Tomorrow, October 6th, Vitoria-Gasteiz will commemorate the tenth anniversary of HEI, the Open School for Citizens, with a public event held at the Europa Palace. This celebration highlights a decade of activity for a space dedicated to promoting citizen participation, learning, and encounters.
Established in 2016 within the Citizen Participation Service, HEI was founded with the aim of creating a forum for training and connection to foster critical thinking and enhance the city's participatory culture. Over the past ten years, it has organized workshops, conferences, film forums, meetings between associations, and guided visits to better understand the city.
The anniversary celebration will feature the participatory theatre performance ‘El juego de la boca’ by the local company El Mono Habitado. In keeping with HEI's ethos, the audience will randomly determine which stories are performed, making the event truly interactive.
Also noteworthy is the educational program HEI Txiki Vital, developed in collaboration with Vital Fundazioa, which introduces citizen participation to children and young people. The program for the first quarter of the 2026-2027 academic year continues this philosophy, offering activities to promote critical thinking, explore local heritage, and create dialogue spaces.
“"We want HEI to continue being an open, accessible, and diverse space, where each person can find an opportunity that helps them learn, participate, get to know their city better, or simply ask a question and hear other points of view."
“"Ten years is a good occasion to look back and recognize all the work done, but, above all, it is an opportunity to look forward."
“"We wanted the celebration of these ten years to be consistent with what HEI is: an open and participatory encounter."
