Open Cultural Center - OCC

Casa
España
Barcelona
Open Cultural Center - OCC

A non-profit organization that develops inclusion programs in refugee camps and urban areas in Greece and in Spain

A non-profit organization that develops education & arts community centers in refugee camps / refugee population centers in Greece

05/06/2026

Greece’s experiment to combat “illegal” migration and its implications for human rights

📄 In a recent article, Barbara, who was a volunteer at Open Cultural Center Greece, explored recent changes in Greek migration policy, including suspensions of asylum procedures and the introduction of a “prison or return” regime for rejected applicants.

As the EU Migration Pact comes into effect this month, it is timely to examine Greece’s hardline approach to migration and its consequences as similar policies alarmingly seem to gain traction across the EU. 🇪🇺

👉Contrary to claims of greater efficiency and reduced smuggling, the Greek case suggests that such restrictive policies increase legal uncertainty, prolong detention, and undermine the universal right to seek asylum.

Read the full article through the link in our bio

01/06/2026

Last week, our CREATE class visited the Mirador Torre in Gloriès where they received a tour of the tower and got to visit the interactive sculptures as part of the tower.

The class got to see Barcelona’s most Iconic building and a different perspective of Barcelona from the observation deck.

Our CREATE classes offer Spanish language education to non-accompanied minors. Together with our partners , , , , ,, we support over 600 young people across Europe in learning the language of their new country and fostering inclusion through education.

These trips are made possible through the CREATE project, co-funded by the European Union through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.

31/05/2026

Exploring the behind-the-scenes work of an NGO 📋🔎

This spring, four guests visited OCC Greece from Spain to learn more about our processes in administration, fundraising, recruitment, and communication.

🌷In March, Ana Paula and Agustina came to Polykastro to learn more about our monitoring and reporting systems and how NGOs build sustainable funding through public and private partnerships. Together we also discussed best practices for effective and inclusive communication for non-profits like ours.

🌸 Then in April, when Simran and Noel came, we explained our system for recruiting, onboarding and coordinating our team of volunteers as well as how we handle our administrative and financial processes.

Thank you all for visiting us and exchanging interesting ideas!

This exchange was supported through the Adult Education programme, funded by the European Union.

28/05/2026

Thank you Ellen, Joanna, and Caterina for coming to OCC Greece and sharing your time and expertise 💛

Ellen worked as a Children’s Learning Facilitator, supporting children’s classes through creative and non-formal educational activities. From arts & crafts to literacy and science games, she helped create engaging learning spaces for the children every day 📚🎨✨

Joanna contributed to the Monitoring & Evaluation team, helping monitor attendance, students’ progress and class participation. Her work supported the organisation and development of our educational activities behind the scenes 📊💻

Caterina worked as a teacher in the adult literacy classes, supporting adult learners in developing their reading and writing skills through daily lessons and educational activities. She also taught the Falafels group, working with children aged 4 to 8 years old through creative activities, helping make the classroom a fun and welcoming space for learning 🌱🧡

Thank you all for your work, energy and contribution during these months!

This exchange was supported through the Adult Education programme, funded by the European Union.

22/05/2026

Més de 150 persones celebrant amb nosaltres! 💙

2026 és un any especial per a Refugees Welcome Espanya i Open Cultural Center: les nostres dues ONGs estan celebrant 10 anys d'inclusió, impacte, comunitat i solidaritat, i no podríem pensar en una millor manera de celebrar que juntes.

Fa uns dies, més de 150 persones de les nostres comunitats a Espanya i a Grècia es van reunir a Barcelona per celebrar tot el que hem construït i aconseguit col·lectivament durant l'última dècada.

Va ser un esdeveniment molt especial amb una taula rodona, projecció de vídeo, discursos dels nostres fundadores, música en directe i molts moments que ens van recordar per què fem el que fem.

Estem compartint algunes fotos de l'esdeveniment, i això és només el principi: en les pròximes setmanes, seguirem compartint més moments i reflexions d'aquesta important celebració.

Gràcies a cada persona, organització i col·laboradora que ha format part d'aquest viatge durant els últims deu anys, i brindem per els deu següents!

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More than 150 people celebrating a milestone with us! 💛

2026 is a special year for Open Cultural Center and Refugees Welcome Spain: both of our NGOs are marking 10 years of inclusion, impact, community, and solidarity, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than together.

A few days ago, over 150 people from our communities in Spain and in Greece came together in Barcelona to celebrate everything we’ve collectively built and achieved over the past decade.

It was a very special event with an inspiring panel discussion, video screening, speeches from our founders, live music, and many meaningful moments that reminded us why we do what we do.

We’re sharing some photos from the event, and this is just the beginning: in the coming weeks, we’ll continue sharing more moments, highlights, and reflections from this important celebration.

Thank you to every person, organization, and partner who has been part of this journey over the past 10 years, and here’s to the next ten! 💛

19/05/2026

📢 New interview alert!

In this piece, Wejdane Ben Chaabane interviews filmmaker Ignacio Acconcia González about the intersection of migration and disability through the documentary “Imade”. You can find the full article in bio.

🚨 In the context of the extraordinary regularization in Spain, our partner organization has integrated accessibility support in its accompaniment processes, affirming that inclusion requires accessible communication and community-based support networks.

23/04/2026

Looking for book ideas for Sant Jordi? 📚

Take a look at some of our recommendations to gift to loved ones, or to yourself, on the topic of migration and forced displacement.

From graphic novels to poetry, fiction to non-fiction, we’ve selected a range of books to help you learn more about the diverse experiences of displacement and stay informed.

Sant Jordi is a special day in Catalan tradition where people gift books and roses to each other and from our teams in Barcelona and Moià, we wish everyone a Feliç Sant Jordi! 🌹

10/04/2026

Aprenent idiomes a Moià! 🗣️📗

Cada dilluns i dimarts, visitem l’Espai Jove de Moià amb els joves del projecte Joventut Per Tothom. En aquest entorn tranquil, participen en classes de català i castellà o reben suport en altres competències essencials com la redacció del currículum, la recerca de feina, els tràmits administratius o qualsevol cosa que faci falta.

Moltes gràcies a i pel suport!

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Learning languages in Moià! 🗣️📗

Every Monday and Tuesday, we visit the youth space in Moià with the young people from the Youth4All project. In this calm setting, they take part in Catalan and Spanish classes or get support with essential skills like CV writing, job searching, and administrative support, depending on their needs.

08/04/2026

Niki, Project Coordinator at OCC Greece, travelled to Barcelona as an invited expert to share knowledge and experience from OCC Greece’s work with displaced communities.

During her visit, she met with the OCC Spain team to learn more about projects such as CodeWomen+, MigraCode, and Language Lab, and also travelled to Moià to meet the Youth4All team working on the inclusion of former unaccompanied minors in a rural context.

💬 Through a presentation for the whole team, Niki shared key insights into the current migratory and political context in Greece, and its impact on displaced communities and residents of the Nea Kavala refugee camp, who attend OCC’s centre in Polykastro.

🤝 Her trip also coincided with our end-of-year party — a perfect opportunity to celebrate together after a week of exchange and knowledge sharing.

This exchange was supported through the Adult Education programme, funded by the European Union through Erasmus+.

27/03/2026

Celebrating Eid with our OCC communities! 🌙🌸

Both in Greece and in Spain, OCC marked Eid al-Fitr with community events last week, as an opportunity to come together and share a meaningful moment.

In Polykastro, Greece, our volunteers prepared gift bags for the children with sweets, stickers, and a inspirational message, and also held a crafts day to create decorations for our centre ahead of the community gathering.

In Moià, Spain, our full team celebrated with a Catalan calçotada, a meal that was kindly hosted and prepared by the volunteers of our Youth4all project! It was a great way to share a moment all together.

Eid Mubarak! To everyone who celebrated, we hope you enjoyed the day.

🇪🇺 Our volunteer programme is funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps.

Dirección

Rec 27
Barcelona
08003

Página web

https://openculturalcenter.org/

Notificaciones

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