Doin' the Groove

Nine young volunteers from Adelaide’s south are getting firsthand experience in event management at Groovin the Moo, one of South Australia’s largest music festivals.

They are undertaking roles backstage, in artist tents, at the gate and providing info and wristbands.

Most of the volunteers are studying a Certificate III in Events which is run in partnership between the council’s Onkaparinga Youth program and TAFESA.

Groovin the Moo is a whole-day event held at the Adelaide Showground on Friday 21 April. The show is presented by Triple J and tours nationally over three weekends in April and May across six states.

The show is back on the road after a hiatus during COVID. When last in Adelaide it attracted around 200,000 avid music fans.

Working at such a high-level event as Groovin the Moo is an amazing opportunity for the young volunteers, according to Jolyn Phillipps, Youth Community Development Officer at Onkaparinga.

“As volunteers at such a large festival, they can take up more challenging roles backstage or newbie roles elsewhere,” says Jolyn.

“The volunteers help set up the event and help it run on the day.

“That’s no small order when there are around 200,000 people coming through the gates and around 50 acts up on the stages,” she says.

Jolyn says the council’s partnership with TAFESA to run the Certificate III in Events is a bonus for young people down south – the course is usually only available at Regency TAFE in the northern suburbs.

Local graduates from the program have gone on to run their own events, including musical events, and have taken up roles in event teams or gone on to further study.

The certificate program is open to young people aged 16 to 25 years and teaches how to plan and deliver large-scale events by focusing on each of the specialised areas that make up event management. It also incorporates a first aid certificate and child safe environments training.

For more information and to apply for the course, go to Certificate III in Events at Onkaparinga.