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[Sat 21st Sep 2013] Brisfest! (Bristol)

dervish

dervish

if you flibble when you wibble, don't wobble
So who's going to Brisfest then?

http://www.brisfest.co.uk/

I've decided at the last minute to work it, so I'll be working Saturday afternoon for my ticket, but they are only £35 to buy one so really not expensive. Writing this, I've just realised that the Boxettes are playing which makes me VERY happy.

So cheap if you have a bit of money, six hour shift if you are skint. Who's coming?
 
Me! Am due on site Monday to do site build, may well stay up there all week to help. Then have volunteered to be artist liaison/runner at the Roots Stage all day Saturday. Sunday is my day off :D

Loads of volunteering places available, this is not for profit, community centred, run on a shoe string and absolutely brilliant so please put your hand up if you have time!

What are you doing derv?
 
I hear from someone tonight that they REALLY need people to lend them hands and everything else to get the show on the road... so please, anybody, take a look at the web site and see if you can give them a few hours :)
 
Right, this guest list is looking a bit spartan, won't be much of a party if it's just me and derv there!

Site build is coming along nicely, bit damp this afternoon but there are stages, bars, fences etc in place so it definitely looks like a festival now!

The Soundclash area looks like it'll be good. Come on, anyone else coming for an end of summer stomp Bristol style? Tickets will be available on the gate...
 
I'll be going. My brother is 'crew' (read: hanger on who's blagged a pass for doing a bit of fetching and carrying) for the Neverlution tent so I expect we'll mostly be there listening to breakcore.
 
Well come round to the Roots Stage and say hi to me Saturday. I can play all day Sunday but it still means missing Amental, DJ Producer and so on :(
 
Brisfest, or workfare fest?

Brisfest, a “community” festival in Bristol this weekend appears to be confusing the word community with workfare, as seen in the “community” football club Plymouth FC. When trying to recruit their volunteers on their website they hint at also offeri ng “work placements”. Though people attending the work programme in Bristol have made clear that these work placements are not voluntary and people are being coerced and pushed by Prospects into applying to work for no wages at Brisfest – though other Work Programme providers are also pushing the placements. In the Work Programme where there is a constant threat of benefit sanction, recruiting through the Work programme will never be voluntary. The Brisfest slogan “All for talent. Not for profit” should probably also state “Not for wages”.
Click to expand...
 
It may well be that BrisFest doesn't use any workfare 'volunteers', but responding to a direct question about it with...

we offered people on jsa the chance to volunteer with no deposit, so that they can gain skills and also enjoy a free festival ticket that they prob can't afford whilst on jsa :)
Click to expand...

https://twitter.com/MsABooKay/status/381116794645520384
https://twitter.com/MsABooKay/status/381116676408082432

...seems oddly opaque.

In the circumstances, a straightforward statement of some kind would make more sense.

Eg
  • "We do not and never have taken volunteers from workfare programmes where there is any hint of coercion" (ie, it's definitely not true)
  • "We take the allegation that any of our volunteers have been in any way coerced very seriously, and we have raised the issue with JC+ [or whoever] as a matter of the utmost urgency and await their clarification" (ie we don't think it is true but we are checking anyway)
  • "We made a mistake and it won't happen again" (ie turns out it is true, we just didn't think, but we're sensitive to the concerns raised)

Certainly it would be a shame to have a dark cloud like this hanging over an otherwise pleasant community event when there is a simple opportunity to clarify the issue rather than obfuscate on it.
 
I was asking about it earlier and the general consensus seemed to be that litter pickers and site services crew were paid because there weren't enough volunteers but pretty much every one else seemed to be there for free because they wanted to.

Interesting to read what you posted though.
 
Strange, I've been up there all of the past week and haven't met anyone who isn't there for any reason other than that they want to be and want a ticket.

Will ask though.
 
DaveCinzano said:
It may well be that BrisFest doesn't use any workfare 'volunteers', but responding to a direct question about it with...



https://twitter.com/MsABooKay/status/381116794645520384
https://twitter.com/MsABooKay/status/381116676408082432

...seems oddly opaque.

In the circumstances, a straightforward statement of some kind would make more sense.

Eg
  • "We do not and never have taken volunteers from workfare programmes where there is any hint of coercion" (ie, it's definitely not true)
  • "We take the allegation that any of our volunteers have been in any way coerced very seriously, and we have raised the issue with JC+ [or whoever] as a matter of the utmost urgency and await their clarification" (ie we don't think it is true but we are checking anyway)
  • "We made a mistake and it won't happen again" (ie turns out it is true, we just didn't think, but we're sensitive to the concerns raised)

Certainly it would be a shame to have a dark cloud like this hanging over an otherwise pleasant community event when there is a simple opportunity to clarify the issue rather than obfuscate on it.
Click to expand...
That all makes sense but tbh I doubt very much that they have had any time whatsoever to even think about formulating any kind of response (assuming that there's nothing to hide). There's a show to run and there isn't anyone involved in it that isn't rushed off their feet right now.

I know they've had some disabled workers there last week but didn't have any inkling of workfare involvement until last night when I read this thread. More information would be nice if it becomes available.
 
OK, from Brisfest's facebook page in response to questions:

Rachael. Your information is complete inaccurate. We are an organisation completely run by and for volunteers. We post our placement opportunities in Job Centre but we absolutely DO NOT use Workfare. It's very upsetting to us that you would post this. We're all volunteers too! None of us working for Brisfest receive a wage, we do it for the community.
Click to expand...

Hi BRISFEST, many thanks for clarifying. It sounds like the Jobcenter or their contractors may be trying to coerce people into taking your placements non-voluntarily without your knowledge? (I believe that the Boycott Workfare campaign have got their info from people who are currently unemployed in Bristol)
Click to expand...

We would never sanction that Rachael. If they are doing it, it is completely without our approval. We will try to get to the bottom of this.
Click to expand...

That seems pretty unequivocal to me
 
So, can I ask: what were the 'placements' being pushed on people? One standard volunteering shift or something else/more than one shift? How many people do we know were pushed in this direction and how many people ended up working at the festival?

Was any attempt made to ask Brisfest about this before the story was published? If so, what was their response?

BTW, I shall be up there later and during the week for breakdown. I shall be asking people how they came to be working there. I would appreciate corroborating evidence from the other side if you have it :)
 
Last edited:
DaveCinzano said:
Who are you asking?
Click to expand...
Whoever. I'll pester Boycott Workfare when I have time.

Still really sceptical that this is something deliberate on Brisfest's part - at the end of each volunteering shift they send everyone off to get their deposits refunded and they haven't said anything about there being some people who don't have one due to being placed by the Job Centre etc. Haven't spoken to anyone who isn't doing it because they want to (and I've met loads of workers) and haven't met anyone doing more than one shift who isn't well into the whole volunteer/community ethos of the festival. I'd have thought I'd have picked up on something like this by now.

I know one of the volunteer managers very well, didn't see him today but will pounce when I get the chance.

Tbh seeing those snidey quotation marks around the word 'community' on that link really bugs me. If the festival were guilty of deliberate involvement in workfare I'd rethink my work with them, but I just don't believe it.
 
Anyway, fantastic weekend :) Primal Scream were on fire tonight, Come Together was epic. Bristol's got talent and I'm proud to have been involved in such a great show :)
 
From the site people I spoke to there was no question, they do not use workfare, they did post some positions in the job centre however. Sounds like people misunderstanding/looking for a story to me. It was a fantastic festival full of people who wanted to be there to make it a fantastic festival.
 
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