Volunteer Information

Camping

If you are working 20 hours or more, you are entitled to camp on site, for free. You can camp in any of the public camping areas, with friends.

If you are under the age of 18, you will not be permitted to camp unless you are camping with a responsible adult. After you are accepted as a volunteer you will receive a form that needs to be signed by the responsible adult who you will be camping with. This form then needs to be returned to the HR Manager.

Disabled Volunteers

Most of the Festival is accessible by people with disabilities, as are most volunteer jobs. Please let your coordinator know if you have special requirements or need wheelchair access. And for more information on services for disabled people at the Festival see the Disability Services page.

Dismissal

All volunteers are expected to behave in a suitable manner at all times. If any volunteer behaves in a manner that is; dangerous, harmful, contrary to the Code of Conduct or is otherwise illegal or inappropriate, dismissal may take place immediately

Entry - Festival Registration

All volunteers need to enter the Festival through Festival Registration which is located next to the Gate 7 Ticket Office off Wells Station Road. There is plenty of parking there. You will need to present photo ID to get your name checked off the lists, receive your name tag, badge, free program, and parking passes. You can then gain entry to the site to camp

Feedback and Debriefings

Volunteers get a comprehensive experience of the Festival and we are always interested in your ideas and suggestions about how we can improve things. This can be specifically to do with your experience as a volunteer or about the festival in general. Formal debriefing sessions with Coordinators are held in Canberra about 8 weeks after the festival, you can ask your Coordinator to include your feedback in their debrief. Feedback sheets and a suggestions box are setup in the Festival Office, or you can fax, or email your feedback to us any time of the year.

Festival Office Phone: 6262 4792

Located in the A frame building that says CONFERENCE CENTRE. This is the main hub of the Festival. It’s where to go if you’ve found lost children, if you’ve found lost performers, and most other possible dramas or events. Head here if you need someone to take action or make a decision. It’s worth while knowing how to point people to it, because if you are wearing a volunteer badge, festival goers will expect some sense from you.

Information Manuals

All coordinators and some shift managers have been given an information manual that will be kept in an appropriate area. If you need answers to strange questions, like “What number bus do I catch?” etc, most are answered in the manual. The Festival Office is also there to answer these sorts of questions, and they hold a folder with the manual and more detailed information available.

Maps

A site map is included in your final program. A great reason not to lose it.

Media Contact

Volunteers should not represent themselves as spokespersons or representatives of the National Folk Festival under any circumstances. All media inquiries should be directed to the Managing Director, Artistic Director and/or PR Team.

Name Tags

All volunteers who are on a roster are issued with a name tag. This gives your name and the area in which you are volunteering. Especially in restricted areas, this badge is the one that you will need to have, to identify yourself to stage officials, to security, to the office etc. You will also need this to access the Volunteer Kitchen and other activities like the Volunteer Party on the Monday night.

Parking

Free Parking is available near Festival Registration off Wells Station Road. Volunteers who are camping may park along side their sites, though car space is limited. Be prepared for the instance that you may not be able to park in the campground. Campers may need to show gatekeepers their camping equipment to gain a camping pass and access to camping areas.

Photo ID

You will need to present Photo ID (driver’s license, school or Uni ID card, passport etc) when you check in through Festival Registration to collect your wristband and volunteer package.

Record Keeping

Volunteer Records are kept to assist the Festival in maintaining an effective volunteer program and for insurance purposes. Volunteer records are stored in a locked filing cabinet and in a password protected electronic file. The file may be viewed in the presence of the Human Resources Manager and shall not be removed from the office. All information is maintained confidentially. No information is shared or sold on to other organisations.

Time Sheets

For insurance purposes you must sign on and off a timesheet whenever you work. The Festival then has a record of when you were working and for how long. It’s for your protection as well as informing us that you completed your 20 hours.

Ticket Refunds

If you are working on the Clean Up team you are required to pre-purchase a ticket, which will then be refunded on completion of your hours. Likewise, if you come on board as a Volunteer in the Top Up Team (during the Festival) and complete the required hours, you are also entitled to a ticket refund. All refund requests must be received by 31 May, the year of the Festival worked, and must be submitted on the ticket refund application form. Please make sure you attach your wristband, proof of purchase and timesheet signed by a Coordinator or Shift Manager. Refund requests submitted after this date or which do not meet the supporting documentation requirements will not be considered.

Underage Drinking

…is illegal and puts the Festival and bar volunteers at risk of incurring huge fines. If you are a volunteer, and under-age, please don’t even try to buy drinks. It’s not fair to put that pressure on the volunteer bar staff, who will have to ask you for ID and refuse you.

Volunteer Centre

The beating heart of our festival is our Volunteer Centre. Located upstairs in the Terrace Restaurant, this is where you can get free tea, coffee, and cheap wholesome meals. It is where you can rest, meet up with friends, sleep if you have to, and of course, eat. The Centre is only for Volunteers, not family members, friends or performers.

Unlike previous years the Volunteer Centre will be run differently in 2010.  New venue and professional caterers will provide an allocated number of meals each day.  Meal times are Breakfast 7am to 9:30, Lunch 12 to 2:30, Dinner 5 to 7:30, or until food runs out.  The Volunteer Centre is intended to provide one meal per shift, so please don’t abuse this service - we don’t want anyone going hungry!  Coffee and tea will be available from 7am until 11pm at no charge.

Withdrawal: I can’t make my shifts - what do I do?

Life tends to happen, even when a folk festival is on, so if something prevents you from attending the Festival then we’ll just have to cope without you, but we will miss you. We have a limit on how many volunteers we can recruit, so if you have to withdraw, then it will be VERY helpful, if you could let us know. (So we can organise a replacement). And if you organise your own replacement, we will need to know to put their name on the volunteer list. The best way is to call your Coordinator, or the Festival Office on 6262 4792 and they will relay the message to the relevant volunteer Coordinator.

We want you to have fun….

…whilst respecting others. How volunteers behave influences how Festival goers see the Festival. Please laugh, hug, be musical, be joyous, be friendly, be courteous, bea-utiful, be good.