Testimonial til Galway 2020 frivilligprogram “The Wavemakers”

 English version below

Eventyret

I 2017 så et unikt og enestående frivilligprogram dagens lys i forbindelse med, at Danmarks næststørste by Aarhus blev udvalgt til European Capital of Culture (ECOC). Frivilligprogrammet og de frivillige ReThinkers’ overordnede formål var at involvere borgere aktivt og tage ejerskab overfor gennemførelsen af Kulturhovedstadsåret. Omdrejningspunktet for programmet var at skabe ”localhood”, som gjorde byen mere attraktiv for nationale og internationale gæster, såvel som for borgere. Det lykkedes til fulde!

Mere end 4.000 frivillige fra Aarhus deltog i et hav af kultur og eventopgaver, og frivilligprogrammet blev en endnu større succes, end byen havde drømt om. ReThinkers blev uvurderlige og langtidsholdbare ambassadører for byen. Med deres store smil, imødekommenhed, nærvær og evner som værter blev de et kæmpe aktiv for Danmarks næststørste by Aarhus, som rakte langt ud over Kulturhovedstadsåret.  

I starten af 2018 lukkede ECOC ned, og Aarhus stod overfor udfordringen, hvad skulle der nu ske med det succesfulde frivilligprogram?

Heldigvis kunne både kommunen, byen og turistorganisationen alle se store fordele i at føre frivilligprogrammet videre. Aarhus’ turistorganisation VisitAarhus endte med tage frivilligprogrammet under deres vinger. Dette partnerskab viste sig at være til stor gavn for både frivilligprogrammet, VisitAarhus og Aarhus.

Økonomi og organisation

Budgettet for driften af frivilligprogrammet ligger årligt på ca. 2,5 mio. (ca. 350.000 Euro/året).

Finansieringen kommer primært fra private fonde, kommunen og VisitAarhus. De seneste to år har der været travlt med at drive frivilligprogrammet og sikre spændende frivilligopgaver (vi har kontakt med over 100 aktører om året), samt transformationen fra et midlertidigt frivilligprogram til en vedvarende frivilligorganisation. En frivilligorganisation med en fast ansat frivillighedschef, 3 x frivilligkoordinatorer og en frivillig hub, samt fast frivilligdeltagelse i de store events.

Effekter

Rejsen fra et midlertidigt program til en forankret organisation er blot en af de mange effekter som nu er en realitet. 

I 2017 introducerede vi navnet ReThinkers til vores frivillige. De frivillige ReThinkers er i dag blevet et stærkt brand for Aarhus, og er med til at brande byen og tiltrække store mega events, da Aarhus blot er en by med kun 400.000 borgere. Disse prestigefyldte events er for eksempel The Ocean Race, World Championships in Sailing, The Tall Ships Races, tilbagevendende udendørs teaterforestilling fra Det Kongelige Teater hvert andet år, der tiltrækker op til 90.000 gæster. Desuden er ReThinkers med til at sælge byen som en attraktiv og imødekommende destination for krydstogtskibe – over de seneste år har der været en tre dobling af antallet af anløb. Et af de store salgsargumenter under hvervning af de store events, er fortællingen om de frivillige ReThinkers. Aarhus er kommet på verdenskortet som en imødekommende by for gæster og besøgende til byen. En øget interesse for byen skaber en øget interesse for bosætning, erhvervsliv osv. Vores motto for 2021 er: ”a great place to live is a great place to visit”.

Værtskabet er blevet de frivillige ReThinkers varemærke og dette går godt i spænd med fremtidens turismefokus på: localhood. De lokale er en af årsagerne til at turister besøger byen. Vi vil alle gerne møde de lokale, få en lokal oplevelse og opleve hvad der ligger bag den polerede destination. De frivillige borgere skaber autentiske og eminente møder med gæsterne. De frivilliges imødekommenhed har skabt øget international omtale – for eksempel i SAS magasin, ”Aarhus is the only city to have introduced such a scheme so far, but looks unlikely to be the last” (SAS artikel September 2019).

Vi er i fuld gang med at opbygge et videnscenter for good pratice in Volunteer Management. Vores ambition er at dele vores store erfaringer om frivilligledelse. Derfor har vi blandt andet udviklet konceptet “Master Class i frivillighed – skab værdi med frivillige”. Vi er også stolte og glade for at være med i det fantastiske internationale samarbejde på tværs af ECOC-landene med fokus på frivillighed og frivillig koordinering. Det er en styrke for alle landene at vi taler sammen og deler erfaringer med hinanden.

En frivilligorganisation som ReThinkers findes ikke andre steder, hverken i Danmark eller resten af verden! Det er usædvanligt, at der findes denne arv efter at have været vært for en Europæisk Kulturhovedstad. Og det er helt unikt at have en bank af frivillige, som er klar til at træde til, når der et behov: Nogle gange blot med nogle få – og andre gange med flere hundrede hænder. Det gør, at mere er muligt! Det gør at mange kigger misundeligt på Aarhus. For hjulene kan køre lidt hurtigere på den kulturelle scene. Og den store erfaring med værtsopgaverne rettet mod gæsterne er aldeles enestående!

I dag udgør de frivillige ReThinkers en enestående resurse, og de frivillige stiller beredvilligt op med erfaring, kompetencer og deres sunde fornuft. De frivillige repræsenterer en uvurderlig viden, fordi der i Aarhus i løbet af de seneste 5 år er bygget viden op omkring både den gode brede frivillighed såvel som afvikling af både små og store events i forhold til hvordan det hele skal planlægges og udføres. Dette er en KÆMPE gevinst for byen, der skaber stor lokal stolthed og til en by der bygger på tillid og fællesskaber. Frivilligorganisationen har gjort Aarhus til noget helt særligt!

En lille manual med 5 anbefalinger:

Konkrete anbefalinger til Galway og frivilligprogrammet ”The Wavemakers” efter ECOC 2020

1. Partnerskab: Find en organisation at indgå et partnerskab med. I Aarhus var det ideelt med turistorganisationen, men det er ikke nødvendigvis samme situation for andre lande. Husk at de frivillige har meldt sig til at hjælpe med kultur-begivenheder!
2. Frivillig hub: Etabler et fysisk mødested
   
   
3. Struktur og organisation: Sørg for høj kvalitet i organiseringen af de frivillige, og en god struktur omkring arbejdet med de frivillige. Det er desuden vigtigt at der er ressourcer til en fastansat medarbejder.
   
   
4. Finans: Få finansiering på plads. Det kræver en økonomi at drive en succesfuld frivilligorganisation, men det skaber også værdi for byen.
   
   
5. Skab resultater: Fokus på at skabe resultater. Lav en tilfredshedsanalyse blandt de frivillige. Sørg for at få de gode historier synlige, så det er tydeligt at de frivillige har gjort en vigtig og meningsfuld forskel.

 Testimonial for Galway 2020 volunteer programme "The Wavemakers"

The adventure

In 2017, a unique and exceptional volunteer programme saw the light of day when Denmark’s second largest city, Aarhus, was designated the European Capital of Culture (ECOC). The main purpose of the volunteer programme and the volunteer “ReThinkers” was to actively involve local residents and take ownership of the completion of the ECOC year. The focal point of the programme was to create “localhood” which would make the city more attractive to national and international visitors, as well as residents. It succeeded in every way!

More than 4.000 volunteers from Aarhus participated in a plethora of cultural and event tasks, and the volunteer programme became an even bigger success than the city had dreamt it would be. ReThinkers became invaluable and long-term ambassadors to the city. With their big happy smiles, friendliness, presence, and abilities as hosts they became a major resource for Denmark’s second largest city, Aarhus, which has reached far beyond the ECOC year.

At the beginning of 2018, the ECOC ended and Aarhus was faced with the challenge of what to do with the successful volunteer programme?

Luckily, the municipality, the city, and the tourist organization could all see advantages to continuing with the volunteer programme. Aarhus’ tourist organization, VisitAarhus, ended up taking the programme under its wing. This partnership has proved to be of great use both for the volunteer programme, VisitAarhus and Aarhus.

Economy and organization

The annual budget to operate the volunteer programme is approximately 2,5 million DKK (approximately 350.000 Euro). The funding comes primarily from private foundations, the municipality, and VisitAarhus. The past two years have been busy with the running of the volunteer programme and ensuring exciting volunteer tasks (we are in contact with more than 100 different organizers every year), as well as the transformation from a temporary volunteer programme to an established volunteer organization. A volunteer organization with an employed chief of engagement, 3 volunteer coordinators, and a volunteer hub, as well as continuous volunteer participation in large events.

Effects

The journey from a temporary programme to an established and rooted organization is just one of the many effects which are now a reality.

In 2017, we introduced the name ReThinkers to our volunteers. Today, the volunteer ReThinkers have become a strong brand for Aarhus, and they are a part of branding the city and drawing in huge mega events, as Aarhus is merely a city of just 400.000 residents. The prestigious events include The Ocean Race, the Sailing World Championships, The Tall Ships Races, and the recurring outdoor performance by The Royal Theatre every other year which attracts up to 90.000 guests. Moreover, ReThinkers help market the city as an attractive and accommodating destination for cruise ships – in the last few years, the number of cruise ships docking in Aarhus has tripled. One of the big selling points when recruiting large events is the story of the ReThinkers.

Aarhus has become known around the world as accommodating and friendly city to guests and visitors. A growing interest in the city creates a growing interest in settlement and business, etc. Our motto for 2021 is: “a great place to live is a great place to visit”.

Hosting has become the volunteer ReThinkers’ trademark and this goes well with the tourism industry’s future focus on: localhood. Local residents are one of the reasons tourists visit the city. We all want to meet the locals, have a local experience, and experience what lies behind the polished destination. The volunteers create authentic and excellent meetings with the visitors. The hospitality and friendliness of the volunteers has increased international publicity – for instance, the SAS Magazine wrote, “Aarhus is the only city to have introduced such a scheme so far, but looks unlikely to be the last” (SAS article, September 2019).

 
We are currently in full swing, building a centre of knowledge concerning good practice in Volunteer Management. Our ambition is to share our experiences with volunteer management. That is why we have developed the concept “Master Class in Volunteerism” (“Master Class i frivillighed – skab værdi med frivillige”). We are also proud and happy to be a part of the amazing international collaboration across the ECOC countries, focused on volunteering and volunteer management. It is advantageous for all the countries that we talk with each other and share our experiences with one another.

 
A volunteer organization like ReThinkers does not exist elsewhere, not in Denmark nor anywhere else in the world! It is unusual that such a legacy exists after having hosted a European Capital of Culture. And it is unique to have a reserve of volunteers who are ready to step in whenever there is a need: sometimes only with a few – and at other times, several hundred hands. It means that more is possible! It means that many people look at Aarhus with envy. Because the wheels of the cultural stage can go a little faster. And the experience we have gained from hosting visitors is absolutely incredibly!

Today, the volunteer ReThinkers make up an exceptional resource and the volunteers show up prepared and willing to help with their experience, skill, and common sense. The volunteers represent a priceless know-how and expertise. During the last 5 years, in Aarhus, we have gained a lot of knowledge about broad volunteerism as well as the execution of both small and largescale events in relation to how everything needs to be planned and carried out. This is a HUGE win for the city, which is the source of great local pride, and for a city which is built on trust and community,

The volunteer organization has made Aarhus into someplace very special!

A little manual with 5 recommendations:

Concrete recommendations for Galway and the volunteer programme “The Wavemakers” post ECOC 2020

1. Partnership: Find an organization to enter into a partnership with. In Aarhus, it was ideal to partner with the tourist organization but that may not be the case in other countries. Remember that the volunteers have signed up to help with cultural events!
   
   
2. Volunteer hub: Establish a physical meeting place.
   
   
3. Structure and organization: Ensure high quality organization of the volunteers, and a good structure around the work you do with the volunteers. Moreover, it is important to have resources for an employed staff member.
   
   
4. Financial: Secure funding. It requires finances to run a successful volunteer organization – but it will create meaningful value for the city.
   
   
5. Create results: Focus on getting results. Do a satisfaction survey among your volunteers. Make sure to bring out the good stories – make them visible – so it is clearly evident that the volunteers have made an important and meaningful difference.