Open House Europe Volunteer Exchange Programme 2024
Open House Europe (OHEu) connects 15 European cities and Slovenia. The project aims to promote understanding and appreciation of architecture and a high-quality built environment among the wider public. It was developed by the organisers of European Open House festivals from the international Open House Worldwide, network, which provides free tours of architectural projects worldwide, with a special focus on accessibility and inclusion.
An integral part of the OHEu project is the volunteer exchange program, which involves participation in partner festivals. These exchanges are designed to facilitate the sharing of best practices and enhance local festivals. Volunteers have the opportunity to take part in organising architectural events in other European cities, allowing them to gain new knowledge and experience, connect with volunteers from other festivals, and explore the architecture of European cities.
Volunteers can apply for exchanges each year through a public call, which is available on the Open House Europe website. The prerequisite for participation is prior involvement in at least one Open House Slovenia festival. We invite you to follow our social media and website for the latest updates on opportunities and events.
In 2024, as part of Open House Slovenia, our volunteers participated in exchanges at festivals in Lisbon, Milan, Bilbao, Barcelona, and Thessaloniki. Below, we present the experiences of Anja Rudof, Rok Zidar, Taja Weingerl, and Andrej Panker.
The first exchange took place in Lisbon from May 10 to 13, 2024, attended by Anja Rudof. At the festival, she was assigned three shifts at different locations, each lasting between three and four hours. At each site, she was responsible for leading tours in English, for which she had to prepare in advance, providing visitors with information before the tours, and distributing brochures and maps to attendees.
Leading the tour was a challenge for Anja, as she was unfamiliar with the buildings and the tour format beforehand. Fortunately, she was able to learn from local volunteers, who explained key details about the buildings and Portuguese history before the tours.
Overall, Anja’s experience was positive. She was surprised by the large volunteer community at the Lisbon festival, which included more than 300 volunteers. She also found the festival’s organisation interesting – the city was divided into multiple zones, each managed by a group leader who coordinated the other volunteers.
From May 24 to 27, 2024, Rok Zidar attended the Open House festival in Milan. His responsibilities included checking the visitor registration list, greeting attendees at the beginning and end of the tour, and providing assistance during the event.
Rok encountered some language barriers, as he does not speak Italian. However, the visitors were understanding, so this did not significantly impact the overall experience. Architects assisting at the event also helped him with his tasks.
His experience was extremely positive. He was particularly impressed by Milan’s architecture and found the various perspectives on architecture shared by other volunteers to be especially interesting.
The first autumn exchange took place in Barcelona from October 25 to 28, 2024, attended by Taja Weingerl. During the festival, she explored Barcelona’s architecture and met local volunteers. The coordination was made easier by a WhatsApp group, where both local and international volunteers exchanged real-time updates about the festival.
Taja was particularly impressed by the program designed for the youngest attendees and the interactive activity for all visitors. Participants marked buildings that stood out to them with stickers based on unique characteristics such as lighting, visual appearance, and more. She also had the chance to visit buildings that she likely wouldn’t have been able to access as a tourist, allowing her to experience the city in a completely new way.
The final exchange took place in Thessaloniki from November 22 to 25, 2024, attended by Andrej Panker. He found it interesting to compare the Slovenian and Greek festival concepts. In Slovenia, architects, urban planners, art historians, or other experts involved in the projects lead the tours. In contrast, at Open House Thessaloniki, volunteersare responsible for guiding visitors.
Andrej was positively surprised by the level of public participation and engagement. He was particularly fascinated by the stamp collection system – each building in Thessaloniki had its own unique stamp, which visitors collected on their festival maps.
Experiences of Anja, Rok, Taja and Andrej prove that the Open House Europe Volunteer Exchange Programme offers the Volunteers priceless experiences for personal and professional growth as well as international networking.
The Open House Europe project is coordinated by Architektūros fondas and co-financed by the European Union.
In 2024 in Slovenia the Open House Europe project has been co-financed by the Ministry of Public Administration.