ESC: Volunteering in an Arts and Culture Environment

Outdoor Artists is a non-profit organization based in Malta set up back in 2012 with the following aims: -promote incentives which push towards the promotion of culture and cultural integration -education towards environmental responsibility (built and natural) -the promotion of local talent and -collaboration with other non-profit organizations The promotion of such activities is done by creating short artistic events around the Maltese Islands and promote arts, culture and creativity to the general public. Since our inception, we have been constantly working on various individual projects and events in collaboration with other NGOs and Government entities. In the past years we have also developed various workshops, developed experience in the use of public funds for our projects and as well we are constantly working in creating a European Art Communities Network, in which artists and art leaders can work alongside for the benefit of our future generations. One of our projects is to help promote and work for the regeneration of towns in which social problems exist. We want to help with these social problems by providing an inclusive platform for both locals and migrants. During the past years we have created a team of volunteers made from people of different ages, gender and nationalities. Each member is given the opportunity to create their own project or else help with various activities which range from hosting or documenting an event, marketing through the use of social media, preparation of material, coordinating and socializing with local communities, identify situations or people who would benefit from our NGO. As group of volunteers we meet on a monthly basis to discuss new artistic and cultural events as well the possibility of having them contributing to the NGO's growth. We also give the opportunity to people within the cultural sector to stay at our place in exchange of volunteering for a term between one up to three months. For this reason we are constantly looking for ideas and inspiration to be able to implement our mission that of raising more awareness about the arts. All of this is done through various original events which we create on a yearly basis and which attract different type of audiences. On a yearly basis we have managed to attract about 300 people to our events, which include people from all walks of life. We aim at increasing this number in order to reach larger target audiences. The target groups of the organization are mainly artists, locals and migrants from different walks of life, with our main audience aged between 18 and 30 years old. We keep both the former and the latter connected together by organizing networking events, run different type of creative activities, help the artist gain exposure by providing an on-line arts blog which caters for the local market, holding exhibitions with both on our own or in collaboration with other NGO's. hold fund-raising events, and from time to time working together with local government entities and town councils by voluntarily assisting them with their events. Our work as an NGO is varied and interesting. We would like to host volunteers to build a mutually beneficial relationship whereby the NGO benefits from new ideas and creativity, while the volunteer(s) have an opportunity to volunteer in a foreign country, learning how an NGO works and being immersed in the local artistic scene of the Maltese Islands. For volunteers interested in the arts this is a unique opportunity to be exposes to other artists and have their ideas implemented through organized events. We set up and run the Grand Harbour Arts Community Space in Marsa, for the benefit of the local community. Although being Malta's capital city, Valletta and indeed the wider Grand Harbour area is one of the most materially deprived areas in Malta.