Help us run an interdisciplinary arts community in Bologna, Italy

Details

• 

  Description

  We offer the experience to be one of our WorkAwayers in our cultural centre, just outside of the beautiful city centre of Bologna. It is located in an old (lighting fixtures) factory building, which was acquired and partially restructured by the City of Bologna.
  
  We have an agreement with the City of Bologna: in exchange of maintenance and upkeep of the building we get to host cultural events, workshops and gatherings. Our centre is a vibrant place that is always open and where everyone is welcome.
  
  Over the years we transformed the old forgotten building into a place filled with love, energy and dedication from many people. The community keeps growing and you can be part of it.
  It all started with our bike repair shop, but over the course of the years we have built many different spaces, a wood work shop, a tailor workshop, an industrial kitchen, a computer workshop, a screen print workshop, a theatre space and much more. The structure is 600 m² and has two levels.
  For our Workawayers we have created several mixed dormitories. We have a hot shower, a kitchen, towels and sheets and of course wifi ready for you.
  
  We are always looking for working hands all year round. It is even better if you already have a skill set or specific competencies to share with us.
  Come contribute to our community of arts, handicrafts, and intercultural relationships!

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
• 

  Interests

  

  Events & social

  

  Self development

  

  Sustainability

  

  Culture

  

  Music

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Gardening

  

  Photography

  

  Writing

  

  Performing arts

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Carpentry

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  Mountain

  

  Hiking
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  One of the main benefits of a stay with us is the making of connections and the vast network that our community has.
  Next to that there is the opportunity to explore new or improve existing skills. We have many workshops that you are welcome to use during your stay with us.

• 

  Help

  We are a welcoming, motivated, enthusiastic, and curious community who is willing to share a communal working and living experience with our Workawayers!
  
  After years of remodeling and renovation we’ve built a cultural center and we now need people who can do general maintenance and help run events. Tasks include:
  
  - Cleaning: We have a large building with many spaces and loads of people passing by every day: Be prepared to do a lot of tidying up and cleaning, including toilets.
  - Sorting out: Every day people bring new items, clothing, books, electronics, furniture. We need help sorting these out and storing them correctly so our spaces stay tidy, manageable and practical.
  - Repair works: All kinds of things to fix and repair or improve. We love when people bring their own touch to the centre.
  - Build/construct: Either for events/festivals or to improve our spaces. We need people who have design and practical building skills.
  - Events: Most of our events happen during the weekends and we need people who can cook, serve drinks, help with the set up and preparation and hosting of these events. If you have experience as an audio and/or lighting technician, set designer, etc., this would be helpful for events as well.
  - Cooking: Everyone has got to eat every day. We tend to cook, eat and do the cleaning up together.
  
  - Specific skills: We are also looking for people with experience as a carpenter, electrician, mason, plumber or similar. Let us know your specific skillsets so we can look what projects would be good for you.
  
  As we have a vibrant centre the hours you help out are spread out over the week and flexible during the day. We don't have fixed schedules and flexibility is extremely important. On Tuesday mornings at 10:00 we have our weekly meeting in which we organise the tasks and look at the events for the week. Every morning at 10:00 we have a short get together to discuss who is working on what that day, what needs to be cleaned and other daily tasks. Monday is a day off for all Workawayers. Weekends are when our events our happening an everyone is expected to be here.
  
  As volunteers are working closely together you are also expected to show initiative and create/ adapt the way you work as a team.

• 

  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  Portuguese: Intermediate

• 

  Accommodation

  Room: On the upper floor you will have a bed in one of our mixed dormitories which you will share with the other Workawayers. On average we have 5 Workawayers in our centre. We try to always have an international mix of interesting and motivated people.
  
  Next to that we have a guest room that hosts 6 people so in addition to 5 Workawayer's there are at times guests around as well, which are expected to help with the general cleaning of the house. Our place is also an art residency project, where we often host groups of artists.
  In cases where we host bigger groups we will use some of the bunkbeds in the WorkAway rooms to accommodate the extra people. Be aware that the place does not provide private single rooms and that there are always many people around in the centre, so it can get hectic at days.
  
  Kitchen: We have a 2 kitchens, one industrial one which we use for events and cooking courses and we have a shared kitchen, which is the heart of our community where many people come together and share meals and stories.
  As a household we tend to cook meals together and try to be aware of everyone's dietary needs. Normally all meals we make are at least vegetarian.
  
  This exchange partially include food, as for many events or cooking courses we cook food and you will be able to eat with them. Next to that many people in our community often bring some food they prepared at home to share with everyone.
  We have a vegetable store around the corner where we can collect some goods at the end of the day. The rest of your food is collectively bought by all Workawayers and staff and guests are asked to leave a donation for the food they consume. The household and staff often eat and cook together.
  
  Bathrooms: There are also 2 shared bathrooms and 1 shared shower room with 3 showers, hot water included.
  
  Laundry: We have a washing machine you may use and we provide sheets, blankets and towels.
  
  Transport: We have a bike repair shop and we will have a bike for you to use. Bologna is a very bike-able city.
  There is a bus stop 3 minutes walk from our front door and the closest train station is a 20 min walk.

• 

  What else ...

  We are in Bologna, Italy in the region of Emilia-Romagna.
  Bologna is an animated city with a vibrant cultural life. There are many happenings all year long (festivals, film screenings, theater performances, concerts, etc.)
  Next to that there are places to visit, like the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca and many other old churches, chapels, monasteries and the cathedral.
  The city also has many museums, that offer a vast variety of different topics, even a museum about the history of Bologna and the region.
  There is also a clock tower that is open to the public and that you can climb up.
  
  You will have loads of time to explore the city and its surroundings. We offer bikes to go on an adventure.
  In spring it is really nice to go up the mountains and visit the river.
  There is also a well know hiking path to Florence called Via Degli Dei.
  
  During days off we encourage our volunteers to go on day trips. In our communal kitchen there is a board with an overview of where you can go.
  Venice, Florence, Padua, Ravenna are all nearby and easily reachable by train or bus.
  The Apennine Mountains are right around the corner and we are also relatively close to the Alps.
  If you want to go to places that are further out we can discuss the days off to accomodate your need for exploration of Italy.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

Website Safety

Feedback (14)