ESC HPA "So far, so close" by Associazione InformaGiovani

SO FAR SO CLOSE

European Solidarity Corps Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas

ESC - VT-HPA - SO FAR SO CLOSE

INDEX

01 About Associazione InformaGiovani About European Solidarity Corps - Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas

02 About the project 03 ESC-Volunteering teams in practice and What volunteers said... 13 Statistics 15 Visibility on the media 17 Annex - Ideas and proposals from volunteers to public body

ASSOCIAZIONE INFORMAGIOVANI Associazione InformaGiovani is a non-profit organisation active since 2001 in Palermo (Italy) in the youth sector. It promotes the right to information, local and international volunteering and youth mobility with a focus on young people with fewer opportunities. Within the framework of European programmes, we have been organising trainings, seminars, youth exchanges on interculturalism, inclusion, active participation and media literacy through non-formal education. We regularly involve young people in ESC volunteering projects (and previously, in EVS) as a coordinating, hosting and supporting organisation. We also run local international workcamps to promote tolerance, the values of diversity and cultural understanding. Since 2010 we have been coordinating an informal European network supported by Erasmus+, which nowadays counts 14 organisations in 12 European countries. Moreover, since 2022, InformaGiovani belongs to the European youth information network of Eurodesk, being appointed as a Centre and covering the area of Palermo and Western Sicily.

EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CORPS Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas Volunteering Teams in high priority areas are large scale, high impact projects supporting voluntary activities carried out by young people from at least two different countries coming together to express solidarity by implementing short term interventions that address common European challenges in policy areas defined each year at EU level. Volunteering Teams are solidarity activities that allow groups of minimum 5 participants to volunteer together for a period between 2 weeks and 2 months. Composition of the team should be international (including participants from at least two different countries) with at least a quarter of team members coming from countries that are different from the country where the activity takes place. In volunteering teams, European Solidarity Corps’ volunteers carry out tasks for a project over a short period of time.

ABOUT THE PROJECT So Far So Close “So far, so close” is a Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas coordinated by Associazione InformaGiovani and funded by the European Solidarity Corps programme of the European Commission. The project consisted in the organisation of 3 volunteering team activities in rural areas of Sicily (Italy) and involved 45 participants, aged between 18 and 30 years, coming from several European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain) during the summer 2021. To make the activities more inclusive and to further enrich their intercultural aspect, activities were featured by mixed groups of young people, where youngsters from different socio-economic, educational and cultural backgrounds met and lived a common experience. Where the idea of So Far So Close came from… In the past 10 years more and more young people are contributing to the flourishing of rural areas by implementing initiatives, cultural events and establishing associations for the enhancement of the territory, the local culture and tradition. Despite of this, rural areas are often facing several obstacles related to structural lack of job opportunities, ageing communities, difficult access to transport connections and often digital connections, as well. The idea of this project was to bring young people coming from different geographical territories to get to know rural areas and how young people are involved there, to exchange point of views of living in such context, to export ideas and contributing for the enhancement of geographical remote areas. Nevertheless, the project was an opportunity to inform young people about opportunities offered by the EU Programmes like European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus+. The project idea was designed together with local partners, and activities were structured in a way to combine a concrete action of urban regeneration, community support and a group discussion targeted both at analysing the challenge of young people living in rural areas and advocating ideas and suggestions on how to overcome these challenges and enhance youth civic engagement. Aims of the project to tackle challenges related to youth engagement and EU awareness in rural communities, and doing so, to contribute to the efforts done by EU policies in bridging the socio-territorial gap between peripheral rural areas and central ones to stimulate active citizenship of young people and to heard their voices to support social inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities (i.e. Third-country young people, young offenders in probation period, geographically disadvantaged youth, NEET or unemployed young) Outcomes tangible benefits obtained from the maintenance of target areas providing a contribution to the territory improvement of the volunteers’ soft and practical skills local young people encountered peers from different countries and were exposed to a beneficial intercultural exchange and stimulus for civic engagement volunteers got in contact with different life-styles, cultures and traditions, and learnt the value of mutual understanding, open-mindedness, and higher interest in making heard their voice increased knowledge of participants and local young people about EU mobility projects higher visibility of ESC and Erasmus+ programme in involved rural areas and to a wider audience through online communication.

3 VOLUNTEERING TEAMS TOOK PLACE IN 3 DIFFERENT TOWNS

3 ACTIVITIES

VOLUNTEERING TEAMS IN PRIZZI

Maintenance and renovation work like path cleaning, decoration and painting at the local urban park “Parco urbano Madonna”

VOLUNTEERING TEAMS IN GIULIANA

Animal care and maintenance of an educational farm, sustainable agriculture initiatives; animation with kids and renovation work at the urban park; creating murals and urban furniture (from recycled material)

VOLUNTEERING TEAMS IN MILENA

To transform an abandoned green area to valorise rural cultural traditions by creating an open-air museum of ancient grains

SO FAR SO CLOSE IN PRACTICE - PRIZZI

Place: Prizzi, Sicily, Italy Dates: 19/07/2021 - 03/08/2021 Participants: 12 + 1 accompanying person Countries involved: Belgium, France, Germany Greece, Italy, Romania and Spain Local partners involved: Sikanamente and Avisp

DESCRIPTION: Volunteers were involved in the maintenance and renovation work like path cleaning, decoration and painting at the local urban park “Parco urbano Madonna” During the activity, group discussions were organised to increase the awareness of life in rural areas and its impact on youth, sharing ideas and proposals on how to tackle challenges. To offer a chance to exchange among young people and the local community, workshops to video-making and the promotion of European Solidarity Corps and Erasmus+ programmes were organised, as well as intercultural nights and dinners. During free time, volunteers had the chance to fully live the rural atmosphere of the small town, to enjoy walking in nature and to visit nearby beach and river.

Day 1

Day 2

Arrivals

Welcoming and get to know activitiesTeam building

Arrivals

On-arrival, mentorship and Youthpass

Day 8

Day 9

Day 4

Day 6

Day 7

Work in Work in Work in cooperation with cooperation with cooperation with Sikanamente and Sikanamente and Sikanamente and local local local municipality municipality municipality

Free

How is it living in rural area? Get to know the Sharing ideas, community initiatives and giving suggestions.

Video making workshop

Free

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Free

Day 10

Day 11

Day 5

Work in Work in Work in Work in Work in cooperation with cooperation with cooperation with cooperation with cooperation with Sikanamente and Sikanamente and Sikanamente and Sikanamente and Sikanamente and local local local local local municipality municipality municipality municipality municipality How do media know us

Sharing information about European Solidarity Corps

Day 15

Day 16

Final event preparation

Departures

Final event and final Evaluation

Departures

Day 3

Sharing information about Erasmus+

Mid term evaluation

How to promote EU Programs to y/people

SO FAR SO CLOSE IN PRACTICE - PRIZZI

SO FAR SO CLOSE IN PRACTICE - PRIZZI WHAT VOLUNTEERS SAID Nikos: “I always try to motivate and influence people into joining this amazing world of Erasmus+/ESC. […] I will never forget the beauty of Prizzi, the little old traditional streets, paving stones everywhere, and breathtaking views.” Lilou: “I discovered that I am courageous, because I went abroad alone for the first time even if it was the totally unknown for me, and I overcome my shyness by making new friends.” Elsa: “We have experienced so much that it seems to me as if we had been there longer - even if the time flew at the same time. I just enjoyed all the little things, playing in the group, talking, eating and the big moments (trips, parties, sharing experiences and exchanging opinions with so many different people)! Especially after the long time with Covid and the contact restrictions it was very nice to be surrounded by so many dedicated, nice people again.” Jone: “most of the rural areas around Europe face similar problems, especially the youth and lack of opportunities to develop a carrer in their hometowns. But also that the initiative to face this problems are diverse from one country to another and also inside the same country.” Jean: “I learn a lot about the lifestyle of the people living in small villages in Sicilia. It was great to see a totally different culture and I found that it was a more peaceful way of living than in big cities such as Brussels.” Giusy: “it's a way to get involved and never stop learning something” Miriana: “We have all experienced intense emotions. We cried with joy and sadness at the end of this wonderful experience. We promised each other to do another one all together.” SIKANAMENTE - https://sikanamente.org/so-far-so-close-quando-un-piccolo-borgo-creaconnessioni/ Maria - https://viajealasostenibilidad.org/os-presentamos-a-maria-voluntaria-en-el-proyecto-sofar-so-close-en-italia/ Video - https://youtu.be/agMAb1iE-Bw

SO FAR SO CLOSE IN PRACTICE - GIULIANA

Place: Giuliana, Sicily, Italy Dates: 21/07/2021 – 05/08/2021 Participants: 15 + 1 accompanying person Countries involved: France, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain Local partners involved: Educational Farm “MaMaTerra Casa Laboratorio San Giacomo”, EcoParco Sant’Anna and the municipality of Giuliana.

DESCRIPTION: Volunteers had the chance to be involved in diverse activities according to a programme commonly agreed with local partners: animal care and maintenance of an educational farm, sustainable agriculture initiatives; animation with kids at the urban park of Giuliana "Parco Sant'Anna"; renovation and decoration work at the urban park; creating murals and urban furniture (from recycled material). During group discussion with local youngsters, sharing ideas on the challenges related to rural areas, volunteers developed a proposal for increasing local youth opportunities for socialising and expressing their potential. The proposal was introduced to local authorities during an event dedicated to promoting ESC and Erasmus+ to the local community and to show the volunteers’ murals.

Day 1

Day 2

Arrivals

Welcoming and get to know activitiesTeam building

Arrivals

On-arrival, mentorship and Youthpass

Working at “MaMaTerra Casa Laboratorio San Giacomo”

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Activities at EcoParco Sant’Anna

Sharing information about European Solidarity Corps

Mid term evaluation

Sharing information about Erasmus+

How to promote EU Programs to young people

Day 15

Day 16

Final event preparation

Departures

Final event and final Evaluation

Departures

Day 3

Day 4

Day 6

Day 7

Working at Working at Working at “MaMaTerra “MaMaTerra “MaMaTerra Casa Laboratorio Casa Laboratorio Casa Laboratorio San Giacomo” San Giacomo” San Giacomo”

Free

How is it living in rural area? Sharing ideas, Get to know the initiatives and community giving suggestions

Free

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Activities at EcoParco Sant’Anna

Free

Day 5

SO FAR SO CLOSE IN PRACTICE - GIULIANA

SO FAR SO CLOSE IN PRACTICE - GIULIANA WHAT VOLUNTEERS SAID Izabel: “After this project when I was talking to my friends, I found out that some of them were fascinated about this project so I told them about ESC and they didn't know it before. I think that a lof of young people need this, they just don't know about the possibilities or they are not brave enough to go for a new experience.” Marie: “You do a great job, congrats! Really ... From my workcamps it is, with no doubt, the one that made me the more think about what I was living, receiving, giving and improving. It was great to make us think at the beginning at what sense we wanted to give to the camp. And also great to have democratic circles to say the unsaid, that with staying unsaid would remain unsolved. Thanks a lot again, I felt lucky to be part of it !” Irene: “I've lived an amazing experience that I will never forget, some of the best days of my life really. It has made love Italy more than I already did and has given me exceptional friendships.” Alvaro: “It is incredible the amount of aspects that we share to each other” Aleksandra: “I have learnt lots of different cultures habits, how to make typical dishes or dance typical dances from different sides of the world.” Laura: “What this volunteering experience taught me was to learn how to manage my anxiety, for example performance anxiety when there were activities in which we were discussing in groups in turns. In this way I was able to speak English in public without preparing the speeches and without being overwhelmed by the anxiety of having to improvise or feel judged for my mistakes with the English language.” Anonymous: “I will never forget the evenings spent looking at the starry sky” Arianna: “It gives you more strength in facing the future, because everyone in these experiences is a person who dreams and everyone gives you the will to continue dreaming, but down-to-earth and in a pragmatic way.”

SO FAR SO CLOSE IN PRACTICE - MILENA

Place: Milena, Sicily, Italy Dates: 17/08/2021 – 01/09/2021 Participants: 15 + 1 accompanying person Countries involved: Greece, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain. Local partners involved: Il circo pace e bene

DESCRIPTION: The main activity was to create an open-air museum of ancient grains (i.e. clean the field and prepare the soil for sowing, create the boxes for the ancient grains, wooden signs and panels). The objective was to transform an abandoned green area to valorise rural cultural traditions. The activity was combined with group discussion on ESC and Erasmus+ programmes, on youth participation in rural and peripheral areas. Series of meetings with local organisation were also organised (such as ARCI Caltanissetta, ANPI di Caltanissetta e Mussomeli, Libera contro le mafie, Amarena – Collettivo femminista, Mediterranea Caltanissetta) where several topics were discussed, such as: gender issues, fight against mafia, human rights, activism. Intercultural dinners, photo shootings, public events and a meeting with local authority were organised to increase the interaction with the local community and give further visibility to the EU programme.

Day 1

Day 2

Arrivals

Welcoming and get to know activitiesTeam building

Day 3

Day 4

Arrivals

On-arrival, mentorship and Youthpass

Get to know the community

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 5

working on the working on the working on the open-air museum open-air museum open-air museum of ancient grains of ancient grains of ancient grains

Day 6

Day 7

Free

How is it living in rural area? Get to known the Photo exhibition Sharing ideas, old history of after Robba initiatives and Milena through trekking giving Robba trekking suggestions Day 13

Day 14

working on the working on the working on the working on the working on the open-air museum open-air museum open-air museum open-air museum open-air museum of ancient grains of ancient grains of ancient grains of ancient grains of ancient grains

Free

Sharing Meeting with information local organisation about European Solidarity Corps

Free

Day 15

Day 16

Final event preparation

Departures

Final event and final Evaluation

Departures

Day 11

Sharing information about Erasmus+

Mid term evaluation

Day 12

Free

How to promote EU Programs to young people

SO FAR SO CLOSE IN PRACTICE - MILENA

SO FAR SO CLOSE IN PRACTICE - MILENA WHAT VOLUNTEERS SAID Maria: “Before doing the project I thought that my lifestyle was normal, that a lot of people had the same opportunities as I do. Now I know that I’m really privileged and I’m really thankful for my situation.” Matilde: “It’s an amazing experience to live in a multicultural environment and make new friends” Arturo: “despite having differences in the way of live, I think meeting people from Europe and from wherever is always a great experience to improve yourself. Especially, when talking about Europe, you realize that the living conditions of other EU countries are very similar from yours (I'm from Spain) and that the bonds between each other are, every year, stronger thanks to the intercultural exchange of the EU.” Julia: “I really enjoyed the work that we had to do, as well as the topics that we were discussing about. Also, I really enjoyed staying in the small community.” Rocio: “I would highly recommend young people to participate in this kind of projects because is a very enriching experience that helps you grow as a person and feel more confident about yourself.” Alin: “I learnt a lot more about immigrants from Africa and their really hard journey here” Maryna: “I was very amazed by the small-town Milena and by people there. It was great to play football with local kids, although we don't speak the same language, we could understand each other. Also hearing to stories of migrants, who were volunteering with us was very impressive.” Kemo: “I will love to repeat it again. Because I got to learn a lot in life, activities that I've never been participated in.” Maria del Carmen: “So far, I have recommended it to everyone I've talked to. It's the best way to discover Europe in a budget, and it's excellent for people who have not had the chance to participate in the university Erasmus program.” Maryna - https://www.naturkultur.eu/en/maryna-in-italy-final-report/

STATISTICS At the end of the activities, we asked all volunteers to give us their feedback on the Team Volunteering. The following tables summarise the outcome and feedback received. Tab. 1 shows the general degree of volunteers’ satisfaction toward the experience. All of them expressed they were satisfied (2 out of 3, fully satisfied). Similarly, for more than 50% of participants, the experience fully met their expectation, and in general all of them evaluated positively how the actual activities met their expectations (Tab. 2).

Tab. 1

Tab.2

When we asked about the reasons for joining an ESC Team Volunteering in High Priority Areas, the main ones were identified as: personal development, engaging in society, making new friends and discovering new cultures and lifestyles (Tab. 3). The question was structured as multiple checkboxes and each volunteer had the possibility to choose more options. Thus, apart from the main ones mentioned above, the table shows the variety of reasons that motivate young people to participate in cross-border team volunteers, depending on the personal background and stories that each young person bring in a group activity.

Tab. 3

STATISTICS When asked about specific aspects, almost 90-95% of participants stated they were satisfied or very satisfied about hosting, activity programme and task support, administrative support and mentoring. Almost 80% of participants evaluated positively (or very positively) also food and accommodation. Tab. 4

Finally, reflecting the short-term nature of the activities and the type of tasks, the majority of volunteers stated that communicating in foreign language, teamworking, taking initiatives, talking in front of a group were the competences they felt they improved the most. It is also valuable to mention that a high percentage of volunteers feel stronger in their self-esteem after taking part in ESC. Tab. 5

VISIBILITY ON THE MEDIA To communicate the project, several actions were taken and different tools were used before, during and after each activity. At the very beginning, a logo was created to give visual identity to the project and to be used in communications with stakeholders and when promoting the project. The project was promoted online through the InformaGiovani newsletter, the European Youth Portal, and during meetings with local stakeholders (municipalities, Social Service offices, migrant residential community) and international organisations. Before and during the activities, press releases were issued to local and regional media. The news got attention and was reprised by online and traditional newspapers, media and blogs (see below an overview). Articles on organisations’ blog/websites and posts on social media were published and shared by InformaGiovani, local and international partners and volunteers (see below an overview). Finally, it should be mentioned that during each activity it was organised a meeting with local institution where volunteers presented to the mayors the outcome of the group discussion, and events open to public, organised and implemented by volunteers themselves with the support of local partner where the results of the volunteering initiatives were shared with the local community and European mobility opportunities were promoted.

ON THE MEDIA

ANNEX Charter of intents, group discussion ideas and proposals

Outcome of group discussion during the activity in Prizzi Prizzi is a small village in the innerland of Palermo surrounded by the Sicani mountains with lots of history and old agricultural traditions. While talking about how to enhance rural areas local young people and volunteers exchanged ideas and personal experiences of living abroad and made a list of potential initiatives that could be implemented in Prizzi and in the surrounding areas in order to increase knowledge of these territories, bring more national and international tourism and offer opportunities for create new jobs. The sustainable tourism Free walking through the Magna Via Francigena, Itinerarium Rosaliae To promote the archeological museum with interactive experiences To initiate extreme sports (climbing, base jump, snowboarding and skiing) Try to sell empty houses To lower taxes for buying second houses Cheap buses and more connections throughout the day To use the city game app "QUESTO" - This App attracts tourists by providing creative opportunities to discover attractive and culturally significant places in the towns. Virtual visits of Prizzi or Sicily (someone shoots short-movies of the town and others watch it and can make up their minds whether they want to visit or not). To begin adventure sports in the mountains to make the places more known by locals and international people paragliding hang gliding Zip line Rock climbing (with grips) Motocross Mountain bike trails Alpine slide Skiing, snowboarding Skatepark Cable car Helicopter ride

ANNEX Charter of intents, group discussion ideas and proposals

Outcome of group discussion during the activity in Giuliana Giuliana is a small village in Sicily with less than 2000 inhabitants whose average age is growing every year. After a discussion with young people of Giuliana, we have noticed the lack of socio-cultural opportunities and a dedicated place for them to live the city, express themselves freely and bring to life their own ideas and projects. Therefore, an infrastructure dedicated to young people would be a good opportunity to provide benefits to the local community. What we would like to request to Giuliana’s Municipality is to let its youngsters use a place with the following characteristics: - A 70 m2 place with at least two rooms and a bathroom. It will be self-managed by young people as well with the support of the municipality. After a city tour we have found an eligible place that is the old office of the Municipality in Madonna Di Pompei square. In this case, we ask to the Municipality to build a bathroom and provide a WiFi connection, with the help of young people. This place will be used to promote cultural youth empowering and gathering, in the terms of creating a library, a place to study, to work at personal ideas and hobbies, to intensify relationships and develop the quality of their social life. Any other alternatives that can fit these characteristics are welcome. During the first year, we will take the responsibility of cooperating in cleaning and gardening (such as watering the plants); organising a cultural event as well (such as a cinema night), and also creating a social media profile that will be used along with the Municipality to post at least once a month the main events. One of the main goals of this proposal is to organise workshops in collaboration with local associations and the Municipality to get involved in the creation of projects eligible to be funded by the European Union to support our activities previously explained.

ANNEX Charter of intents, group discussion ideas and proposals

Outcome of group discussion during the activity in Milena What is a rural area? A rural area is the one which has not been massively occupied by humans. For example, towns or villages with a small number of inhabitants. It is characterised for being surrounded by nature. What are the advantages of living in a rural area? Preserved nature, healthier environment: no air, light or sound pollution, affordable accommodation, slower pace of living, hospitality and close relation between neighbours, unique and ancient traditions. What challenges do young people face when living in rural areas? Poor connections to other towns, small number of jobs opportunities, small amount of entertainment opportunities and recreation areas, no higher education opportunities without leaving the area, difficulties to meet new people and socialise, prejudices that stop you from thinking out of the box. What solutions can be given to this problem? To solve the lack of jobs, which is probably the most important problem, it is necessary to create job opportunities. Nowadays, the story and traditions of the rural areas can be exploited to generate a source of income through experiential tourism. That area could build touristic attractions like museums, installations, nature reserves. Another possible solution is to bring to this area factories that process the agricultural products that are harvested in the nearby. This factory could give life to local commerce, besides creating jobs. Regarding entertainment and socialisation, the area needs facilities such as sports venues (football, basketball, tennis, swimming and etc.) and places to make concerts, theatre plays, shows. This will give life to the area. To do all of this, of course, it is essential to improve the connections to the area. There needs to be good roads to get by car, and if possible, public buses or a train station. The online connections are also important. Nowadays, it is absolutely necessary that the internet connection has a good quality. Otherwise, the area will be somehow isolated from the rest of the world. In order to attract more tourists, the rural area should be easy to find on the internet: a webpage or at least a few photos on Google maps that give people an overview. Existing touristic attractions should also be promoted on the internet and through social media.

The project ESC Volunteering Teams in High Priority Area "So Far, So Close" was implemented by Associazione InformaGiovani with the support of European Solidarity Corps programme of the European Union and with the cooperation of:

This output was made in the frame of the European Solidarity Corps Volunteering Teams in High Priority Area "So Far, So Close" implemented by Associazione InformaGiovani with the support of European Solidarity Corps programme of the European Union.

The European Commission's support for the production of this output does not constitute an endorsement of the content which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information conteined therein.

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