RE:ACT BIRMINGHAM 2022 SUPPORT FAQS
WHAT IS RE:ACT DOING TO SUPPORT THE BIRMINGHAM 2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES?
RE:ACT has been selected as an Official Military Veteran Provider of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
We have been asked to provide 500 individuals to volunteer as RE:ACT Games Responders to support the entrances at four venues across Birmingham 2022, as part of specially-formed RE:ACT Commonwealth Games Support Teams working alongside the security workforce. Our Games Responders will be helping to make the Games a safe, enjoyable and memorable experience for everyone involved.
WHY IS RE:ACT INVOLVED?
Following almost two years of supporting communities and organisations during the Covid pandemic in the UK, RE:ACT has become widely known and respected for the outstanding quality and reliability of our people. Birmingham 2022 wants RE:ACT to help ensure they deliver an unforgettable Games, as well as give our Games Responders the chance to be involved in a unique sporting and cultural event, in recognition of our work.
Birmingham 2022 is an opportunity for our Games Responders to be involved in a special, once in a lifetime, occasion. It’s also an opportunity for us to significantly raise our profile, in front of an expected one million spectators and a global audience of over 1.5 billion, as well as a host of sponsors and media outlets, with the potential to contribute vital support to our humanitarian work.
WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
As a Games Responder, you will be helping to create a safe environment and welcoming atmosphere for all those in attendance. You will be deployed in pairs to work alongside security personnel to assist with important public safety procedures, including welcoming spectators at security points, encouraging them to be ready for bag searches, as well as conducting bag searches (for those who have an SIA Level 2 Door Supervisor licence - see below).
DO I NEED ANY SPECIALIST TRAINING?
All training will be provided, which includes the opportunity to complete the Security Industry Authority (SIA) Level 2 Door Supervisor course, at no cost to you. The SIA Level 2 licence is valid for three years and can be used for a range of jobs in the private security industry. You will be able to use your SIA Level 2 licence for job opportunities after the Games, and Birmingham 2022is keen to use their contacts to help Games Responders secure suitable work.
WILL IT COST ME ANYTHING?
All training and uniform will be provided free of charge, and each Games Responder will be provided with a package of support, which includes food. The support package depends on how many consecutive days you are volunteering and where in the country you are travelling from. Accommodation is available to those travelling to the West Midlands and forms part of your wider welfare package. More information will be provided once you have been selected and confirmed your availability. Free local public transport will be available (see below).
IS ACCOMMODATION AND TRANSPORT AVAILABLE?
Birmingham 2022 aims to be the first Games to create a carbon-neutral legacy, and so they would like the majority of Games Responders to come from the West Midlands area.
Free accommodation will be available for Games Responders from outside the West Midlands, which will be allocated once selection has been made. Parking will be available at the accommodation site, but spaces may be limited. More details will follow.
No parking will be available at the Games venues. All Games Responders will, however, benefit from free local public transport to and from the Games, using their Birmingham 2022 passes.
We want to make this a rewarding and fun experience for all Games Responders, so there will be opportunities to bring everyone together during social hours, so that those living in the West Midlands won’t miss out.
WHAT IS THE TIME COMMITMENT?
Birmingham 2022 will take place over ten sporting days, between 28 July and 8 August. We ask that Games Responders be available for a minimum of five days during the event. Shifts are scheduled by Birmingham 2022 and we anticipate they will last around eight hours, although your time at the venue may be longer if there is an extended break at lunchtime. There will be opportunities for several comfort breaks during the day in addition to the lunch break.
You will also need to be available to attend Games training, which is both online and in-person. The SIA Level 2 Door Supervisor course takes a total of six days to complete. More information, including available training dates, will be provided in the RE:ACT Volunteer Portal once you have been selected.
WILL I GET TO SEE ANY OF THE EVENTS?
We would love for all of you to attend the sporting events – no one deserves it more. However, as always with RE:ACT, the job comes first, and our role is to ensure the safety, security and enjoyment of spectators. You’re still get to contribute to, and soak up, the special atmosphere.
All remaining tickets to see the sports can be found on the Birmingham 2022 ticketing website and we can arrange volunteer shifts around your tickets if needed. RE:ACT will also be putting on our own events in the evenings after each shift, to bring teams together from across the four venues.
DO I HAVE TO HAVE PREVIOUSLY VOLUNTEERED WITH RE:ACT TO BE ELIGIBLE?
No. We are opening applications for Games Responders to existing members of RE:ACT first, before we make positions available externally. We will be using our involvement in the Games to attract and recruit new volunteers with backgrounds in the military and emergency services, particularly from the West Midlands.
Whether this will be your latest, or first, involvement with us, we want you to get the full benefit from your experience and continue to be a member of the RE:ACT community after the Games.
WHEN WILL I KNOW IF I’VE BEEN SELECTED?
Applications open in February 2022, and confirmation of selection will be made on a rolling basis. Applications will close as soon as we have filled 500 places or on 30th June 2022, whichever is soonest. If you are unsuccessful, we will notify you within two weeks.