From Europe to Jesi

It´s really a great fortune. Since I arrived in Jesi almost four months ago I ´ve had the privilege of meeting so many, interessting people. Friends, collegues, acquaintances of friends, collegues and acquaintances. If I would try to draw all these connection that link all these people, it would probably look like a subway map. Another wonderful opportunity to expand this map I got the other day. The station is called subwaylab and there I sat at lunch with two people who turned their passion into a business.   Subwaylab is a small film studio in Jesi and seems itself like a caricature out of a movie. Do you know "Dawson's Creek"? This place reminds me of Dawson's room. Movie posters hang on the walls, props, movie figures, scripts, ... it´s everywhere. There's even an arcade machine in one corner. And the two (of four) founders of subwaylab , with whom I had lunch, also fit the bill: friendly, enthuastic and nerdy in a good way. One discovered his passion as a...

As an 18-year-old European volunteer in Jesi, Italy, my experience is proving to be truly transformative. During my time in this charming city, I have already had the opportunity to immerse myself in a different culture, meet wonderful people and contribute to the well-being of the local community. Throughout my 22-day experience, Jesi has become my temporary home, a place I will always hold close to my heart.As a European volunteer of 18 years in Jesi, Italy, my experience is proving to be truly transformative.  During my time in this charming city, I have already had the opportunity to immerse myself in a different culture, meet wonderful people and contribute to the well-being of the local community. Throughout my 22-day experience, Jesi has become my temporary home, a place I will always hold close to my heart. From the very first moment I have felt welcomed by the local people and by my ESC partner and flatmate Simona with whom I share this experience. The warmth and hospitali...

The European Solidarity Corps also includes an On Arrival Training, which is organized by the National Agency. The aim of the training is to receive information and tools that are useful for the volunteer service abroad, e. g. communication, rights and responsibilities, conflict resolution, goal setting and learning to learn, but also background knowledge about Italian culture and team building between participants.      My On Arrival Training took place in Morlupo, Rome. After 3 months, I am no longer at the beginning of my volunteer service (rather halfway), but I still learned a lot of new things in those 5 days. About my experiences so far and about my possibilities for the future. Strategies to channel my plans and make them happen. Online tools for mindmapping, teamworking, etc. I was able to visit Rome (at temperatures of 38° C 😵) and see a wonderful Italian movie ("Quo vado" - absolutely recommended). But best of all, I met many wonderful people. Do-gooders, se...

Ciao to everyone!  My name is Max Figuerola, I am 18 years old and I arrived in Jesi on the 3rd of July 2023 to leave on the 31st of January 2024, I come from Tarragona a city in the south of Catalonia with a great past directly related to the Roman Empire, which I have been studying during the last two years of my high school, also my grandparents were from Naples so I have always had a great appreciation for Italy. Now that you know who I am and where I come from I will give you a little introduction of why I am here, I do not come from a family of great resources so I have always been aware of the inequalities that exist in this world, That's why I wanted to start a volunteer project with the aim of being able to help and improve the lives of as many people as possible who are in an unfavourable situation, and when I turned 18 I saw this advert for volunteering for Caritas in Jesi, Ancona, so I took it as a sign that this project was the ideal one for me. Now I've been here ...

  It’s always tough to say goodbye, especially after such a wonderful time. Last Tuesday I finished my volunteering experience in Caritas, after spending five months there. I am very thankful for the opportunity to volunteer, meet people from different cultures, discover Italy and learn things about myself.  At the beginning of the project I didn’t expect it to make such a great difference in my life - I mean, of course, I knew that something would change. I came here in the break from my student’s life, with a rough idea of what I want to do there, even rougher vision of what I want to do after the project, and about zero knowledge about Italy and the place I was staying in. Now I am leaving and I am already enrolled in another university, with a lot of friends in Italy, two new tattoos and a clearer mind. It’s hard for me to find the right words to describe what exactly I am feeling regarding my leave - obviously I am really happy to meet again with my friends and family bac...