Gigbuddies Form

Welcome to the Gig Buddies Sydney Volunteer application form.

**Please take a few moments to read the Gig Buddies FAQ and About Us before starting**

Gig Buddies pairs people with a learning disability with volunteers to regularly go to gigs and other events together.

ALL VOLUNTEERS - PLEASE READ THE POINTS BELOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VOLUNTEER APPLICATION

Finding you a Gig Buddy can take time
We will try to match you with a participant (Gig Buddy) based on factors such as your music tastes, hobbies and mutual interests, geographical location and age. The more volunteers we have on file, the more likely we are to find volunteers who can be buddies for our participants. So please continue filling in this form and help us address social isolation for people with a learning disability.
We may not find you a Gig Buddy
Don't take it personally! We only want the best for our participants, so we will only pair you with somebody with similar interests (and other factors such as age and locality).
Auto save
This document will automatically save each time you select the "Next" button. Although it may take about 20 minutes to complete, you can exit after any save and pick up where you left off by entering your email address on this page.
Referees
Later in this form you will need to supply 2 email addresses for people who are not family members (work colleagues, employers, employees, family friends etc) who we will ask to provide a reference for you.
12 Month Commitment
If you are paired with a participant, we will ask you to commit to being a gig buddy for a minimum of 12 months, and attend an event or gig with their gig buddy at least once a month.
Paying for gigs
As you would in your other friendships, participants and volunteers pay for their own tickets, food, drinks etc.
In the case where a participant has a NSW Companion Card, volunteers may get a free or heavily discounted ticket.
Gig Buddies takes care to pair you with someone who wants to do and go to the same things as you.
Volunteers must be at least 18 years old
Volunteers and participants in the Gig Buddies project are all at least 18 years old.
Volunteers must be vaccinated against COVID-19
Gig Buddies volunteers are regarded as non-paid employees working with an adult with a disability, therefore they are subject to the Public Health Order (PHO) mandating vaccinations* for workers providing disability services. An exception will be made if you have a medical contraindication certificate from a medical practitioner. (*two doses and a third booster of a COVID-19 vaccine at the time of being paired with your buddy)
Read NSW Public Health Order Here
Take your time!
You can come back to this application form later*. Just come back to this page and enter your email address below to continue your application from where you left it.
*due to data retention laws, your profile and entered data will be deleted if your form is not completed within 7 days.

If you have any questions, issues or feedback regarding this form please email Gig Buddies - info@gigbuddiessydney.org

*This volunteer application was created in collaboration with the "Soul Fly Band", our user led service group.

ACL Disability Services and the Gig Buddies team are committed to taking all reasonable steps in order to protect your privacy and personal information from misuse, loss or unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Personal data access is restricted to Gig Buddies personnel. Your name will not be used in any data results that are collated by ACL Disability Services and will not be shared with any third parties. Your data is saved to our secure database at each stage of the form. Contact ACL Disability Services (02 9419 6951 or info@gigbuddiessydney.org) if you would like your data permanently removed from the database.

BY ENTERING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS BELOW AND CLICKING "NEXT" YOU AGREE TO THE ABOVE STATEMENT

Your Email Address

Would you like to keep up-to-date with the latest Gig Buddies news?

Yes I would like to receive your weekly email newsletter No Thanks

*Gig Buddies posts one email newsletter per week to keep our volunteers and participants up to date with our latest news and events.

Click HERE to subscribe now. (you can unsubscribe at any time!)

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn

Please provide your personal details below.

*Factors such as age, gender and locality are important when matching volunteers with gig buddies participants.

*ACL Disability Services and the Gig Buddies project treat your personal information confidentially and is only used to help us find suitable volunteers for Gig Buddies.

Name

Residential Address

*please include your full residential address including suburb and postcode - Gig Buddies keep this information confidential and it is used only to help in our Gig Buddy matching process.

Telephone (home or mobile)

Gender

Date of Birth

5% complete

What Social Media do you use ?

Do you follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn ?

Are you a Driver ?

Yes No

(If Yes, do you have Access to a Car ?)

Yes No

Don't worry... you don't need to be a driver! Using public transport is just fine.
Some volunteers find it more convenient to use their own vehicle when going out with their buddy.
This is open to discussion between you, your buddy and their support circle.
*Gig Buddies' insurance does not cover a volunteer's vehicle.

Should you be willing to use your own vehicle/mode of transport, how far are you willing to travel ?

Should you be willing to only use public transport, how far are you willing to travel ?

What is your field of work and/or study?

Participants and their families often ask "what does the volunteer do?".

(It's ok if you don't wish to answer this question.)

10% complete

What genres of music do you like ?

Specific artists, bands and types of events you like ? (and/or your favourite genre/band)

15% complete

What are your hobbies/interests ?

Are you interested in going to sporting events with a Buddy?

Yes No

Please tick sports you are interested in:

Please list your favourite sporting teams and other sports you are interested in.

25% complete

Emergency Contact

Name

Relationship to You

Telephone

35% complete

Please provide details of two referees that we can contact to confirm that you will make a great volunteer.

(please choose at least one person who is not a family member. eg. past or present employer, family friend, past or present colleague, fellow student, past or present teacher/lecturer, neighbour). An automated email questionnaire will be sent to your referees when you submit your application.

*Remember, if you need to leave your computer to find your referee's details, you can return to where you left off at anytime by clicking "Become a Gig Buddy Volunteer" on the www.gigbuddiessydney.org website and entering your email address into the first page.

Referee 1

Name

Relationship to You

Email

Telephone

Referee 2

Name

Relationship to You

Email

Telephone

40% complete

Criminal Convictions

The Gig Buddies project needs to make sure that all our volunteers are safe to work with people with a learning disability - all information you give will be treated confidentially.
We will only take into account a criminal record if it could be relevant to your role as a Gig Buddy. If you are unsure, please contact us.
If your volunteer application is successful AND we find you a Gig Buddy, you will need to get an NDIS Workers Screening Check (free for volunteeers). The Gig Buddies team will provide assistance with this process if needed. Alternatively, you may provide a current Police Check if it is less than 3 years old.

Have you ever been convicted of any criminal offence by a court of law ?

Yes No

If yes, please give details

Discrimination and Criminal Convictions

According to the Australian Human Rights Commission's "GUIDELINES FOR THE PREVENTION OF DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT ON THE BASIS OF CRIMINAL RECORD - 2012" (full document link here)

Guideline 7. The relevance of a job applicant’s or employee’s criminal record should be assessed on a case-by-case basis against the inherent requirements of the work he or she would be required to do and the circumstances in which it has to be carried out. A criminal record should not generally be an absolute bar to employment of a person.

42% complete

What made you decide to volunteer for the Gig Buddies project?

45% complete

Can you describe the qualities or skills that you think will be needed in a good buddy and what experience, qualities, skills or interests do you think that you will be able to bring ?

According to our user-led advisory group Soul Fly Band...

55% complete

How often do you go to gig/concerts/theatre etc?

Do you currently have any friends or family who have a learning disability ?

Have you done any volunteer work in Australia before ?

Yes No

If Yes, where have you volunteered?

Where did you hear about us ?

65% complete

Can you give an example of a time when you displayed independence and self-motivation ?

75% complete

Do you feel able to commit to going to at least one outing a month with a person with a learning disability for at least one year ?

Please let us know (above) if you foresee any changes to your availability within the next 12 - 18 months?

According to our user-led advisory group Soul Fly Band

..."it's important to catch up once or twice a month to work out where we'll go. It's also important to be open and have good communication with each other."

Please tell us about your availability to volunteer. Are you able to catch up with a buddy around the following days and times (please tick as many boxes as applicable)?

Weekdays (Monday - Friday: 9am - 12pm) Weekdays (Monday - Friday: 12pm - 5pm) Weekday evenings (Monday - Friday: 5pm - 10pm) Saturday daytime (9am - 5pm) Saturday evening (5pm - 9pm) Saturday evening (9pm - late) Sunday daytime (9am - 5pm) Sunday evening (5pm - onwards)

85% complete

Think about how you can be a great gig buddy in these situations:

* there are no right or wrong answers... just have a go!

Your buddy is paying for a drink, it's $7.00 and they hand the bartender $5. There's a big queue and the bartender looks quite stressed. What would you do ?

Imagine that you have been paired with somebody who seems quite shy and has been on very few nights out. You are going to see a band together and when you get to the entrance, your buddy puts their hands over their ears and starts walking away from the club. What do you do ?

95% complete

You go to pick up your buddy for the second gig you have attended together. The first one had been in a pub that they go to often. This time you are going in to the city. When you get to their house, their keyworker tells you that they are in their room and don't want to come out. What would you do ?

You are on the bus going to see a singer at a small venue. Your buddy tells you that they love to sing and can't wait to sing along. What would you do ?

98% complete

If you have your photo taken at a Gig Buddies event or out with your gig buddy, are you happy for these photos to be used on Gig Buddies' social media or promotional material?

Yes No

Would you be interested in opportunities to help the project in other ways ?

Yes No

Is there anything else that you would like to do to help the project ? eg. helping us promote gig buddies at gigs and events, helping to get in touch with bands for our own events, performance, helping with the future training of volunteers, going into schools to talk about the experience, etc.

If you would like to help the Gig Buddies project find more volunteers, please spread the word. Maybe put up a poster at your workplace, download a pdf of our info booklet, or share one of our stories/blogs on Facebook or Instagram.

Is there anything that you will need support with to be a buddy or anything that you're worried about ? (volunteer training will be provided if you are matched with a buddy!)

All information I have provided is true and correct.

Your information is treated confidentially and will not be sold or given to any third parties.

Information given will be collected and stored on a secure database owned by ACL Disability Services and the Gig Buddies project.

An automated email will be sent to your referees.

I agree