ensure that swimmers' conditions do not deteriorate and where possible improve. Food and drinks are available at the first aid points if a participant needs them. Sometimes an uplifting word is also sufficient!

So you do not have to have first aid experience, but it would be nice.