ESC Team RISE 2025 in Crotone | Volunteers Share Their Experience!
The ESC Team project “RISE”, financed by the European Solidarity Corps programme and run by Associazione Joint in cooperation with Cooperativa One in Italy, has come to an end!
The overall objective of the project, in accordance with the priorities set for 2021, was to promote well-being and a healthy lifestyle for the volunteers and local communities. It was an opportunity for participants to reclaim a space to socialise in a healthy and safe manner, while engaging in volunteer activities that promote the inclusion of vulnerable groups, health and wellbeing in communities.
Project activities touched on specific themes, in accordance with the host organisation and the needs of the local community:
- nature and outdoor life
- mental health
- health prevention/health promotion
- conscious nutrition
Let’s see what participants have to say about it!
Olga’s Testimonial
One of the passions I got from my parents is the irresistible urge to travel and to learn about the world by discovering new places and cultures. I traveled a lot since childhood but I always felt like a tourist, passer-by. Therefore, the reason for applying for this project was not only the need to experience something different from my everyday, university life but also the will of staying in an unknown place for some time. I wanted the change that would show me the world from the angle that the academic environment would never provide. This change consists of diving just a little bit into a different reality of a foreign country. And I dived. I dived without any expectations into the life of coastal Crotone in the South of Italy and after the two months spent there I can firmly say that I recommend volunteering to every young person who wants, just like me, experience the life to the fullest. Through this time everybody is able to gain versatile skills, from physical to social ones. Personally I learned a lot about the group dynamics and management along with the culture and curiosities of the local everyday life. The range of the activities was varied from the physical work like picking up the olives to the social interactions with children, migrants and helping people in need by giving food, either already prepared or the products. As a group, we also managed to organise trips around Calabria and to Sicily. Moreover, we had some artistic endeavours, such as singing together, performing regional dances, making bracelets for each other and playing a small concert in four different languages. Now, while I’m writing this article, I feel a lot of appreciation for these two months that gifted me love, growth, new friendships and perspectives on the aspects of life that I did not think of that much before. I hope that these words will be a sign for you to try something new in your life as well!
Samuele’s Tesitmonial
Hi, my name is Samuele and I am 22 years old. I come from Mariano Comense, in the Brianza area near Como. I graduated in International Relations in July 2025 and I was planning to take a gap year. That’s how I found the opportunity to take part in this European Solidarity Corps project, combining my interests in migration and the Mediterranean area. Crotone was the ideal destination. My expectations were close to zero; I’ve always been curious to arrive and discover what things are like on site. Some expectations were partly met, while others perhaps emerged during the project and were then fulfilled along the way. I learned how to live together with people who are very different from me, trying to tolerate those who are very unlike me and to understand them, which is not easy. The activities were varied, mainly focused on promoting third-sector organisations and raising awareness of social issues in the Calabrian and Crotone area. We collaborated with Libera on land confiscated from the mafia, with the Red Cross and Caritas in distributing food to those most in need, as well as with the “Camper on the Road”. We were guests on the radio and in two migrant reception centres, Sabir and Agorà; we played American football and danced traditional Greek and Calabrian dances. The experience was very rich in emotions and in people to discover, both within the project and outside of it. I learned many things, less practical and more emotional, including an appreciation for small things and for being together. It is also nice to feel special to someone, and it is motivating to be helpful to others; these are small but necessary actions for me and for the period I was coming from. I am very happy to have come here. It is recommended for those who want to try volunteering and meet new people, for those who perhaps need a launchpad to discover themselves and who need strong stimulation.
Viktoriia’s Testimonial
Hi! I am Viktoriia, from Ukraine, 25 years old. It’s my 4th ESC project and 1st time in Italy. I was mesmerised by the beauty of the place and felt interested in the topic of the project, so without many doubts I applied and .. received an invitation! Before coming here I did have some expectations, mostly based on my prior experiences of the kind. Some expectations were exceeded, while some of them weren’t fully met, which is fully natural. Among the things I’ve learned to do was organising activities and creating things from scratch; getting along with diverse people while keeping my own boundaries. I’ve learned to cook authentic Italian pasta 🙂 and had a chance to visit school classes in a local Italian school. I also did some routine work, such as cleaning churches and collecting olives on the farm. Additionally, we did a lot of art and educational activities, that were aimed at exchanging our cultural backgrounds and creating qualitative human connections. It’s absolutely necessary to mention that I learned plenty of things about myself and the world both through positive and negative moments during the project. I felt privileged to have an opportunity to come to the place not just as a tourist, but as one who got fully immersed into the life of the local society for the whole 2 months. It’s an extraordinarily precious experience that broadens your mindset more than anything else. I recommend this experience to young people who might still be searching for themselves or those who want to review their life. It brings fresh air into your life; the spontaneous and unpredictable nature of such projects means that you can be leaving the place having met your soulmate or with a decision to get a degree in a new field you never knew you had been interested before. Wrapping the whole thing up – if you feel ready to let novelty and surprises into your life, I enthusiastically encourage you to seize the chance
Oliver’s Testimonial
Although I was born in Europe and all my family is also from Europe, I lived most of my life in Mexico City. A beautiful city with lovely people, but also a very unfair city. So from a very young age I could see the situation that was happening around me and that created a big passion for social justice. And when I saw that I could apply to volunteering projects abroad I was very excited. I remember when I was in the train from Catanzaro to Crotone I was a bit nervous, I had read what the project was about but I didn’t really know what to expect, I had the knowledge of what activities we were going to do but I didn’t expect that the group of volunteers was going to be such a big part of the experience, and that was something I loved. During the two months I was here, I feel I have learned a lot of practical things. With all the workshops and activities we did, now I even know how to make pasta. But I feel like I learned a lot about myself. Before coming here I felt so old, I felt like I had learned everything, but now I know that I’m actually very young, and there are still a lot of things I have to live. I think it’s because I’m one of the youngest in this project, but I don’t see that as something bad, I actually really like it because everyone can teach me something. I loved this project, I met some incredible people and I feel so lucky to have lived it. I feel so lucky to do cultural exchange with totally different cultures and I am very grateful with the organisation. In conclusion I would really recommend this experience to anyone, because you’ll have an incredible time while trying to make a positive change in the community.
ESC Teams with the European Solidarity Corps
The special feature of the ESC Teams is its short duration, ranging from 2 weeks to a maximum of 2 months. This aspect makes it accessible also to young people who work or study and cannot dedicate a whole year to travel! Despite the brevity of the projects, Group ESCs offer meaningful and intense life experiences, during which numerous professional skills can be acquired. Moreover, by sharing life and work with a group of people, similar to a community, the participants have the opportunity to create strong bonds even in a short period of time.