We are Gig Buddies

How can Gig Buddies make volunteering easier?

What is Gig Buddies?

The idea behind Gig Buddies is that we want to enable people with learning disabilities and/or autistic people to enjoy all the great things going on in their community, especially live music. Gig Buddies is a project that pairs up people with and without learning disabilities (and/or autism) to be friends and to go to events together. The Gig Buddies project aims to make volunteering easier for people in Sussex by enabling volunteers to go to gigs they’d already probably be going to anyway, but with someone with a learning disability.

This means they’ll be sharing their passions with each other and be able to fit their volunteering around their other commitments.

Gig Buddies people come from all over Sussex, including Brighton and Hove, Worthing, Chichester, Lewes, Uckfield, Eastbourne and Hastings.

How does Gig Buddies work?

Each participant is matched to one volunteer by the Gig Buddies coordinators. You then meet your buddy once a month to plan what you’ll do together, and once a month to go to a gig, concert, club night or another cultural event.

Here’s a short interview with Luc and Marc, two of our Gig Buddies along with Paul, Director of Stay Up Late.

Our Gig Buddies Values

Culture

Culture

Experiencing new things and more of what you love. Whatever your ‘gig ’ may be.
Friendship

Friendship

Having people in your like who aren’t paid to be there.
Leading

Leading

People with learning disabilities leading on how they want to spend their lives.
Community Life

Community Life

Being actively involved in mainstream community life.

Gig Buddies Projects around the UK and Internationally

If you would like to find out about Gig Buddies projects in other parts of the country, and the world, then please visit this page ‘Gig Buddies in other places’

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