Hello everyone, my name is Giulia, I’m 25 years old and I’m from Modena, a city in the north-center of Italy. I’m an active member of the ESN section of Modena & Reggio Emilia since September 2023. I’ve joined the association after my Erasmus experience in Bydgoszcz, a small city in Poland, because I couldn’t imagine going back to the routine I had before leaving, so I decided that I needed something that could stimulate me, and I found that in ESN.
Since the start I participated actively in local activities, and I took every opportunity on the national and international level that I had. That’s how I got to the EGM (Erasmus Generation Meeting) in Sevilla in April 2024, and there I won the chance to participate in an amazing opportunity within the Erasmus Generation in Action project consisting in volunteering in two different countries and share what you experience in these trips.
The volunteer activities are related to the Social Impact Days, whose aim is to make mobilities more impactful and more inclusive. It's both about improving mobility programmes and making them more accessible to everyone. The Days consist of a very tangible realisation of the ESN mission, the enrichment of society through international students.
I was really thrilled when they called my name during the selection that took place in Seville, because to be one of the three chosen volunteers between a huge number of people that are trying to win this opportunity made me feel so lucky. For the first time I realised that when you smile to life, life will smile back at you.
This adventure consists in volunteering in two different countries, so I decided to choose places that I’ve never visited before to have a full experience abroad. After asking my coordinator which countries were the most active in the Social Impact Days, I was really determined to contact Greece and Slovakia. The first one because I’ve never been there and it’s also close to Italy; the second one because my best friend from Erasmus lives there, so I could do volunteering and catch up with her.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t go to Slovakia because the only ESN section that was doing events for this cause was not compatible with my schedule. So, I focused first on Greece and, after emailing all the ESN sections in Athens, I received a positive answer from ESN HARO. Then me and the project manager of the section started planning the activity I could do there. The one I chose to attend is a visit in a turtle rehabilitation center. So, stay tuned because I’ll bring you with me in this adventure discovering the turtle world and how it’s affected by the human species.
For my second destination the choice was a bit harder because I was still thinking about places that I’ve never seen before, but after contacting sections in many countries I couldn’t find anything, so I started texting nations like Ireland, Spain, Poland, ecc…
At the end, also thanks to a friend who is a volunteer there, I found a good volunteering opportunity with ESN MESA in Munich, in the south of Germany and, it’s not 100% confirmed yet, but I’ll probably help them in a festival that aims to encourage people to vote at the upcoming European Elections. I’m really excited for this type of activity, because it’ll be in the form of games and quizzes, so it’ll be something fun but that can also really help people or at least open their mind about how important the right of vote is.
So what do I need to bring with me for this new adventure?
I need to bring with me my backpack and most importantly the wish of being involved in helping other people. I can’t forget of course the desire for knowledge about other countries, cultures and realities.
I think the best part about a volunteering opportunity like this one is the chances it gives to the people that are participating of experiencing and embracing what’s different from what we know and are used to.
In my case, my Erasmus experience put me in a social context that allowed me to experience living with people from all over the world. This also gave me the opportunity to understand and acknowledge the traditions of my peers, and at the same time I got to share mine. This made us all grow individually, but at the same time it helped us understand other people and their ways of living.
I feel so blessed that I can embark in this adventure, and I can’t wait to start. I’m really looking forward to meeting new people and to join the ESN events with the sections I mentioned before. I’ll keep you all updated about my experience, and I hope you’ll feel like you were there with me!
