Hi! My name is Julietta, I'm 20 years old, Hungarian, but I've been living in Vienna for 5 years. I participated in a European Solidarity Corps project, a program funded by the European Union, with InformaGiovani I spent 5 months in Palermo, where I volunteered at a youth center called Centro Tau, doing various activities with the kids, such as dance, creative activities, Lego, etc.
Participating in a project like this has been my dream since I was 15, when I met a volunteer from Palermo in my hometown in Hungary. She then introduced me to the world of Erasmus: all the opportunities, activities, and international friendships. Participating in these programs at home really helped me gain self-confidence, and I dreamed of going abroad one day to talk about these opportunities to young people.
So when I decided to take a break from my Philosophy studies, it was clear that I wanted to do a project ESCAnd five years later, that girl I met in Hungary helped me find this opportunity, and I ended up having this experience in the place she used to go when she was younger: a real full-circle moment.
While waiting to finally turn 18 and go abroad, I participated in many similar activities in my home country. For this reason, I thought it would be easy to find my place at this youth center, but it wasn't. At first, the language barrier made it really difficult to connect with the children, although the situation improved over the course of those five months. I also found it difficult to go to work every day without knowing exactly what to do. But negative experiences and difficulties are as much a part of a project like this as the happy and joyful moments. Eventually, I discovered there was a workshop in English called "Citizenship Lab," which focused on human rights. I decided to facilitate four workshops as part of this activity, which was stressful at first because I had no experience in the field, but, in my opinion, I managed to engage the teenagers well and inform them about relevant topics. This gave me a sense of productivity, which I had lacked at first. Overall, I really liked the place. It's very demanding but important work, and we all try to have a positive impact on these children and adolescents.
I highly recommend everyone to participate in a project like this. It's a common misconception that Erasmus is just about studying abroad, but in reality, it's so much more. It can be truly beneficial to take a break from the daily grind, experience a new culture, and work on meaningful projects. I think everyone should do it at least once in their life, and I'm truly grateful to have had the opportunity to come here, make so many new memories, and meet international friends.
2023-2-IT03-ESC51-VTJ-000181389