Barça Museum and Apropa Cultura collaboration under way

The Barça Museum and its leisure and cultural activities are more now accessible for social groups through a collaboration agreement between the Club and Apropa Cultura. Officially agreed in May, it has now come to fruition with the addition of the FC Barcelona museum at reduced entry prices among the available activities. The activities can be accessed via the website of the inclusive network, which brings together representatives and institutions from the world of culture.

As such, groups at risk of exclusion, with disabilities, or social service institutions that work to make culture more accessible, and who are interested in enjoying the Barça cultural experience, can make a booking via a form in the Apropa Cultura website.

The Barça Museum is one of the most visited in Catalonia, and across Spain as a whole. It has international appeal for members, fans and tourists alike, and via this initiative, the Club is ensuring it is available to everyone. In this sense, the collaboration with the Apropa Cultura programme is part of FC Barcelona's commitment to everyone having the opportunity to enjoy a 100% Barça experience.

Furthermore, as part of the collaboration agreement framework, Apropa Cultura professionals have given training courses to the entire Museum and Barcelona Supporter Services Office staff with the aim of providing better understanding of the realities and challenges these groups face, in order to offer them the best possible service. Apropa Cultura has also provided FC Barcelona with an online training itinerary about accessibility and diversity for the entire Club staff.

Apropa Cultura is an inclusive network that brings cultural promoters, theatres, auditoriums, festivals, and museums together with social service institutions to make culture accessible to people, who due to their personal or health circumstances, find attending cultural activities difficult. From 2013, it extended to museums and cultural centres, and it is supported both financially and through communication by the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, the Provincial Deputation of Barcelona, and the “la Caixa” Foundation. Over 130 theatres, auditoriums, festivals and museums throughout Catalonia currently participate.

Coinciding with the final Liga game of the 2021/22 season at Camp Nou, the agreement was officially signed between the Club and Apropa Cultura on May 22. The act involved Sonia Gainza, programme director, and Clàudia Torner, project coordinator, who both joined president Joan Laporta in the President Suñol box to share their satisfaction with the Club's involvement with this project. They were also accompanied by Jordi Penas, the Club's Museum director, and Maite Laporta, manager of FC Barcelona's Diversity, Equality and Inclusion department.

Furthermore, Monday September 26 saw the Apropa Cultura initiative recognised at the fifth edition of the ‘Fair Saturday’ awards, created with the aim of recognising initiatives by inspirational people and organisations worldwide that have been shown to have a social impact through art and culture. Specifically, it was a gala held at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, and the institution was highlighted for contributing to improving the lives of people in vulnerable situations through culture.