Anyone can be a Gig Buddy
Gig Buddies and Sports Buddies is volunteering made easy.
We match up socially isolated people with learning disabilities and/or autistic people with a volunteer who shares the same interests.
It’s all about enabling people with learning disabilities to have people in their lives not paid to be there and be more active doing the things you both love doing.
And it’s all about being part of your community, not having separate events for people with learning disabilities.
Our core principles
(What makes it Gig Buddies?)
These are the things that make Gig Buddies what it is
CultureIt’s about enabling people with learning disabilities to be part of everyday mainstream culture, including taking part in sport and exercise.
FriendshipsIt’s about people with learning disabilities having people in their life who aren’t paid to be there. Just friends who enjoy their company.
LeadingIt’s about people with learning disabilities being in charge of how they spend their social time, and what time they go home.
Community LifeIt’s about people with learning disabilities being welcomed and loved in their communities and developing the skills and confidence to get more involved.
Get involved
Do you have time to share your passions and interests with someone with a learning disability?
Then sign up as a volunteer and join in the fun.
Don’t live in Sussex? Have a look at where Gig Buddies is in other areas.
Create Gig Buddies in your area
We’re always happy to talk more with organisations and local authorities about how they can set up Gig Buddies in their area.
Drop us a line and we’ll arrange to have a chat with you and explain how it works and join our movement to enable more people with learning disabilities to Stay Up Late.
(You can also read more about how we share it here).
It's all about friendships
We are NOT about providing free support or replacing statutory services.
It’s about enabling people with learning disabilities to have people in their lives who aren’t paid to be there.
Through matching people up with a volunteer who commits to at least one gig per month we are able to show:
Credits: Hani Fauzia Ramadhani & Nada Ibrahim Saleh
Gig Buddy volunteers make a difference
Through matching people up with a volunteer who commits to at least one gig per month our evaluation shows:
86%said they see their Gig Buddy as their friend
82%said they felt really able to make decisions about what they wanted to do with their buddy
76%said they’re more aware of other ways they can now spend their spare time
79%said they now go out more in the evenings as a result of Gig Buddies (not just with their buddy)
90%said that having a Gig Buddy makes them feel less lonely
78%said they’d made new friends in addition to their Gig Buddy volunteer
Gig Buddies in other places
If you want to find out if there’s a Gig Buddies project near you please see this page.