Some of the most meaningful conversations happen in the most informal settings. That's the idea at the heart of Open Café, and it's been proving itself true in Rzeszów since 2016.
Open Café grew out of INPRO's Open Rzeszów project, originally funded by the European Youth Foundation of the Council of Europe. It emerged at a time when Rzeszów was seeing a growing number of people arriving from other countries for studies and work, and the need for genuine spaces of connection was becoming impossible to ignore.
What makes Open Café different from a standard community event is the atmosphere it deliberately creates. There's no formal agenda, no podium, no hierarchy. It's an informal, welcoming space where people come together as equals, challenge stereotypes, practice active listening, and say what they actually think without fear of judgment. The rules of engagement are flexible by design, because real dialogue rarely fits into a rigid structure.
The project has always been about more than just making newcomers feel welcome, as important as that is. It's about building genuine interaction between migrants, refugees, and the wider local community, creating the kind of mutual understanding that doesn't stop at the door when the evening ends. At a time when far-right ideologies are gaining ground across parts of Europe, spaces like this aren't just nice to have. They're necessary.
To help other communities create their own version of Open Café, INPRO developed a practical guide called "How to Organise Open Café." It covers everything from preparation to running the event, and includes outlines of different formats showing how the character of each gathering can shift depending on local context. A series of videos illustrating four different Open Café formats accompanies the publication.
The guide is available in English, Greek, Italian, Polish, and Swedish. For a closer look at what these evenings actually feel like, the Open Café YouTube playlist features reflections and impressions from participants across different editions.
