Apply!

OVERVIEW

Pitch us! Ottawa (de)tours invites proposals

Ottawa (de)tours (www.ottawadetours.ca) is an Ottawa-based walking tour social good company. Building on the success of our third season (see critical response and media coverage here), we are currently gearing up for our fourth season.

Our guides lead small groups on leisurely walks around central Ottawa streets with significance for a particular theme, and facilitate discussion on current and future issues relating to the topic in question.

Tours run once per week (or as warranted by demand and guide availability), during the nice weather season (April-October). Each tour typically lasts about an hour to 90 minutes. Groups then continue their discussions at local cafes, restaurants, outdoors, etc. We encourage our participants to explore ideas through a variety of lenses, as well as to consider potential models for change.

Our Organization

Founded in 2014, Ottawa (de)tours uses walking tours to spark conversations on contemporary issues. Our 2014 roster consisted of 4 themes: Money, Food, Feminism and Play), along with some special edition seminars led by partner organizations (e.g. Hidden Harvest). Our 2015 season added 5 more walks: Branding, Brutalism, Urban Planning, Science, and the Mall, some of them experimenting with the walking tour medium itself (e.g. the Mall tour ran as an audio ‘podplay’, while the Urban Planning tour was designed as a running tour), and in 2016, we introduced our Citizen (de)tour to our roster.

Sound like fun? Join us!

We would like to see a diverse set of proposals, about one or more of the following: arts, culture, democracy, economics, finance, health, human rights, international affairs, journalism, media, militarism, peace-building, public institutions, the press, religion, security, or anything that fits with Ottawa’s downtown and which may be relevant for a great discussion. We are very open to various themes. In particular, we’re hoping to put together walks on the following topics: “Canada’s democracy: the vanishing Canadian citizen”; “How to be invisible: surveillance in the age of the CCTV era”.

Please select the proposal application below, if you wish to design a (de)tour with us, or select the guide application, if you would like to be considered as a (de)tours guide. Select both if you wish to design and guide a (de)tour (our preferred choice, by far!).

Note: While the preferred ‘window’ for designing and testing (de)tours is early in the year each year (February-April/May), we do not want that to stop you from applying, either as a tour guide or a potential (de)tour conceptual tour designer. We are very happy to begin beta-testing and piloting new tours at all times of the year, fully knowing that a good tour, just like a good course or a good book, might take months (or years) to perfect.

Ottawa (de)tours proposal application. Please fill out the following sections:

(max 100 words)

Note that the sketch must be geographically realistic within an approximately 2km walking radius around Ottawa’s downtown (max 200 words)

(max 200 words)

Note: Should we find the topic intriguing, we will work with you to develop the idea further and find suitable guides to bring it to life.

Ottawa (de)tours guide application . Please fill out the following sections:

(max 100 words)

(max 100 words)

Responsibilities:

  • Lead walking seminars on one or more topics once per week during May-late October 2017. Greet clients, share expertise, guide discussions, and recommend articles and follow-up activities as appropriate
  • During the walking seminars and related meals or other café discussions, facilitate conversations among clients on topics of interest
  • Provide exceptional customer service, and work closely with the Ottawa (de)tours team to provide client support as required.

Benefits:

  • Contribute to new approaches to understanding current public policy issues
  • Gain experience in working with a dynamic social enterprise
  • Scheduling can be flexible to accommodate other projects.

Commitment:

  • This is a seasonal commitment. Walking seminar leaders will be invited to sign employment contracts for the duration of the tourist season. Remuneration will be provided on a per-tour basis.
  • Guides commit to being available on pre-arranged tour dates. Should an adequate number of participants not make a booking, the walking seminar in question will be cancelled. Ample notice will be provided to our guides.

Email and phone number (or at least one of those)

Browse...

Maximum size 10MB. Accepted formats: .pdf, .doc, .docx.

Application deadline: March 20, 2017.

Submissions will be reviewed in early April, with tour beta testing happening in mid-late April, for a May launch. We will contact only those selected for beta testing. Thank you in advance for your interest in Ottawa (de)tours.

For more information, please contact Dan Monafu, co-founder Ottawa (de)tours at [email protected].

Please wait...