La Guajira is a Sociocultural Association that was born in 2012 at the initiative of a group of creators from Almería from returned emigrants. Regarding the headquarters and the neighborhood: Starting from an old house located in the La Almedina neighborhood, the heart of the old town historical, right at the foot of the most representative monument of the city, the Alcazaba, we deconstruct a house to adapt it to the needs of a multifunctional space. They were six long months on site, recycling all kinds of materials, to make possible the dream of building without money, with the force of illusion, companionship and solidarity. Finally, on June 16, 2012 we inaugurated the headquarters. From the beginning, our framework of action make up the residents of the neighborhood, mostly with scarce economic resources, the general public and the neighborhood in itself, since we promote and develop actions that imply their improvement and enhancement. Another culture is possible: We work in alternative forms of collectivized economy, of donation and / or barter, with instruments such as the time bank and the social currency. These make it possible to broaden the spectrum of participation / collaboration with people with low or no economic resources, through actions that can be: participatory work, artistic, educational or informative interventions, exchange of materials for recycling (musical instruments, raw materials, tools, appliances, sound components, computers, lights, ornaments, etc.), among others. We could call our management model "Necessity Engineering." A large part of our activities are focused on energizing the cultural life of this peculiar environment, a task that we understand as a basic engine for its social regeneration. In its first seven years of life, La Guajira has become an indisputable cultural reference from the city thanks to a stable and high-quality weekly program. Music, theater, exhibitions, conferences, courses or workshops are just some of the main activities that make up our cultural offer. Among all of them, Flamenco stands out as a sign of identity, since it represents for the artists of the neighboring neighborhood of La Chanca-Pescadería and those of the rest of the city, an ideal platform to develop their art and bring it to the stage. The socio-cultural impact that La Guajira has had in this first five years attest to the more than twenty thousand eventual partners registered.

La Guajira was founded in 2012 as a space to promote artistic creation, especially related to live-music. Ever since, the venue has offered a stable program with at least 3 activities a week, including different kinds of educational activities, workshops, concerts, theatre, dance, expositions, talks, cinema, language exchange and activities for children. The association is located in a historic neighbourhood of Almería with a high percentage of people living at risk of social exclusion. Besides its artistic scope, La Guajira has developed many social intervention activities such as Spanish Courses for low qualified migrants, courses on active job search for low qualified migrants, workshops on diversity management, entrepreneur training for young artists etc. The volunteers will be able to acquire knowledge and experience in the fields of audiovisual production, sound recording, management of cultural projects, especially in the performing arts, and dissemination in digital media.

The volunteer will live in a shared apartment with 2 other volunteers and the costs of the apartment are covered by the hosting organization. The apartment is located downtown and at walking/bike distance to our facilities, all cultural activities and the beach. The volunteer will be responsible for organizing its meals and buying its own food.

We will offer a tutor-based training regarding our organization´s work and the special tasks of each volunteer. Each volunteer will be accompanied during the work by one member of our staff. Further, on the arrival, the volunteer will participate at the training organized by the Spanish National Agency and will receive weekly Spanish lessons. Last but not least, the volunteer will take part at the interim evaluation which usually is carried out in Mollina, Málaga.

The Participant profile: In order to create greater social impact on the community, we are looking for 3 volunteers to cover parts of the following expertise: - Photo/Video production and edition - Sound engineering - Graphic design - Hospitality Management - Community Management Since all tasks of the volunteers are somehow related to artistic creation, it is a basic requirement to be interested in art in its different forms. If desired, volunteers might have the opportunity to offer different artistic workshops to the members of La Guajira.
Deadline: 15/09/2025 12:00

The project is implemented under the European Solidarity Corps Programme, financed by the European Commission.
The participating organisations have to be mindful of these needs as they are responsible for providing a respectful and trusting hosting environment. At the same time, the organisations participating in the initiative devote a great deal of time, energy and resources to set up a high-quality activity; they should therefore expect that European Solidarity Corps participants show a similar level of respect for the local communities and the people that are directly concerned by the activities (https://youth.europa.eu/solidarity/mission_en).
What do we provide ?

• Training before and after the project
• Health insurance during your project
• round-trip travel reimbursement
• accommodation and food
• pocket money
• language course
• Return Week-end
• Youth Pass and SVI international Volunteer passport

Before applying for this volunteering project, you need to enroll yourself at European Solidarity Corps Platform (https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en) and specify your European Solidarity Corps Participant Number (PRN).
This organisation holds a European Solidarity Corps Quality Label.
Contact the ESC coordinator at +32 2 888 67 13 to get more informations.