ESC Team RISE with Ostello dei Balocchi in Italy | Participants’ Testimonials

The ESC Team project “RISE”, funded by the European Solidarity Corps program and implemented by the Joint Association in collaboration with Ostello dei Balocchi in Ligonchio, has come to an end!

We asked the participants to share their testimonials.

Tamara’s Testimonial

Prior to this project, my volunteering path had mainly focused on logistics and community social work, including supporting refugees. Although I have always enjoyed working with people, I wanted to try something completely different and create a deeper connection with nature. I wanted to see how environmental protection works in practice, and that is precisely why I decided to apply for the short-term ESC project at Ostello dei Balocchi, coordinated by Associazione Joint.

To be honest, before the project started, I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I knew there would be physical outdoor work and simple living conditions, but I was a bit worried about how the group would bond and my ability to handle daily manual tasks.

Looking back, I can say that all my expectations were not only met, but actually exceeded.

During our stay, we were involved in many practical activities. Our main tasks involved the ecological maintenance of the facility and caring for the donkeys, which was a truly extraordinary experience. We also designed and ran workshops and various activities for the local community, helping to build a beautiful bridge between the project and the local residents.

This project taught me a lot about nature and how important team spirit is when doing physical work. I improved my practical problem-solving skills and learned that you don’t need luxury to feel happy and fulfilled. My overall opinion of the project is extremely positive: it was genuinely the best volunteering experience of my life because it managed to combine manual work with beautiful human connections.

I would absolutely recommend this experience to any young person. It is a perfect opportunity to disconnect from your phone, gain real practical skills, and discover how nature can bring people from different cultures together.

Thea’s Testimonial

Hello! My name is Théa, I am 21 years old and I live in France.

I decided to apply for this ESC project because I have always wanted to experience living abroad and the project aligned perfectly with my values. Additionally, I wanted to overcome my fear of people and my general anxiety.

I started this experience without really knowing what to expect, given that it was the first time I had ever participated in an ESC project or any volunteering activity, especially in another country. However, it was a very pleasant surprise and a truly positive experience.

I loved everything: the activities, the people, and the environment. Working as a community was unexpectedly fun, and I bonded with the other participants very quickly. We carried out numerous activities related to the donkeys, the Hostel itself, and the village of Ligonchio, collaborating with both children and the elderly. Much of the work was physically demanding, so that is a good thing to keep in mind.

It was a wonderful learning experience, both for becoming more independent and for learning how to live in a community, help each other, and collaborate. The organizers made us feel right at home and everyone got along very well, making me feel safe enough to just be myself.

It was also a marvelous intercultural experience. We shared great meals, funny stories, and plenty of interesting facts about our languages and cultures.

I would absolutely recommend this ESC project at Ostello dei Balocchi to other young people who want to live a unique experience and who care about the environment as much as I and the other participants do.

However, it is important to know that the project is located very far from big cities and that transportation to get there takes quite a while. Personally, though, I didn’t see this as a big issue, because I believe this project is also an excellent opportunity to reconnect with nature.

Marysia’s Testimonial

I finished my studies last year and have already been working day-to-day for a few years. At a certain point, I started to feel overwhelmed by city life: the constant noise of sirens, traffic jams, the feeling of always having to rush, and limited access to untouched nature. I needed a break.

At the same time, I have always been drawn to the idea of intercultural exchange and community living. I had a good feeling about this project from the moment I found out about it: the duration, the mountain location, the work with donkeys, and the presence of manual activities were all aspects that interested me greatly. So, I decided to apply.

As this was my first ESC project, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. I wanted to discover how this experience might influence me. My main concerns before leaving were about fitting into the group and the possibility of feeling isolated due to the limited transport connections.

In reality, however, I felt a strong connection with the group right from the start. Being constantly surrounded by other people can be challenging and sometimes even overwhelming, especially in the first few days, but we started the project with team-building activities and moments of open communication. This made me feel safer within the group and helped me realize that others shared the same fears.

The activities were very diverse. Some involved physical work, such as painting walls, repairing and varnishing fences, and taking care of the donkeys once a week. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to meet the local community, which consisted of elderly people and children. I particularly enjoyed the cyanotype workshop and the one dedicated to making pasta.

In our free time, we went hiking in the mountains and explored the surroundings, finding small waterfalls, charming villages, and spring blossoms everywhere. I didn’t expect the surrounding area to be so beautiful.

However, it is important to know that public transport is almost non-existent and that the village where the Hostel is located has no shops. The nearest town with a small supermarket or pharmacy is about an hour’s walk away. Still, I didn’t consider this a problem, because Stefano and Airin, who run the Hostel, were always ready to help us if we needed anything.

I had a wonderful time during this project. I feel like I discovered a lot about myself. This experience gave me more confidence to be authentic and made me more aware of my strengths and the impact I can have within a community.

Today, I also feel a desire to get more involved in community-building where I live. I am deeply grateful to the people I met during the project. I have made many new friends, and I hope these friendships will continue long after this experience ends.

Máté’s Testimonial

On April 18th, I arrived at Bologna airport with great excitement. The weather was already splendid, but I couldn’t shake off a strange feeling that had kept me awake for most of the night before the flight.

After finally arriving at Ostello dei Balocchi, which would be our home for the next four weeks, I understood what that feeling was: the fear of failing to integrate into the group. The fear of not being able to build meaningful relationships in just one month. However, I had decided to participate in this project precisely to overcome this fear, so I felt motivated to get to know the other participants.

When the team-building activities and the work with the donkeys began, I was pleasantly surprised. The fear was still there, but the activities offered a wonderful distraction and a fantastic way to get to know everyone. I absolutely loved taking care of the donkeys. At first, they were wary of us, but over time they began to trust us and bond with us. In the final week, we even went trekking with them, which was one of my absolute favorite activities. The donkeys carried our luggage while we guided them along the trail.

On some days, we had the opportunity to visit the Atelier, a non-formal educational space that teaches visitors concepts related to energy physics, such as generating electricity through water. We helped children and people with disabilities discover the laws of nature, and in the process, we were constantly learning something new ourselves.

We also collaborated with the elderly in the community, visited a primary school, and painted parts of the Hostel, so there was always something to do.

During the weekends, we had enough time to organize truly inspiring excursions and trips. We climbed the nearest mountain, Monte Cusna, went camping for an entire weekend, and visited the Cinque Terre, which is probably the most beautiful place I have seen in Italy.

At the end of the project, I felt relieved. The fear of not fitting in had disappeared because, in the meantime, we had created deep bonds within the group. I grew a lot thanks to this experience, and today I feel significantly more confident in myself.

I would recommend this project to anyone who loves meeting new people and collaborating on small shared adventures, or simply to anyone looking for an unforgettable experience.

Kobe’s Testimonial

I didn’t actually apply directly to this project. I got the opportunity to participate in the donkey project at Ostello dei Balocchi thanks to a previous project organized by Joint, as they were looking for more male participants.

Even though I hadn’t submitted a specific application, the project description caught my attention for several reasons. I really enjoy living in a multicultural group in an isolated setting. I study biology and love exploring nature; furthermore, the project site was located close to numerous hiking trails immersed in the beautiful nature of the Apennines.

The only expectation that wasn’t fully met concerned the work related to nature and environmental protection: I expected it to be a larger part of the experience. Aside from that, however, the activities were very varied, and this was an aspect I greatly appreciated.

Much of the work wasn’t entirely new to me, but I learned how to trek with donkeys, improved my cooking skills — I particularly liked the system that involved meal preparation and cleaning in small groups of three or four people — and gained a greater awareness of my personality. I discovered that I am much more social than I thought, and I truly loved living in this group.

We did many different activities: donkey care (repairing fences and cleaning the stable), painting work, applying stickers to the van, cleaning windows, workshops with elderly people, playing games with school children, Italian lessons, visits to the Atelier, and trekking with the donkeys. On top of that, we also had plenty of free time at our disposal.

Overall, I loved this project. The group of volunteers, Airin, and Stefano were fantastic. We shared so many great experiences, ate delicious food, and lived through all of this in a beautiful mountain environment.

The only aspect that occasionally left me with some doubts was that I didn’t always feel like I had worked enough to generate a concrete and significant impact on nature and the local community. However, it was the first time this project was being carried out, and Stefano and Airin proved to be very good at communicating with the volunteers and quickly integrating the feedback they received.

For this reason, I highly recommend this experience, as long as you don’t mind the rather complex and slow transport connections to the larger cities in the area.

ESC Teams with the European Solidarity Corps

ESC Teams stand out for their short duration: projects can last from 2 weeks up to a maximum of 2 months. For this very reason, they represent an accessible opportunity even for young people who are studying or working and do not have the possibility to leave for long periods.

Although shorter compared to other volunteering pathways, group ESCs are intense, dynamic experiences rich in human exchange. In just a few weeks, participants can develop practical and soft skills, live in close contact with people from different countries, and create authentic bonds through sharing daily life.

For many participants, these projects become a space to step out of their routine, challenge themselves, gain greater autonomy, and rediscover the value of collaboration and community living.

If you are thinking of going abroad for an experience but cannot commit for months, an ESC Team could be the perfect starting point.