Skip to main content

Hello everyone! I'm the new volunteer

 Hi!

My name is Louise, I'm 26 years old, and I'm from France. Ever since I was a child, I wanted to go abroad to see what life is like elsewhere.

Two years ago, in 2022, I graduated with a Master’s degree in Law, specialising in European Law. That’s how I first heard about the European Solidarity Corps (but only from an academic perspective, as we were studying several European programs).

During my studies, I volunteered every summer with a French organisation that supports migrants in different aspects of their lives. The first Summer, I helped organise activities for children living in a refugee center. And the following years, I joined the legal advice service, where I assisted migrants with their administrative process to obtain or renew their residence permits. It was a truly rewarding experience that helped me grow personally.

After graduation, I felt lost. I knew from my volunteering experience that I wanted a job that had a positive impact on society, but I wasn't sure what I could do with my degree, which was very research/PhD-oriented.

After a year of questioning, I remembered the ESC program, and I was sure that’s what I wanted to do. I started working to save money. But when my short-term contract ended in May 2024, I started doubting again: Was I too old? I knew the program was open until age 30, but most people do it during a gap year after high school or university, don't they? And what if future employers don’t see it as relevant experience and asked about that “gap” on my CV?

So, even though I really wanted to participate, I also started looking for a job as a legal officer in immigration law, and I wasn’t putting too much energy into my ESC search. Then, one day, I received an email from ESC titled “An organisation wants to contact you,” with a link to a volunteer project called “Helping migrants in Italy.” I thought it was a sign.

As I read the project description, I realised the title was a bit misleading (Caritas Jesina isn’t only focused on migrants) but I applied anyway because I really liked the organisation’s values and the missions they proposed.

Everything went quickly after that. I got the email in early March, replied and got the interview in mid-March, and arrived in Italy on April 10th! I was very excited to start this new chapter in my life.

When I arrived, everyone was very welcoming, especially the other volunteer (and flatmate), Rio. He introduced me to everyone and passionately showed me what our work involves. Thanks to him, I quickly learned how everything works, which made my first week amazing (well… except for a broken finger, but that’s on me!)

Rio and me on my first week 

I’m already excited about the journey ahead and looking forward to the personal and professional growth this experience promises. 😀

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Volunteer Oct24, Río's first blog. Life before Jesi

Ciao, Hola and Hi! I’m Río Rojas Mayorga, one of the two volunteers here at Caritas Jesi in October 2024. I’m from Madrid, Spain, and in this first blog, I will share my life before volunteering and how I discovered the ESC. The next one should be about my life here. I would like to start by providing some context about how I got to know the ESC by talking about my life in Majadahonda, Madrid. After the quarantine, my family and I moved from Aluche (in south-central Madrid) to Majadahonda (on the western outskirts) due to financial struggles, which was a significant change for us. The first year felt lonely for my sister and me. During that time, I began studying in the afternoons at the youth centre near my home, where I searched about local volunteering opportunities and eventually discovered international volunteering. However, I was still under 18 and thought I had to prioritise my formal studies. Then, in November 2022, I met someone who transformed my life; it all began with a si...
Post a Comment
Read more

May 2024 highlights

🌟 Reflecting on May 🌟 After a great start in April and returning from a long trip to Naples and Rome we decided to enjoy a more relaxed side of Jesi. Here are some of the things we did in May.  On Arrival training May started with a 5 days training in Rome. This training was organized by the Italian National Agency. During this training, we shared our volunteering experiences with others from all over Europe who are currently doing their volunteering experiences in Italy. We learned about our duties and rights as volunteers. As well as other opportunities after this experience.  Exploring Rome Exploring Rome is a captivating journey through history, culture, and cuisine. As Italy's capital and one of the most historically rich cities in the world. Our first point of the trip was Colosseum meaning one of the most iconic structures in the world, the Colosseum is an ancient amphitheater that once hosted gladiatorial games and public spectacles. The next stop was Roman Forum. Th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Volunteer Oct24. 3 months so far!

Ciao, Hola and Hi!  I’m Río Rojas Mayorga and it's been 3 months since I'm an ESC volunteer here in Caritas Jesina. Let me update you briefly about my experience! The arrival and first week in Caritas was a mix of emotions between the excitement to start and the confusion of all the new people and information we were bombarded with. At first we didn't have a schedule and it was a little bit messy but, I'm glad I shared so much time with my project partner; it was nice having someone in the same situation. First month Once the schedule was set, we had to adjust not only to the work but also to the people we shared the time with. As all the services are done with local people, at first it was difficult the communication as I had no words in Italian, but I was gladly surprised to find out my will of talking and sharing was lovely appreciated and corresponded, I found out the language barrier was a challenge but i wasn’t fighting it alone.  My birthday arrived eventually an...
Post a Comment
Read more