Agela wrote

Our ex-EVS Angela, now on vacation in Australia, writes us:

"The journey was... well... how to say? Veeery long, really a massacre, especially when I was sitting next to an old couple from Singapore who were arguing and hassling in their seats all time long :) Australia is a wonderful country. My first general impression: Sunshine and happy, kind, smiling people everywhere. They turn to you and cheerily greet you whatever you are doing (simply going to the grocery, ordering in a bar or simply in the street). I still find it hard communcating in English, when I want to say something Italian words always come out :) I'm going to buy a nice English book in order to switch me on a bit. Brisbane is a very big town but not very old, there are almost only new high palces and skyscrapers in the city, just a couple of churches and buildings from the colonies' time. In short, it doesn't look historical (like every Italaian corner), and I am already missing that. Australians themselves say a bit ironically that in Australia "no culture, but a lot of nature", which is true. There are countless opportunities to pass your free time into the wild, enjoying flora and fauna, and I am trying to get the most of my days here: a walk into the nearest National Park, (rainforest, waterfalls, eucalypt forest), a weekentoto the ocean and... the ocean is the ocean, no doubts, but to tell the truth I don't like it too much: the water is soo cold and there are such huge and scaring waves. The most beautiful thing for me is the jungle, where we even climbed up a vulcano: it was wonderful! Luckily I have also earned some money, so I don't feel guilty in buying some dresses :) and going on excursions every weekend :)

I have to go now, a big hug to everybody,

Angela"

Good-bye Ivana

Hi!

My name is Ivana and I am at the end of my EVS in Mantova.
I can still remember when I was writing on this blog about my arrival to Italy. At that time I had a lot of enthusiasm and many expectations. Today I can say that the enthusiasm passed away and it transferred to the curiosity about what will follow after this nice phase of my life.

…I had the opportunity to take part in many marvelous trips around Italy, in plenty of going outs with our Italian friends… it would be hard for me to select immediately the most memorable days … but one thing I know for sure also now, I am taking home many unforgettable experiences.
In the future, in Slovakia, or wherever I will be then, I will watch the photos taken in Italy with a great pleasure, thinking that those nine month spent here were really worth it J

I can’t forget to name the persons that surrounded me here, my flat mates, friends, mentors, tutors and the children from the centre where I worked were “gentilissimi”.
Especially in the moments when I missed my home country, people who stayed there, Slovak habits or our way of humor, my friends and colleagues understood that I needed to be alone for a while and after then they stood by my side ready to listen… special thanks to Janka, Lourdes, Fanny, Joschka, Fatima, Angela, Vittoria, Francesca, Irene … I got from you so much attention that I will never be able to return it to you.
I am leaving this place with a debit (btw. with some missing working hours too…I don’t know how this could happen…mamma mia, che scema!...:)). I can repay this debit only with great thanks…
..but I hope that I also managed to give you something from me. J

Many hugs
Yours Ivana

Hello to everybody!

My name is Isabel, I am 18 years old and I want to tell you about my EVS (European Voluntary Service) experience in Italy.

Firstly, I would like to mention that when I was in Spain, I was thinking how it would be in Italy. I expected to be a little bit lonely, because I didn’t know almost anybody, couldn’t speak Italian and had never been abroad alone.

This is my second stay in Italy. For the first time I was here with a group of Spanish youngsters that I already knew. It was for one week and the name of the project was “Black on White”. During the exchange I had first time an occasion to get to know youngsters coming from other counties, like France, Turkey, Italy and live with them.

During the project I got to know Vittoria and Irene who work for Alce Nero Cooperative. It was them who told me what EVS was about and proposed me to take part in the project in Mantova.

When I came to Italy to work as a volunteer, Vittoria showed me the apartment where I met my flat mates Fanny, Ivana, Angela and Joschka.

My job:
I worked in three different CREDs (City Summer Centres), always with the children. First one was in Montanara where I worked with Michela. There were forty children. At the beginning it was difficult to communicate and understand them but in few weeks I have started to comprehend them better. It didn’t take me long time adapting to all these new activities because I like working with the kids.

After this experience in Montanara I was in Porto Mantovano where I worked with Ivana, the volunteer who lives with me, and finally in Cred of Mantova.

During these two months in Italy, usually at the weekends, I had the possibility to see other cities with my flat mates and other friends that I got to know in Mantova. For example Genoa with its aquarium and during the Buskers’ festival also Ferrara.

This EVS was a positive experience for me. It also helped me to change some ideas which I had before coming to Italy. In fact I thought that studying was useless, but now I think that when I get back to Spain, I will continue in the studies and I would like to become a sport teacher.

Sincerely, I am very proud of having this opportunity and that I have managed to live with persons coming from different places.

Who's there? Raise your hand!

"Lève ta main" PROJECT IN MANTOVA

Participation, dialogue with local authorities and active citizenship: these are the key-words of the international project “Lève ta Main”, that in French means “raise your hand”, promoted by our social cooperative Alce Nero, in collaboration with the Province of Mantova. This is the second international meeting, after a first encounter made in Frontignan last month.
The main aim is to open or facilitate communication channels between young people and administrators. In order to shorten the gap and experience what being active citizens engaged in local communities means. The protagonists are 15 Mantovan and French youngsters, who are hosted at Rivalta hostel in these days. The activities are held in different parts of the town, among with Zanzara and Lab.Com. Yesterday's activities were: focus group on the theme of abstention, a role-play to experience active citizenship, and a meeting with Marco De Pietri, president of Alce Nero .
Today the youngsters have been to S. Agnese, where they met with: Ilaria Rebecchi, coordinator of the Youth Information Centre of Mantova, Ton Vilalta, referent person for Lab.Com (and previously an EVS volunteer), Fausto Banzi, councillor in charge of social policies at the Province of Mantova, and Luca Malavasi, town councillor of the village Quistello. It's been a very interesting and lively exchange of ideas, in the spirit of dialogue among youngsters and local authorities.
In the afternoon our French guests will be presented some meaningful experiences of active participation by with young people in Mantova, such as the case of the "blue T-shirts" of Festivaletteratura, the GXG association of Curtatone and the cultural association Pollywood of S. Benedetto Po.
Tomorrow the project will end with a solid proposition made by participants to Teresa Spagna (social policies of the Province of Mantova). Then, free time to discover Mantova and its outskirts, through a canoeing excursion on the Mincio river.
The other French partners are Ipeicc association of Montpellier, the Province of Hérault and the Municipality of Frontignan (Montpellier).

Next appointment will be in November, always thanks to the co-funding of the "Youth in Action" programme.

Exchange FRANCE - May 2009

Here are some photos from our last exchange on the theme of "urban cultures" in Frontignan, a town in the South of France. A mix of 4 Turks, 4 French, 5 Portuguese and us, the 4 Italians shared the passion for dancing to get closer to each others' cultures and increase their European awareness. During the week we also prepared a show and presented it at the local Festipop. It was a meeting full of surprises, body language(!) and discoveries. These pics speak for themselves... thank you all once more, Frontignan and Alce Nero, and to the European Union that financed us...

Fanny, Tommy, Rafo, Filippo and Mounir

FESTIPOP http://festipop.spf34.org/

Vard,Vard,Vard...
After 9 months full of new adventures, our armenian friend finished her EVS project, we hope to receive news from her very soon and that she can find the way to come back.

Here is what she wrote before leaving : "this project allowed me to do new things that I didn't do before : working with children, living on my own or with new people, moving around in a country and towns new to me...I had a wonderful experience in this beautiful and friendly place. I would like to go on and give my best to help people in need. I'd love to come back one day..."

See you soon then!

Europe Day: the "Mantuan" EVS

... and in this new post... some pics of all EVS volunteers who participated in the Europe day. Thank you guys!

Vard

Lucile

Ivana

Louise&Will

Fatima

Fanny




Emilia

Angela

Europe day 2009

Here are some pics from the last Europe Day

an afternoon rich with activities about Europe for children, youngsters and families:

The Europe jigsaw, games for children, drawing, proverbs form the world, body painting, etc.

Also a meeting with the journalist Marina Gersony was organised about "The Europe I would like",

In the end the "Blue aperitif" was served, together with recipes from the world

EVS wedding!

CONGRATULATIONS to Marta and Mirko, who got married last Saturday!
Marta came from Poland in 2004 to do her EVS in Castel Goffredo (Mantova) at cooperativa Bucaneve.
After that she decided to stay and kept on working with disabled there.
Then she met with Mirko and finally...
We wish them a happy life together :O)

Angela

I’m Angela, I’m 26 years old and I come from Hungary, a small country in the heart of Europe.
I arrived in this town in the beginning of January, I like Mantova very much (except for the fog), it’s very nice and much smaller, cleaner and calmer than Budapest.

I have been living here for 2 months now. I work in the district of Mantova called Lunetta, in the Centre of Aggregation of the Youth (C.A.G.) as a volunteer (what a suprise… J).
The staff of the C.A.G. organizes the „afterschool” in the elementary school for children with learning difficulties: we help them to their homeworks, to be prepared for the next school-day. On the other hand a „space for children” (3 times a week) and a „space for teenagers” (3 times a week) are organized in the afternoon, during which and where they can play together, they can take part in different laboratories (for ex. of art, of music, of stories), they can do different activities; in one word: where they can spend their freetime in a bit organized and controlled way, but under circumstances friendly and free enough. In addition the C.A.G. organizes other events too: trips, swimming pool, amusement park, theatre, parties for children.

I like this work very much, it’s a type of work absolutely unknown for me until now, it’s a new and nice experience for me to try it and to do it. It’s an absolutely different life for me, and that’s why I’m here. I did my degree in jurisprudence and I worked more than 2 years in that field of work, which I didn’t like much. First of all that’s why I decided to „change life”, to come here in Italy and to work as a volunteer.

I hope that in the end of „my project” I will manage to learn some other things about myself, and I will know how and where to continue my adult-life.