The work,
told properly.

At a glance

A European Solidarity Corps exchange, documented from the inside — by a team that started as volunteers before picking up a camera. Hosted in the Netherlands by Elke Gastheerschap+, the project brought together volunteers from three countries to work alongside the residents of Cello, a residential care facility in Rosmalen supporting hundreds of people with disabilities.

The programme

The European Solidarity Corps is an EU programme that gives young people aged 18–30 the right to an exchange placement across Europe and partner countries. Travel, accommodation and a living allowance are covered for the full placement — removing cost as a barrier for young people regardless of background.

The participants

Volunteers came from Italy and North Macedonia through the standard ESC pathway. Alongside them, a group of students travelled with their teachers from Aruba — a Dutch Caribbean island roughly 8,000 km away — as part of a school-linked exchange. For some, it was their first international experience; for others, one more stop in a habit of travel their school already encouraged.

“There are things I did here that I never thought I'd be able to do — but in the end, I did them. I'll definitely carry what I'm learning here into my future. Everything I've learned, I'll keep with me, and use it to give a little extra help to others.”

Mary Louise — volunteer, interviewed in the documentary

The work

Each day combined practical hospitality work with direct, personal time alongside Cello's residents — not structured therapy, but genuine company.

• Shared meal preparation, cooked together in pairs each afternoon for that evening's dinner
• Group activities across Cello's facilities — from cooking apple mousse with residents who peeled the apples themselves, to guided sensory experiences
• Daily, direct contact between volunteers and residents — the core of the placement

The impact

For volunteers, a placement like this tends to stay with them long after the two weeks end — and for some it opens a door they hadn't considered: working in care, or even relocating to build a life around it. For Cello's staff the benefit was immediate: two weeks of extra hands freed time for deeper, more personal connection with residents.

“This is definitely a chance for us — the people who work here — to give our clients so much more. Having someone cook for all of us for two weeks, helping out in so many ways, gives us the time to do things we normally never get to do, to help and connect with our clients. It's good for everyone.”

Esmee — Cello staff, interviewed in the documentary

Our role

111 HOUSE joined the placement as a volunteer before picking up a camera — living the same schedule, meals and free weekends as everyone else. That order matters: the film was shaped by someone who had already earned a place in the room, not a crew parachuted in for a shoot.

• Full-length documentary covering the exchange, from arrival to departure
• Social content and photography for Elke Gastheerschap+'s own channels
• Creative direction across both the film and the photography

Context

Don Bosco Centrum in Assel is a Salesian youth centre: a place built around young people, community and the everyday work of bringing them together. It needed a film that could present the centre to partners, families and future volunteers.

The approach

We treated it as a documentary, not an advert — letting the place and the people explain what the centre is, rather than a voiceover telling you what to think.