On Monday, 13 June, the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro entered into a partnership with Rio 2016 to support Meu Lugar no Rio (My Place in Rio), a collaborative platform designed to facilitate the search for accommodation by volunteers at South America’s first Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Using the expertise demonstrated during 2013 World Youth Day, when more than 80,000 people stayed in families’ homes, the Archdiocese sees Rio 2016 as an opportunity to welcome people coming to the city to play an essential role in organising the world’s largest sports event.

“Those coming to Rio will be very important for the Games, and Rio is a welcoming place, as demonstrated during World Youth Day. The events are different, but the same spirit of welcoming people is involved,” said the Cardinal-Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Dom Orani Tempesta, shortly before presiding over mass at the Santo Antônio Convent in Largo da Carioca.

My Place in Rio is an online collaborative platform produced by the Rio 2016 Games Organising Committee to help people who have a place to offer to volunteers make contact with volunteers coming to the city to help with the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

It works in a simple way: residents of the metropolitan region of Rio register as host candidates, and volunteers also register, indicating that they are looking for a place to stay during the Games. After registering, you can use the website to look for people, start a conversation via email, and then agree upon the terms for the stay.

“Our partnership with the Archdiocese of Rio is very important to help volunteers get in touch with people who already opened up their heart during World Youth Day and who can now once more demonstrate their solidarity towards Rio 2016 volunteers,” said Flávia Fontes, the general manager of Rio 2016’s Volunteer Programme.