The volunteers of OnStage: stories of the people who hold the reins of the association

The real engines of OnStage

If OnStage works, it's not because the five founders have superpowers. It's because we have a community of volunteers who decided to invest their time without pay.

I'm not telling the founders' stories today. I'm telling the stories of four people who never got mentioned in a press release, but who moved mountains quietly.

Beatrice: from visitor to steward

Beatrice is 19. She studies communications in Lecce, comes home on weekends. When she first heard about OnStage, she was at an Open Mic Estate in July 2025.

"I hadn't come to perform. I'd come out of curiosity. My cousin freestyles, and I didn't even know what that meant."

She sat in the main square, in the middle of summer, while 15 kids climbed up onto a mic one after another and improvised. An experience she'd never seen anything like.

After the event, she came up to us and asked: "Can I help out at the next one?"

From that moment on, Beatrice has been part of every event. She has no specific musical skills. But she has the gift of making people feel welcome. When the crowd arrives, Beatrice is there with a map of the square, a question about where you're from, a look that says "You're in the right place."

At the Block Battle, Beatrice was a steward. She managed the crowd flow, helped the athletes figure out where to stand, gave water to people melting in the heat. Four hours of pure work, pure happiness on her face.

"It's not tiring," she told me. "It's like being part of something that believes in people. I love it."

Today, Beatrice is one of the very first people new volunteers meet. She's the community's night watch.

Franco: the silent technician

Franco is 34. He works in IT at a company in Lecce, then after work heads back to Botrugno. He's had a passion for sound and audio since 2010.

When Luca reached out to ask for help with the PA system for the first Open Mic, Franco said yes without really knowing what he was doing. He learned by doing.

"Watched YouTube videos, asked people who knew, got a lot wrong. But every time I got something wrong, I learned. Now I know how to set up sound for a square with 400 people."

Franco doesn't get paid. He comes to the events. He arrives two hours early, sets up the system, tests everything, stays behind the mixer during the event, and spends another two hours afterward taking it all down. He's invisible when everything works. He's the first one people look for when something goes wrong.

He showed me his improvised "tech kit": a portable mixer, cables, headphones, a rechargeable lamp for working in the dark. He put it together with his own money, for OnStage.

"It's not a financial investment. It's an emotional investment. I know that what I do makes the events possible. That's enough."

Franco and Beatrice run into each other at every event. It's nothing official, but Beatrice knows Franco might need something (water, help fixing something), and she asks. Franco knows Beatrice might need to explain to a new spectator how the event works.

They're the invisible pair that makes everything run.

Chiara: the social media coordinator

Chiara is 23, she runs a communications agency with her sister. When she discovered OnStage, she felt the need to help.

"I could see there was so much energy, but the communication was scattered. Stories on Instagram, posts on Facebook, nothing on TikTok. It was like the message was getting lost."

She approached Luca: "I'll do you a free communications audit and tell you what I'd recommend."

A week later, she presented a strategy. It wasn't complicated, it was simple: an editorial calendar, a consistent voice, a focus on TikTok where the young audience is.

Luca asked: "Can you implement it?"

"Yes, but for free, because it's for a cause."

Chiara now spends 5 hours a week on OnStage. She creates content, plans posts, replies to comments, analyzes performance, spots trends. She's the voice of OnStage on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok.

The result? In six months, from 1,200 followers on Instagram to 4,800. From 300 followers on TikTok to 2,100. It's not viral, but it's real growth, authentic engagement.

Chiara doesn't earn money from the time she spends. She earns it elsewhere (her agency). But she feels this time is invested in something that matters.

"If OnStage gets to 10,000 followers, it'll be because I helped make it happen. And that will be reward enough."

Diego: the beatmaker

Diego is 21, studies music at the conservatory in Lecce. He started making beats when he was 13.

When he met Marco (one of the founders), Marco asked him if he wanted to "make beats for the Open Mic."

"I understood he was asking me to produce live backing tracks for the freestylers who don't have recorded music to rap over. It was a challenge."

Diego has come to every Open Mic Estate. If there's no official DJ, he's there with his laptop making beats live. He's learned to read the crowd, to understand the mood of the night, and to produce beats that fit the flow of the kids stepping up.

"It's not predetermined. It's like a conversation between me and the freestyler. He hears the beat, decides the flow, improvises. I listen and adapt the beat. It's real-time collaboration."

Diego has never asked for payment. He comes for the pleasure of being part of the magic that happens when the music is alive and organic.

Today, Diego is also an informal music consultant. When OnStage is thinking about how to structure an Open Mic, they ask Diego "How does this sound from your point of view."

What they have in common

If I look at these four people, I see something recurring:

1. They weren't affiliated from the start — They arrived by chance, out of curiosity, from a request for help.
2. They have different skills — Beatrice has social skills, Franco is technical, Chiara is marketing, Diego is musical.
3. They chose the time — No one was forced. They freely decided this deserved their time.
4. They built an identity within OnStage — They're not just volunteers. They became "the social media coordinator," "the technician," "the steward," "the beatmaker."

Non-monetary value

When I look at the shape of it, sometimes I ask myself: "Is it worth volunteering if you don't get paid?"

By traditional economic logic, the answer is no. You're giving away time you could otherwise monetize.

But by the logic of community, the answer is yes. Because the value doesn't come from money. It comes from:

- Belonging — Knowing you're part of something bigger than yourself
- Visible impact — Seeing the result of your work: a full square, an event that happens
- Personal growth — Beatrice developed leadership skills. Franco deepened his audio knowledge. Chiara has a portfolio. Diego has performance experience.
- Genuine relationships — OnStage's volunteers really know each other, they're not just formal colleagues

What's happening right now

While I'm writing this article, we're planning RestArt 2026. We need volunteers. We don't send cold emails. We send messages to Beatrice, Franco, Chiara, Diego.

"Do you have time to help us again?"

We know the answer is yes. Because they've already decided this community deserves their time.

And we know others will arrive. The way Beatrice arrived, the way Franco arrived. By chance, curious, with a sense that OnStage was building something worthwhile.

Stories like this one

There are more than 40 active volunteers around OnStage. I've told the stories of four, but I could tell you about Anna who does design, about Marco who does video, about Giulia who coordinates catering, about Matteo who manages participants' contact details.

They're all invisible, until you need them. And then you understand that OnStage isn't an association that works. It's a community that loves.

How to become a volunteer

If you've made it to the end of this article and you're thinking "I want to be part of this," here's what to do:

1. Come to an event ([upcoming events here](/eventi))
2. After the event, come up to us and say "I'd love to help"
3. Do you have a skill? We'll put it to use. Don't have a specific skill? We need people who are willing to learn.

[Join the members' area](/area-soci). You'll find everything you need to get started there.

Thank you

This article is written as a thank you to Beatrice, Franco, Chiara, Diego, and to the 40+ other volunteers who hold the reins of OnStage.

Without you, there's no movement. Without you, there's no community. Without you, OnStage remains an idea.

You're the ones who turn the idea into reality.