PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT IN HELSINKI, FINLAND

[wocet]

Dear All,

We are an organization from Helsinki, Finland and have designed a project called "HELSINKI 4-SEASONS" what might be interesting for you.

H4-S is designed to create the biggest free picture online gallery of Helsinki city and Finland on the Internet.

As we don't have own photographers we invite volunteers from abroad for 2 weeks to take pictures of Helsinki city. This is an unpaid position, but local activists of the project will provide volunteers with accommodation and breakfast for 2 weeks.

Please find bellow instructions and requirements of the project. You also welcome to visit our website for more info: www.wocet.org


Best regards,

David Rubben

World Organization of
Cultural Exchange
Talvikkitie 40 A
01300, Vantaa
FINLAND

tel.
+358 405 522 290
+358 505 208 027
fax.
+358 405 522 290
e-mail.
wocet@wocet.org
web.
www.wocet.org

------MORE DETAILS OF THE PROJECT------


PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Starting from October 2004, WOCE starts a new non-profit project called HELSINKI 4-SEASONS (H4-S).
H4-S is designed to create the biggest free picture online gallery of Helsinki city and Finland on the Internet. The goal is to make Finland and especially Helsinki city more attractable for the tourism in all four seasons of the year. The project will start in the beginning of October 2004 and will continue till October 2005. H4-S is a volunteer-based project and all content (pictures) will be made by volunteers. We welcome volunteers both local and from abroad.


H4-S VOLUNTEERS
WOCE welcomes volunteers from abroad for a period of two weeks to become a photographer for H4-S project. Volunteers don’t need to be professional photographers, the only requirement is to have a camera and make as much pictures as possible. Solid experience in photography is a big plus, but motivation and enthusiasm is much important for us.
During two weeks volunteers will get accommodation and breakfast in Helsinki city what will be provided for free by local activists of H4-S project.


ELIGIBILITY
- To be 18 and up
- To have own photo camera (digital or film)


START AND END DATE
There is no specific start date, it’s open year around. Volunteers decides themselves when they want to start their own project (between Oct.2004-Oct.2005) what will last 14 days.


VOLUNTEER’S WORK SCHEDULE

Daily schedule is pretty flexible and volunteers themselves plan it. They also decides themselves whether they want to work independently or in a group with other volunteers.
Basically, volunteer’s work is to explore the Helsinki city and take pictures, what means volunteers can combine their work with having fun, but every evening material should be presented to WOCE stuff.


REGISTRATION FEE

Registration fee is 150€

REGISTRATION
In order to register, fill in application on our website here: http://www.wocet.org/applyh4-s.html

[wocet]

>What kind of organization? Benefitting who?

please visit our website for more info about our organization: www.wocet.org

>Where will the stay be located? Why 2 weeks to take photos? and why >from so many photographers?

Stay will be located in Helsinki. Volunteers will be provided with a free accommodation by local activists of H4-S, basically they will host volunteers at their homes.
that's why it's not possible to stay for longer, it's possible to stay for shorter period but not for longer.
So many photographers as we plan to make the biggest picture database about Helsinki, what's not possible to do with a single or several photographers.

Registration fee is collected to confirm seriousness of volunteers(to be
sure when a person is registering he/she is planing to come Finland) also to cover other expenses of WOCE-basic food for volunteers breakfast and other organizational expenses.

[myles]

Hello.

Im afraid I have to agree with my friend above.

I am an architectural photographer, and was interested in this project until it came to the 150 euro registration fee.

To ensure the 'seriousness' of the volunteers?? Come on!
Why not just ask them to fax you a copy of their airline booking or similar.

I checked out your site and it states:

WOCE starts a new non-profit project called HELSINKI 4-SEASONS (H4-S).

The goal is to make Finland and especially Helsinki city more attractable for the tourism in all four seasons of the year


So its a non-profit project with a commercial goal????

Good luck.

[wocet]

myles,

I'll try to explain your questions.
When a volunteer registering in order to participate in the project, we are spending a lot of time like finding a place where volunteer going to stay.
Accommodation is provided by local activists of the project for free and basically we should agree with a person when, where and whom he/she going to host at own place.
And if a volunteer changing his/her mind just before a start day, that
means all work we did is for nothing. Moreover we lost a potential
place to host another volunteer. Airline ticket copy is not a guarantee that a volunteer coming for a project or for something else, what's also easy to cancel.

This project is not funded by any sponsor and it's created not for making
profit, read in description: "H4-S is designed to create the biggest free picture online gallery of Helsinki city and Finland on the Internet"

You also should take into consideration expenses we make for realizing H4-S project, what's not covered by anyone.