On Friday, 17 December, the La Fàbrica Community Centre (in Santa Eulalia de Ronçana) will host the presentation of the results of the “VolunterRius” research project, on environmental volunteering in the Besòs river basin, led by researchers from the UIC Barcelona School of Architecture, Marta Benages and Pere Vall. The project was undertaken within the Community-Based Urbanism Research Group and was carried out with cooperation from researchers Tomeu Vidal and Enric Pol, members of the Interaction and Social Change Research Group at the University of Barcelona, researchers Juan Carlos Martin and Urea Cartanya, Members of the Health Determinants and Health Policy Evaluation Research Group, and research assistant Lina Gast.

The “VoluntaRius” research project was funded through DEMOC in the Government of Catalonia and was set up with the aim of analysing environmental volunteering in the river area of the Besòs river basin with a focus on the personal experience of volunteers as a starting point for the design of participatory processes aimed at the preservation of river environments by self-managed groups of citizens.

During the event, the researchers will present a map indicating the organisations, groups, primary schools and high schools that volunteer in the Besòs basin and will describe the main volunteer profiles identified out of more than 120 surveys carried out among the more than 900 volunteers identified during the research project. “The work of identifying organisations and groups currently active in volunteer work in the basin allowed a questionnaire to be applied that was specifically designed for this study, indicating the issues and concerns detected in interviews and discussion groups with volunteers who are active in the Besòs basin”, explained the researchers.

Agenda
-    Opening session to welcome participants
-    Introduction of the team and the research project
-    Introduction and research results 
-    Working session to improve the work of volunteers
-    Closing session

To participate in this event, either face-to-face or online, please register in advance via the official “VoluntaRius” webpage.

Funded by: