Ultimately Viva La Gong was a very positive experience. I felt both comfortable in this setting but also challenged to a suitable degree.
The feedback I received from the organizers and team leaders was overwhelming positive. The main two we're incredibly thankful for any help and thought I did a great job. Jennifer also remarked at one point that I was the best volunteer/work placement student and that I was very helpful.
Ultimately what I gained from the experience is the power of community events and the hard work a small group of volunteers put in to create something so big. It was truly a tremendous operation with many different spinning parts.
In terms of career and future wise, I had a great chat with Jennifer about the course I was considering doing at University of Wollongong and she said she had previously worked with students from that degree. She also informed me that many people had obtained employment via volunteer work as you gain community connections.
All in all it was a great experience and I am currently considering taking part in Viva La Gong 2014.
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Surveys
While taking surveys I think I gained a resistance to rejection. With things like this you have to keep going, you can't be afraid to ask anybody and everybody. You have to move past that natural hesitation to interrupt peoples day and just say what you have to say. It was a very odd feeling.
Some people were very friendly and supportive which really helped my self esteem when it came to asking people. I really enjoyed chatting to these people and felt that it was a positive experience.
The negative people who either ran, flat out said no or question my motives ultimately equaled a good experience. In the moment it was incredibly nerve racking when someone says to something like "You're going to send me junk mail? I've done this sort of thing before, never again!". That moment feels terrible but you gain perspective, it's not the end of the world when someone you've never met and will never me again rejects you. In that respect it is eye opening.
Day 2
For my second day I began at 4 which was at the time the other work place students were finishing which meant that I was the only person in the area taking surveys. It was an incredibly interesting experience talking to people who I haven't met and asking them to trust me with their emails. All up I got 20 signatures which the organizers described as a decent amount.
The original plans were to take the surveys on smart devices but there were problems with the system and it wasn't working so that was scrapped at the last minute and I instead had a clip board. I walked through the crowds in my green vest saying Viva La Gong on it asking people whether they were having a good time. Many people simply declined, some even ran away. It was a very peculiar thing for people to actively run away from you or flat our deny you.
I mostly took surveys all night and when I finished at ten I had to wait a whole hour to get a bus home. It was wet and cold and not very pleasurable.
The original plans were to take the surveys on smart devices but there were problems with the system and it wasn't working so that was scrapped at the last minute and I instead had a clip board. I walked through the crowds in my green vest saying Viva La Gong on it asking people whether they were having a good time. Many people simply declined, some even ran away. It was a very peculiar thing for people to actively run away from you or flat our deny you.
I mostly took surveys all night and when I finished at ten I had to wait a whole hour to get a bus home. It was wet and cold and not very pleasurable.
Skills
Some of the skills I during my first day are working with others in a community setting, communicating with others and managing different aspects of site marking.
There's also a certain part of the job that requires problem solving. One thing we to accommodate was the stall sizes and needs. Some required a large space others a walkway. It was a delicate puzzle that more than a few times almost got thrown off because of different spacial requirements of stalls. It was very interesting to get them all in place and mark them all out.
Set up the circus tent also gave me some practical skills such as use of power tools and the different ways every structure fits together.
There's also a certain part of the job that requires problem solving. One thing we to accommodate was the stall sizes and needs. Some required a large space others a walkway. It was a delicate puzzle that more than a few times almost got thrown off because of different spacial requirements of stalls. It was very interesting to get them all in place and mark them all out.
Set up the circus tent also gave me some practical skills such as use of power tools and the different ways every structure fits together.
Day 1
For my first day I undertook site marking with the lovely Jennifer from Cultural Services.
Together with the other volunteer's we were split into 2 groups which were Site Decoration and Site Marking, I was in latter. After we go our group together we went through some relevant site based info such as where certain stalls would be and who were the main organizers. After putting on a tonne of sun cream and hats to wade of the 30 degree heat we set upon the site. We first worked out what sites we were marking and how big they were. Jennifer had a small problem in that she had to figure out how to accommodate an extra large stall that wanted to be next to a stall owned by the same people. We worked out the width of the plants bordering the stalls. It all fit.
Harry was in charge of the pink spray paint (stall numbers), Blake was in control of the measuring wheeler (figure out the length of stalls for marking) and I was in charge of the white spray paint (stall border marking).
After marking out a whole section we took a break and had lunch in the mall.
When we came back we discovered that the circus tent was taking a long time to be set up so we we're tasked with helping. We walked over and talked to the guys that were in charge, they were very friendly and instructed us on what to do and how to do it safely as we went. It was rather hard work but well within limits. We erected several poles and did some of seating when a Indian exchange student asked me if I could help him hammer in a metal pole at the front of the park. This proved difficult as there was a rock in the way so it took a long time to eventually get it in. During this WIN News were filming a segment and we accidentally disturbed the filming so we waited ten to twenty minutes for them to finish before completely the pole.
I then returned to the circus crew to help set up the tent. After an hour it was time for us to finish. We said goodbye to the guys and wished them luck with the finishing of the tent which at the time was very close to completion.
Together with the other volunteer's we were split into 2 groups which were Site Decoration and Site Marking, I was in latter. After we go our group together we went through some relevant site based info such as where certain stalls would be and who were the main organizers. After putting on a tonne of sun cream and hats to wade of the 30 degree heat we set upon the site. We first worked out what sites we were marking and how big they were. Jennifer had a small problem in that she had to figure out how to accommodate an extra large stall that wanted to be next to a stall owned by the same people. We worked out the width of the plants bordering the stalls. It all fit.
Harry was in charge of the pink spray paint (stall numbers), Blake was in control of the measuring wheeler (figure out the length of stalls for marking) and I was in charge of the white spray paint (stall border marking).
After marking out a whole section we took a break and had lunch in the mall.
When we came back we discovered that the circus tent was taking a long time to be set up so we we're tasked with helping. We walked over and talked to the guys that were in charge, they were very friendly and instructed us on what to do and how to do it safely as we went. It was rather hard work but well within limits. We erected several poles and did some of seating when a Indian exchange student asked me if I could help him hammer in a metal pole at the front of the park. This proved difficult as there was a rock in the way so it took a long time to eventually get it in. During this WIN News were filming a segment and we accidentally disturbed the filming so we waited ten to twenty minutes for them to finish before completely the pole.
I then returned to the circus crew to help set up the tent. After an hour it was time for us to finish. We said goodbye to the guys and wished them luck with the finishing of the tent which at the time was very close to completion.
Relevant Information On Viva La Gong
Wollongong City Council's - Viva la Gong Festival 2013
Saturday 9 November 2013 at MacCabe Park, in the heart of Wollongong’s CBD
Viva la Gong is Wollongong's annual community arts festival that celebrates our creativity and cultural identity.
Saturday 9 November 2013 at MacCabe Park, in the heart of Wollongong’s CBD
Viva la Gong is Wollongong's annual community arts festival that celebrates our creativity and cultural identity.
The family-friendly event features high quality local and international entertainment on multiple stages throughout MacCabe Park, as well as a community street parade. You'll also find circus acts, workshops, a makers' market and international food fair. Plus, there's a mix of arts and crafts on sale.
A link to the event's program can be found here.
My Workplacement at Viva La Gong
Viva La Gong is a community event that takes place every year in Wollongong, NSW. The even is put on by the City Council's Cultural Services department who are all very hard working and wonderful.
My research in to the event let me decide whether the event would be a good opportunity for work placement. I have spoken to volunteers from previous years that had done Viva La Gong and many of the reactions were positive. From this I thought it would be a good idea to inquire and decide if it was what I wanted. My first contact was with via email around September in preparation for the event in November. I didn't hear back for a long while so decided to call. Local government employee, Natalie, talked me through how volunteers and work placement students fit into the structure of the event and the goals of this years festival.
After this talk I was extremely positive towards the idea of Viva La Gong as Natalie convinced me of the event's community impact. The next day I called her back and we spoke about the different things that I could do for the event and what days I was available. At this time I agreed to come in to the Cultural Services office in the Wollongong Gallery.
When I arrived, Natalie and another woman (who I have forgotten the name of in truth) talked me through the different activities I would undertake such as site marking, stall prep and organization. She then asked me if I would want to take surveys on the day of the event which was for the University of Wollongong. She informed me of the specifics such as how many people were needed for it to be a viable sample of the community and that the surveys would be taken on smart devices such as iPhone's/iPad's.
After this I was ran through the different safety hazards and different responsibilities I had on the day. I then signed some paperwork and was given a program. I was told to arrive at 8 am on Friday, the day before the event at the community center in the park.
I am very excited to undertake my work placement.
My research in to the event let me decide whether the event would be a good opportunity for work placement. I have spoken to volunteers from previous years that had done Viva La Gong and many of the reactions were positive. From this I thought it would be a good idea to inquire and decide if it was what I wanted. My first contact was with via email around September in preparation for the event in November. I didn't hear back for a long while so decided to call. Local government employee, Natalie, talked me through how volunteers and work placement students fit into the structure of the event and the goals of this years festival.
After this talk I was extremely positive towards the idea of Viva La Gong as Natalie convinced me of the event's community impact. The next day I called her back and we spoke about the different things that I could do for the event and what days I was available. At this time I agreed to come in to the Cultural Services office in the Wollongong Gallery.
When I arrived, Natalie and another woman (who I have forgotten the name of in truth) talked me through the different activities I would undertake such as site marking, stall prep and organization. She then asked me if I would want to take surveys on the day of the event which was for the University of Wollongong. She informed me of the specifics such as how many people were needed for it to be a viable sample of the community and that the surveys would be taken on smart devices such as iPhone's/iPad's.
After this I was ran through the different safety hazards and different responsibilities I had on the day. I then signed some paperwork and was given a program. I was told to arrive at 8 am on Friday, the day before the event at the community center in the park.
I am very excited to undertake my work placement.
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