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.

We also host Group Social Events where volunteers can also help out as "GSS" volunteers.

*this form is for both "Gig Buddy" volunteers and "Group Social Support" (GSS) volunteers.

If you are looking to volunteer as a GSS and you have already filled out an application form to be a gig buddy, please contact us and we will give you more info about the GSS role.

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

For "Buddy" volunteers:

12 Month Commitment
If you are paired with a gig buddy, we will ask you to commit to being a gig buddy volunteer for a minimum of 12 months, and attend an event or gig (or activity, or just hang-out) with their gig buddy at least once a month.
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).
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.

For "Buddy" volunteers and "Group Social Support" volunteers

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old
Volunteers and participants in the Gig Buddies project are all at least 18 years old.
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.
Auto save
This document will automatically save each time you select the "Next" button. Although it may take about 15 minutes to complete, you can exit after any save and pick up where you left off by entering your email address on this page.
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 21 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.

Privacy and Confidentiality Statement

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

If you are returning to this form, please enter the email address you previously used and you will be taken to the section where you left off.

Your Email Address

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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

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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.

Full Name

*Please enter your full legal name i.e. First and Last names

Preferred name

*Please enter your first name or the name you liked to be addressed by (i.e. shortened variation of your 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)

Which most accurately describes you?

Man Woman Non-binary Let me type (in the next field)

Date of Birth

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Emergency Contact

Full Name

Relationship to You

Telephone

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Volunteering as a "Gig Buddy"

(regularly catching up with an adult with learning disability and/or autism once a month)

Do you feel able to commit to one outing a month with a "gig buddy"? (for at least one year)

Yes No Maybe

How far are you willing to travel to meet with your buddy ?

If you have no idea how far 5km, 10km or 20km is, you can use this handy website [CLICK HERE] to calculate distances from where you live.

Or, you can just tell us the name of the suburbs or areas that you're willing to travel to.

*We will try to match you with a buddy who lives nearby so it's easy for you to catch up together.

Volunteers are not expected to drive (but may choose to do so)

Where possible, public transport is encouraged.

Volunteering as a "Group Social Support" volunteer

(assist the Gig Buddies team at a group activity or event)

Group Social Support Volunteer

As well as the "buddying" volunteer role, there is another volunteering role called a "Group Social Support" (GSS) volunteer.

As a Gig Buddies GSS volunteer you will assist Gig Buddies staff at a group activity or event.

As a GSS volunteer you will require the same training as a "buddy" volunteer.

Please note: Given that the Group Social Support position is limited, we can't guarantee that you will be selected for this role - however we would strongly encourage you to also consider being a "Gig Buddy" volunteer.

Would you also like to sign up as a "Group Social Support" volunteer?

I only want to be a "Gig Buddy" volunteer I only want to help out at group socials and not be a "Gig Buddy" Please sign me up for both "Gig Buddy" AND "GSS" volunteer roles

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What genres of music do you like ?

Please also list any specific artists, bands and types of events you like ? (and/or your favourite genre/band not listed above)

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What are your hobbies/interests ?

Your hobbies/interests can include activities you like to do and things you find interesting, such as; bush walking, science fiction, politics, star gazing, train spotting, cars, motorbikes, planes, knitting, bike riding, types of movies, podcasts you listen to, travelling, swimming, surfing, computer games, cooking, baking, art and craft etc...

Tip - You can add things that you have always wanted to do!!

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

Yes No

Please tick any sports you are interested in:

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

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Criminal Convictions

The Gig Buddies project needs to make sure that all our volunteers are safe to work with people with learning disability - all information you give will be treated confidentially.
If your volunteer application is successful and we find you a Gig Buddy, you will then be asked to get an NDIS Workers Screening Check (free for volunteeers). The Gig Buddies team can provide assistance with this process if needed.

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

Yes No

If yes, please give details

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We welcome volunteers from all different backgrounds; whether you have lived experience or you are new to this space, everyone has something valuable to offer!

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 ?

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

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

There will be more scenarios in volunteer training to help prepare you for your buddy pairing

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 ?

You and your buddy are out at a bar. There is a group of people your age sitting close by, laughing and enjoying themselves. Some of their friends have just left and there are a couple of chairs available. Your buddy tells you they want to go and try to make friends with the group; how would you empower them to do this?

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

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More about you...

How did you find out about Gig Buddies? e.g. friend, Google, Seek, newsletter, poster

If your friend is a current volunteer or gig buddy, please enter their name above so we can thank them!

Have you done any volunteer work before ?

Yes No

If Yes, where have you volunteered?

What Social Media do you use ?

Do you follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X) or YouTube ?

Do you identify as having a disability or as being neurodivergent?

Do you currently have any friends, colleagues or family who identify as having a disability or as being neurodivergent?

Do you have a preferred gender to be paired with ?

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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 Maybe - I will decide later

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

Yes No Maybe - I will decide later

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.

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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.

If your referee in unresponsive they may be contacted by phone or text.

Referee 1

Full Name

Relationship to You

Email

Telephone

Referee 2

Full Name

Relationship to You

Email

Telephone

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Do you have any questions?

Confidentiality

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.

COVID-19

Vaccines are no longer mandatory for Gig Buddies volunteers, but project participants (adult with a disability) have the right to decide if their volunteer buddy must be vaccinated or not.

Current NSW and Federal government health policies recommend that disability health professionals (including volunteers) are triple vaccinated against COVID-19.

References

An automated email will be sent to your referees when you submit this form.

If all information you have provided is true and correct and you agree to our confidentiality and reference statements above, please select "I Agree" below and then click the green "Submit Application" button.

I agree