Esai en Roi Cultural Organization of Macedonia – Thrace

ALEXPOSURE is the name given to a cultural initiative comprising two distinct but complementary actions, with a shared aim: to bring culture closer to people and create opportunities for participation, exchange and connection.

The name ALEXPOSURE is a play on words that perfectly captures the personal ambition of Alexis, a volunteer at ESAI-EN-ROI, who conceived and developed the initiative as part of his voluntary work. As a trained actor with a background in political science, he recognises the vital importance of access to culture and of meaningful engagement with it within our societies.

With the support and encouragement of ESAI-EN-ROI, the idea of a young volunteer was given the space to develop into a concrete initiative with a cultural and social dimension. Through two different media —radio and cinema— two cultural activities were created, both open to everyone and completely free of charge.

ALEXPOSURE therefore also represents something broader: the belief that when young people are given trust, encouragement and the space to develop their ideas, they can create initiatives with meaningful impact. ESAI-EN-ROI provides an environment in which young people are not simply participants, but can become idea-makers and creators of their own initiatives.

The philosophy is simple: “One for all, and all for one.” We empower and support our partners, our partners support one another, and through this collective dynamic, an individual idea can grow into a shared cultural experience that gives something back to society.

The ALEXPOSURE initiative has been designed to reach the widest possible audience, making use of both digital media and the power of face-to-face encounters.

Alexploration, as an English-language radio programme, has the potential to reach an international audience: people from different countries who have access to the internet and an interest in culture, history, art and contemporary cultural creation. The programme is broadcast through Molto Radio, while the episodes are archived on the association’s YouTube channel, allowing them to remain accessible beyond the live broadcast.

Alexperience, on the other hand, focuses more directly on the local community in Thessaloniki. It primarily addresses young people who are curious and interested in cinema, culture, and discovering new ideas and people. Screening films in their original language with English subtitles also makes the events accessible to a multicultural and English-speaking audience.

At the same time, inviting a different local organisation to each event creates a second bridge towards the audience. Each partner organisation has the opportunity to bring its own community — predominantly Greek-speaking — thereby broadening the reach of the event and creating an encounter between different people and communities.

In this way, ALEXPOSURE operates on two levels: online, with the potential to reach audiences beyond Thessaloniki and Greece, and locally, by creating real opportunities for people to meet and connect within the city. The diversity of its audience is not an obstacle, but an essential part of the initiative’s philosophy.

ALEXPOSURE was implemented throughout Alexis’ volunteering period, gradually developing through two complementary activities with a regular and recurring presence.

ALEXPLORATION took place every Thursday at 3:00 pm, lasting approximately 35 to 50 minutes, from mid-January until 21 June. Its regular weekly schedule made it possible to create a consistent programme and maintain an ongoing relationship with the audience.

ALEXPERIENCE took place on the first Monday of each month, from March to June, from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Each gathering combined a film screening with opportunities for meeting people, discussion and social interaction.

The duration and recurring nature of the two activities were important to the initiative, as ALEXPOSURE was not limited to a single event, but developed into a sustained voluntary project with continuity, commitment and the potential to gradually create new relationships and partnerships.

ALEXPOSURE is developed through two distinct but complementary actions: ALEXPLORATION and ALEXPERIENCE. Their shared objective is to make culture more accessible and participatory, turning knowledge, art and cinema into opportunities for communication, connection and encounter.

ALEXPLORATION is an English-language radio programme created to share knowledge and stories around topics that fascinate our volunteers, while also giving people working in the cultural sector a platform to present their work, experiences and ideas.

Each programme follows a consistent yet multi-thematic structure:

“What happened on this day?” — a geopolitical and historical segment presenting an important event that took place on that particular date.

This is followed by a story from Greek mythology. The radio correspondent narrates the myth, after which we explore the ways in which it has been interpreted and transformed over time.

The programme then moves into the present through a cultural interview with an artist or a professional working in the cultural sector. In this way, history and tradition are connected with contemporary creativity.

The programme concludes with a film or television series review, bringing together different forms of storytelling and cultural expression.

The entire programme is accompanied by pieces of classical music, including works by Beethoven, Strauss, Mozart and Bach, creating a coherent cultural experience.

ALEXPERIENCE takes this experience from the radio into a physical setting and focuses on cinema as a means of bringing people together, encouraging dialogue and strengthening social connections. The activity takes place in a hosting venue — a bar — creating a more informal, welcoming and accessible environment for the audience.

Each movie night is divided into three main parts:

Part 1 – Meeting and getting to know one another: We welcome the audience and begin with short ice-breaker games, helping participants feel comfortable and encouraging them to interact with one another. The film is then introduced, with information about its background, cast and filming, followed by a presentation of the partner organisation invited to the evening.

Part 2 – Film screening: The film is screened in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, accompanied by popcorn and drinks.

Part 3 – Dialogue and exchange: After a short break, the audience takes part in a discussion and exchange of views around the film and the issues it raises. If there is still some energy and enthusiasm, the evening concludes with music and a more informal opportunity for social interaction.

In this way, the two actions complement each other: ALEXPLORATION travels through radio and the internet, while ALEXPERIENCE brings people together in the same physical space. In both cases, culture becomes the starting point for knowledge, dialogue, connection and the creation of new relationships.

ALEXPOSURE has acted as an open platform for meeting, communication and networking, bringing together a wide range of artists, cultural professionals and organisations, giving them the opportunity to meet, present their work and engage in meaningful dialogue.

Through ALEXPLORATION, approximately twenty people from different areas of art and culture — including cinema, circus, dance, drag, graphic design, photography, singing and museums — took part in the programme’s weekly cultural interviews. The initiative therefore also gained an international dimension, with participants from countries including France, Greece, Canada, Colombia and the United Kingdom.

Through ALEXPERIENCE, the initiative developed a more direct and local dimension, creating a space where cinema became an opportunity to connect with organisations from civil society. As part of the activities, we had the opportunity to present and highlight four organisations from Thessaloniki, giving them access to a new audience while creating opportunities for connection and future collaboration:

United Society of the Balkans — an NGO working in the fields of youth, social action and volunteering.
Bald Theatre — a university musical theatre group.
Irida Centre — a support centre for women in vulnerable situations.
PROTEKTA Thessaloniki — an organisation whose activities focus primarily on the municipalities of Pavlos Melas, Kordelio-Evosmos and Eleftherio-Kordelio.

The collaboration with these organisations was not limited to simply presenting their work. The philosophy of ALEXPOSURE is to create mutual value: to offer its partners a space and access to a new audience, while at the same time giving participants the opportunity to discover initiatives working within their city and find ways to become involved in them.

In this spirit, “one for all and all for one” becomes a reality. A small initiative started by one volunteer can gain greater value when it connects with people and organisations willing to share their knowledge, experience and work. By empowering our partners, we also strengthen the wider ecosystem of the city.

ALEXPOSURE was created with the support of ESAI-EN-ROI, as part of the voluntary work of Alexis Lidec, a French volunteer with the European Solidarity Corps. The initiative is a strong example of how a young volunteer, when given the trust and space to develop an idea, can transform a personal inspiration into an open initiative with a cultural and social dimension.

The implementation of ALEXPOSURE was a collective effort. Martin and Lev, the two other volunteers, supported Alexis with communication activities, contributing to the design of posters, flyers and the logo, while also providing technical support during the ALEXPERIENCE movie nights.

At the same time, Eleni, head of ESAI-EN-ROI, was consistently available to support the organisation and implementation of the activities, providing the necessary guidance and assistance for the initial idea to develop and become a reality.

For ALEXPLORATION, the partnership with Molto Radio was essential. Molto Radio agreed to give Alexis a one-hour slot every week, allowing an idea that began with one volunteer to develop into a regular radio programme and reach a much wider audience.

The experience of ALEXPOSURE therefore demonstrates the power of collective effort: an idea can start with one person, but it takes a team to develop it and create a wider impact. ESAI-EN-ROI provides an environment in which young volunteers can explore their ideas, take initiative and, with the support of their colleagues and partners, create something that reaches and benefits the wider community.

ALEXPOSURE had the advantage of taking place both in person and online, combining the value of face-to-face encounters with the accessibility of digital media.

ALEXPERIENCE was held at the Green Executive Club Bar, in the eastern part of Thessaloniki. The venue, equipped with multiple screens, provided a suitable setting for film screenings while creating a friendly environment for meeting, discussion and social interaction.

ALEXPLORATION was broadcast online through the Molto Radio platform every Thursday from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Following the live broadcast, the programmes remained available on ESAI-EN-ROI’s YouTube channel, allowing the content to continue reaching listeners and viewers beyond the original broadcast.

The combination of physical and digital spaces is an important feature of the initiative: ALEXPERIENCE creates real opportunities for people to meet within the city, while ALEXPLORATION allows the idea and its content to reach beyond the geographical boundaries of Thessaloniki.

ALEXPOSURE successfully transformed an idea that started with one volunteer into an open cultural initiative that created new opportunities for encounters, knowledge exchange and networking between people and organisations from different fields.

Through ALEXPLORATION, approximately 20 artists and cultural professionals had the opportunity to present their work and exchange ideas through the programme’s weekly cultural interviews. Participants came from a wide range of fields, including cinema, circus, dance, drag, graphic design, photography, singing and museums. The participation of people from France, Greece, Canada, Colombia and the United Kingdom, among others, also gave the initiative an international dimension.

At the same time, ALEXPERIENCE created a physical meeting space in Thessaloniki and provided an opportunity to present and highlight the work of four local organisations, connecting them with a new audience:

• United Society of the Balkans — an NGO working in the fields of youth, social action and volunteering.
• Bald Theatre — a university musical theatre group.
• Irida Centre — a support centre for women in vulnerable situations.
• PROTEKTA of Thessaloniki region

Beyond the numbers, the most important outcome of ALEXPOSURE is the creation of connections. Artists, volunteers, young people, local organisations and members of the public were brought together in a shared environment where they could exchange experiences and knowledge and create the foundations for future collaboration.

The initiative also demonstrated that significant financial resources are not necessarily required to launch a cultural initiative with social value. Starting from one volunteer’s idea and supported by ESAI-EN-ROI, fellow volunteers and partner organisations, ALEXPOSURE created new opportunities for communication, participation and cooperation.

Most importantly, however, ALEXPOSURE does not see these results as an endpoint. They represent the first step towards the next phase: expanding the network, reaching more organisations from Thessaloniki, Greece and abroad, and creating more opportunities for young people and organisations to meet, collaborate and create together.

Thanks to ALEXPOSURE, ESAI-EN-ROI was able to transform the voluntary initiative of a young person into a concrete cultural project with a social dimension, contributing to making culture more vibrant, accessible and open in Thessaloniki.

The initiative was implemented without significant financial costs, relying primarily on the energy and ideas of the volunteers, teamwork, existing resources and infrastructure, and cooperation with other organisations. It therefore provides a strong example of what can be achieved when an organisation trusts and encourages its young volunteers to take initiative.

Through ALEXPLORATION, ESAI-EN-ROI now has 20 podcasts on its YouTube channel, creating a digital cultural archive featuring historical topics, Greek myths, cultural interviews with people from different artistic fields, and conversations with professionals and film critics. This content remains available beyond the original broadcasts, strengthening the organisation’s online presence and cultural identity.

Through ALEXPERIENCE, ESAI-EN-ROI has also developed a new model of activity and collaboration: using a movie night as an opportunity for meeting, dialogue and discovering other organisations. This experience provides a foundation on which the association can build further, by collaborating with more local organisations and gradually expanding its audience, partnerships and network.

Perhaps the most important benefit for ESAI-EN-ROI, however, is that ALEXPOSURE demonstrates in practice the organisation’s commitment to investing in young people and their ideas. An initiative that started with one volunteer can, when met with trust, support and a spirit of teamwork, develop into an activity that creates value for the wider community.

In this way, ESAI-EN