27th Illawarra Folk Festival 12-15 January 2012

Volunteer Application & Registration

Applications to volunteer are now open.
Volunteers are encouraged to apply early to allow time for rosters to be drawn and people notified.

Please read through the information on this website and then proceed to fill in the on-line form below.

Further enquiries with Volunteer Manager at - volunteer@illawarrafolkfestival.com.au phone 1300 887 034

If you would like to be involved in the Steering Committee then contact Russell Hannah, info@illawarrafolkclub.org.au: PO Box 5289, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia.

About the Festival

The 27th Illawarra Folk Festival will be the seventh held at the Bulli Showground, 15km north of Wollongong and 70km south of Sydney.

The Festival is organised by an organising committee of around 35 volunteers from the Illawarra Folk Club Inc. They work for around 10 months of the year preparing the festival. The members of the committee are folk musicians, dancers, poets, storytellers and anyone interested in presenting a unique cultural and fun event!

The Festival aims to present Australian and world folk music, song, dance, poetry and yarn spinning. There is a large emphasis on participatory events such as sessions, workshops and theme concerts. Generally there are around 350 events in 12 venues over 4 days from Thursday to Sunday.

Why Volunteer?

Ask any of our return volunteers why and you'll be amazed at the range of answers. Mostly it's because you cross over from being an audience member to being part of the festival. You are not just being there, you are making it happen.

The friendships, the camaraderie, the sense of community, the shared laughter, that come out of working at the festival more than compensates for giving up a few hours out of each day listening, dancing or watching. There are plenty of opportunities to learn new skills or pass on knowledge.

We need around 250 volunteers to help set-up, run and pack-down the festival. You can either become a Full Volunteer (provide a minimum of 12 hours) and receive the benefits below. Alternatively, if you just want to give a couple of hours then we'd still be happy to have you! We also have Senior Volunteer positions that have supervisory roles usually looking after a team of volunteers. To recognise the extra effort that these positions entail, in addition to the normal volunteer rewards we offer our special Festival Pack of goodies.

Click here to see the Job Descriptions.

Please note that this is an application only and may not guarantee that you are accepted as a volunteer. We may carry out an interview to assist with the selection process.

We will hope to advise successful volunteer applicants by mid-December.

We aim to complete rosters by the end of December.

If you have difficulty in filling in the form then contact the Volunteer Manager at volunteer@illawarrafolkfestival.com.au or phone 1300 887 034

Full Volunteer Benefits

To become a full volunteer and receive all the benefits you will need to provide 12 hours or more at the festival, while a senior volunteer will be expected to contribute more hours. The benefits to becoming a full volunteer are:

Illawarra Folk Festival Volunteer Code of Conduct

As a volunteer at the Illawarra Folk Festival, we contribute to the success of the Festival by:

On-Line Form Instructions

This is an electronic form. Please fill in each appropriate section then click the Apply to Volunteer button.

It is important to provide as much of the information requested as you can as it assists our Volunteers in assessing the application and communicating with you.

Your registration will be received by the Volunteer Manager who will assign you to a team, depending on your preferences and experience as well as our needs. The leader of the team to which you are assigned will be your supervisor and will inform you of your shifts.

We've provided instructions for each question, so please read them.  When you click the Apply to Volunteer button, our website will check the form, then send it to us.

If you supply an email address, then we'll send you a confirmation of your registration.  Please check that you've given us your correct email address.

You can register as both a performer and a volunteer; if you would like to do this, please register as a performer first, then return to this form to register as a volunteer.

Type of volunteer:
Tell us what type of tasks you're good at. Just click on the box you would like to select. You can select more than one job!		 HOURS AVAILABLE TO VOLUNTEER

I would like to contribute 12 hours and be a Full Festival Volunteer

I would like to contribute more than 12 hours

I would like to contribute less than 12 hours, please indicate how many (2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 hours):

I would like to be part of the Site Management Team during the Festival. This involves more responsibility, team leadership skills and a work ethic!

JOBS AT THE FESTIVAL

Please number preferences for all the tasks you would be willing to do. (i.e. 1,2,3,4, etc.)  You can number as many tasks as you like. Your application will be passed onto the team leaders for assessment and selection.

Important: please enter your first preference as 1, your second preference as 2, and so on. Entering 1 many times or 2 many times is not helpful!

  SET-UP TEAM. Setup starts on Tuesday and continues till Friday. This requires physical effort and we welcome tradespersons especially carpenters and electricians.

  PACK-DOWN TEAM. Packdown occurs on Monday from early in the morning and requires physical effort.

  SHIFT MANAGEMENT AND PATRON SUPPORT. Work with the Site Manager during the Festival and do whatever to make sure the show goes on by working with the Flying Gang! Hours: Wednesday evening to Sunday evening.

  STAGE (MC) TEAM. Be an MC and manage the stage area and the venue liaising with artists, sound persons and the Production Team. Hours: Thursday evening to Sunday.

  TRAFFIC & PARKING TEAM Help with gate control, driving vehicles, traffic and parking management. Hours Thursday afternoon to Sunday evening.

  FESTIVAL OFFICE TEAM. Sell Fetival tickets, provide information. Hours: Wednesday lunchtime to Sunday afternoon.

  CAMPING TEAM. Help setup and operate the camping area inside the Showground. Hours: SETUP - Tuesday/Wednesday, OPERATIONS - Wednesday to Saturday

  ARTISTIC TEAM. Help decorate and make the festival festive! Hours: Setup - Wednesday to Friday, Packup - Monday).

  BAR TEAM. Be part of the Festival bar and serve drinks. Requires a RSA qualification.

  CHAI LOUNGE AND WINE BAR. Serve food and drinks at the Chai Lounge in the Nag's Lounge, retail experience is helpful.

  RECYCLING TEAM. Be part of the team recycling waste. Hours: SETUP - Wednesday, Thursday. OPERATIONS - Thursday evening to Monday morning.

  MERCHANDISE SHOP. Sell Festival and performers merchandise such as T-Shirts, CDs, books. Retail experience is helpful. Hours: Thursday afternoon to Sunday evening.

  INSTRUMENT LOCK-UP. Help with performer's instruments storage. Hours: Thursday afternoon to Sunday evening.

  PERFORMER / VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION. Register performers and volunteers at the Festival Office when they arrive. Hours: Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.

  FOLK SCHOOL. Assist in administration of various classes related to music, i.e. Autoharp, song writing. Operates on Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th January.

  ELECTRICS. Organising all the electrical cabeling that makes the festival work.

  MARKETING. Promoting and advertising the festival.

  SOUND. Working with the music team to manage the many sound mixers etc.

  SIGNAGE. Design, production or purchase of various signs for both advertising and internal directions.

  MUSIC TRAIN. Helping to organize the music train that travels from Sydney Central to Bulli over the weekend.

  OTHER. If there is an area not mentioned for which you would like to volunteer, please list the tasks you feel you are good at.

Examples: traffic control, sound engineer, crowd control, gopher, parking attendant, bus/commercial driver, media liaison, carpentry, electrical work, working with children

JOIN THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE?

 I would like to be more involved in the overall organisation of the festival during the year. General Committee Meetings are held monthly.
Why would you like to volunteer?

What experience do you have with volunteering?

Have you ever worked at the Illawarra Folk Festival ? If so, what work did you do?

What medical conditions do you have that might affect any physical activity as a volunteer?
(If you don't have any, please answer "none")

Do you have a First Aid or greater qualification (please specify)?
(If you don't have any qualification, please answer "none")

If so, are you prepared to be available during the festival in that capacity?  Yes    No

What other qualifications do you have? Please provide details.

 Driving (Class 2 or higher)

 Responsible service of Alcohol (RSA)

 Trades

 Working with children

 Other - please specify

Name:
(Please provide your name.)		  

Example: "Mary Sommerville"
Address:
(Please provide your postal address.)		 Line 1: No & Street or PO Box
Line 2: City / Town
Line 3: State
Postal or Zip Code:
Contact:
(Please provide your contact phone number(s).)		 Home:
Work:
Mobile:
Email Address:
(Please provide your email address.)
Example: myname@myisp.com.au
Are you also a performer?
(If you're also a performer, please tell us which registered performers you are with.  If you're a solo performer, tell us the name under which you've registered.  If you're not a performer, please skip this question.)

Examples: "John's Flying Flea Spectacular, Mary Sommerville (solo)"
Availability:
The Festival starts Thursday evening with a concert and Tripe Eaters Concert. The festival starts in earnest from Friday morning and finishes Sunday evening.   Please specify when you are available each day.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are set-up days and Monday is pack-up day.

Please select a choice from the drop down menu and/or provide detailed information in the box next to it.

Examples:

"All day", "After 9pm", "Between 12noon and 3pm"
If not available for that day select 'Not available'.
If available all day select 'ALL DAY'

 Tuesday 10 January 2012 - Set-up Day 1, starts at 9am, finishes by 5pm
Available: Additional information
Wednesday 11 January 2012 - Set-Up Day 2, starts at 9am, finishes by 5pm. Festival Office opens at 2pm.
Available: Additional information
Thursday 12 January 2012 - Set-Up Day 3 / Festival starts from 2pm / Festival Office opens at 11am
Available: Additional information
Friday 13 January 2012 - Festival day / Festival Office opens at 8am
Available: Additional information
Saturday 14 January 2012 - Festival day/ Festival Office opens at 8am
Available: Additional information
Sunday 15 January 2012 - Festival Day/ Festival Office opens at 8am
Available: Additional information
Monday 16 January 2012 - Pack up Day, starts at 9am, finishes by 6pm
Available: Additional information
Camping:

If you require a camping site, please select the type.

  No Campsite Required
 Area A Sites - LARGE/SMALL TENT or CAMPERVAN CAMPSITE ONLY [Size 5.5m x 6m]
 Area B Sites - SMALL TENT CAMPSITE ONLY [Size 4.5m x 6m]
 Area C Sites - CARAVAN/MOTORHOME CAMPSITE [Size 5.5m x 6m]
Please confirm the following:

I acknowledge by submitting this volunteer application I am agreeing to comply with the Illawarra Folk Festival Code of Conduct (at the start of this webpage) and Terms of Agreement below.

  • I agree to abide by the Code of Conduct
  • I agree to carry out my volunteer tasks according to the rostered hours
  • I agree to contact the Volunteer Co-ordinator as early as possible if circumstances prevent my commencing a shift
  • If I breach the Code of Conduct, I acknowledge I may be relieved of my duties and escorted from the site. Such conduct may also result in denial of future volunteer applications
I am over 18 years of age.
If under 18, please state age and indicate if you have permission from your parents to be involved.
Age: Permission:
Name of parent providing permission:

Would you like a confirmation email:

If you selected Yes, please enter the characters you see in the image.    Why?

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