Do you want to hear a story?

by Eirini Daskalaki

Having graduated from the department of Philology on July 2019, asking myself “What do I want to do with my life?”, I decided to look for an experience without books, exams and stress, through which I would gain some working experience and change on a personal level. Thanks to United Societies of Balkans, I finally found the volunteerism project that I was looking for, and without second thoughts, I decided to go to Italy!

I welcomed the “happy” new year of 2020 while I was preparing my suitcases and my boarding passes with my final destination being Palermo of Sicily. Why Sicily? Because I was curious about the “peculiar” socio-economic and political background of southern Italy and I also wanted to learn about the African culture, and Sicily seems to be more easily accessible than Africa! From January 2020, I started to volunteer in the organization Per Esempio Onlus, where I met my supervisor Anna, my mentor Myriam and the

© Per esempio onlus

volunteers of our group coming from France and Spain. When I arrived in Italy I could understand some Italian, but I wasn’t able to communicate. Still, thanks to Per Esempio, I started an Italian course at University, and I could use the OLS “I had the opportunity to support the activities of a Center for the empowerment of women in a less privileged neighborhood of Palermo.”. (online linguistic support), a tool that is provided to every participant. As a linguist and having had previous experience in learning foreign languages, I assure you that by being in everyday interaction with native speakers, nine months are enough to learn a new language and communicate effectively.

© Per esempio onlus

In the beginning, my main activity was the support of a kindergarten with migrants of African descent, the energy and the smile of which were spreading positivity daily. Along with the volunteers, we were preparing artistic activities for the kids and their meals. Due to the pandemic, the kindergarten has been closed since March, and unfortunately, I couldn’t meet these cheerful faces again. Furthermore, I had the opportunity to support the activities of a Center for the empowerment of women in a less privileged neighborhood of Palermo. Along with the Social workers and the Spanish volunteers, we were visiting this Center three times per week, and we were meeting strong women coming to participate in various workshops aimed at, for example, studying for a school certificate, sewing, theatre, and handmade jewelry. Almost all of them were motivated to communicate, learn, create, and participate. In February, we contributed to the preparation of the carnival. In contrast, my favorite activity in May-July was the preparation of an open-air cinema. The women and the neighbors collaborated and constructed chairs and pillows to use on the screening day. I was, am, and always will be grateful for my participation in these initiatives; I contributed to women’s empowerment. At the same time, I had the opportunity to learn about the management of these projects. Of course, The pandemic and the lockdown (March-May) impacted my enthusiasm for this ESC project. Throughout this period, my supervisor and our mentors supported us through video calls every week, and we found creative ideas for remote work, apart from the work that we had to do for the office. For example, along with the volunteers, we finally created a news series. Every week we were sharing videos in which we were presenting some good news about the world or recipes of typical food from our home countries. In the outbreak of the pandemic, we also helped our neighborhood’s families by offering groceries. In the last period, after the summer holidays from September to mid-October, I continued working in the office, translating documents, and helping my supervisor with the CVs and the interviews of the new volunteers in the organization. Through this activity, along with my participation in the consultancy service of professional orientation through activities of non-formal education provided to migrants from Africa (discussion on soft/hard skills and personal ambitions, consultancy on where to search for a job, how to write a CV and a motivation letter, how to present oneself in an interview), I broadened my knowledge in this topic. I acquired new skills useful for my next steps.

“I contributed to women’s empowerment. At the same time, I had the opportunity to learn about the management of these projects.”

To sum up, I would say that despite the unfortunate circumstances of the virus and the travel restrictions, this volunteerism project was the best life decision! In a professional level, you have the opportunity to acquire a working experience and to understand your strengths and weaknesses. While on a personal level, you get out of your comfort-zone, you meet people from different countries and even continents, you develop empathy, you communicate in other languages which is the norm of modern societies, and you also make a new network. In Sicily more specifically, despite the “peculiar’’ socio-economic and political situation, there are picturesque cities, a lot of history and a rich gastronomic culture worthy of discovery!