Extracurricular associations and non formal educational centres, as well as civic centres, offer a wide variety of activities throughout the year: courses for art, photography or musicals, yoga classes, gymnastics or cooking; artisan workshops or private celebrations of the different seasons.
Nonetheless, there’s an untapped opportunity for these centres to explore, which we offer at dothegap and which we’d like to encourage: exchanges. This experience provides a great opportunity for associations and civic centres, as it broadens their offerings and possibilities. Let’s dive in!
Exchange possibilities for associations and civic centres
Associations and civic centres play an important dynamic and cultural role in society, since they reach thousands of people with a certain type of education that is truly valuable while also creating links among the habitants of each neighbourhood, town or city.
The possibility to carry out exchanges among students in different centres constitutes one step towards this goal, as it opens a window of opportunities: from activities in cities from different provinces and autonomous communities to experiences abroad.
Those who regularly participate in the courses and workshops organised by associations and civic centres can enjoy a unique experience from a certain trip that they may not have chosen on their own, but with the support and trust of these entities they go for it without any doubts.
What types of activities can associations or civic centres offer? As we always emphasise at dothegap, exhanges have no limits! However, you can veer away from the courses and activities already organised and offer something from the perspective of someone who doesn’t know the local culture or area.
If we go back to the aforementioned examples, centres and associations can propose activities related to art to immerse participants in the city or town. This includes everything from tours of the historic monuments to photography workshops, with the objective of being immersed in the country they’re visiting.
Along these lines, they can propose exchange initiatives related to music: show the local folklore, learn to sing iconic songs from the area or even play rare local instruments. This would be truly enriching for participants who have traveled from across the globe.
With disciplines like gymnastics and sports, the same can be applied! Each centre can offer specific emphasis that may be of interest to others. They can design an educational experience based on their specialty, providing great value to those who aren’t specialised in said discipline.
In the past we’ve talked to the power of craftsmanship and the great variety of exchanges that can happen as a result. Every tradition has its own artisans or different techniques, so an association of artisans could propose an experience that shares their knowledge with interested people from abroad.
There’s so much to say about gastronomy. Without a doubt, it’s one of the most illustrative cultural aspects of each country and a very nice way to get to know new places. At a time when culinary tourism is going up, opting for this type of exchange is sure to be a hit: our tastebuds have no borders!
Lastly, it’s common for civic centres to organise workshops to prepare dishes, decorations or events for the yearly parties. Why not focus them on the local tradition to spread awareness to people in different places through an exchange?
Exchanges organised by associations or civic centres are a great opportunity to connect different people and cultures. It’s a way to spread and get to know different traditions, points of view or practice languages, if that’s the case.
This is why, at dothegap we encourage cultural associations and extracurricular or civic centres to propose exchange experiences and upload them to our community. It’s a great opportunity to take the next step in your great endeavor!
