The volunteering programme for Turku European Capital of Culture was launched in February 2010 by the Turku 2011 Foundation. The two main objectives of the programme – providing everyone the opportunity to get involved in organising Capital of Culture events, and securing adequate human resources for the projects of Turku 2011 Foundation and the Capital of Culture programme – were being delivered with the help of over 400 volunteers.
The programme’s volunteers worked in nine teams, each with specific responsibilities.
The teams were:
- First aid
- Host services
- Information
- Marketing
- Logistics
- Accessibility
- Production
- Communications
- Environment
The programme also had an intercultural team whose working language was English. The members of the intercultural team represented over 20 different nationalities.
The volunteers were Jacks and Jills of all trades whose tasks could be anything from planting flowers to promotion and marketing, serving as hosts to guests, helping with artworks and installations, moving and carrying, workshop activities, information services - or even hand-weeding the mugwort! Our volunteers could be identified by their orange ball-patterned shirts and vests.
Partners of the Capital of Culture volunteering programme included local divisions of NGOs such as Red Cross Finland and the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, and the Centre for Personal Assistance. The goal was to work with permanent organisations to strengthen the voluntary sector and to attract more volunteers.
Recruitment for the volunteering programme closed on 30 May 2011. We would like to thank everyone for their interest.
