OnStage volunteers: how people grow inside the association

An association that renews itself

OnStage events exist because someone decides to give them their time. And the people who make OnStage change, by choice.

During the pandemic many of the original members, now adults, left the group. In that phase the founders came to a realisation that became a principle: OnStage had to remain a young association, able to renew itself continuously instead of growing older together with the same members. New young people joined from Botrugno, Minervino and the surrounding towns, already active in local hip hop events.

Starting small

A volunteer who has just joined does not take charge of a festival straight away. In autumn 2021 the new group started again with small, low-cost events, designed precisely to help the newest members grow: that is how Urban Connection was born, a reggae and hip hop DJ night every Friday, in collaboration with local venues.

It is a choice of method. A small event lets you make mistakes without serious consequences, and learn how to handle a venue, a sound system, an audience. From there the association gradually went back to more demanding events: Restart in 2022, Salento Block Battle since 2023.

A method for working together

At the end of 2025 OnStage started a new organisational phase. On 30 December a new Members' Register was opened, with 40 members signing up between 30 and 31 December, and the board was renewed.

At the beginning of 2026 came the Crew Manual, which introduced the Scrum method and project management tools into the association. The aim is to give the volunteers' work more structure: knowing who does what, by when, and what is missing. How we keep the register of volunteers and their hours on our website is told in [How we manage members through our website](/blog/come-gestiamo-i-soci-con-il-nostro-sito).

Where hands are needed

On 12 August 2026 the fourth edition of Salento Block Battle was managed for the first time with an app dedicated to food and drink orders. In the same year the association put together a proposal for a winter programme at its venue, with a weekly calendar of events from November to March, and submitted its first applications to national funding calls.

More events mean more room for anyone who wants to help: with organisation, communication, technical work, welcoming people.

How to become a volunteer

No particular experience is needed: the crew is built to help newcomers grow. If you want to be part of it, [become a member](/diventa-socio) or write to us from the [contact page](/contatti).