My ESC Adventure in Bordano: Nature, Culture, and Community
The ESC Teams project “Team for Healthy Life 3 – T4HL3”, financed by the European Solidarity Corps programme and run by Associazione Joint in cooperation with Casa delle Farfalle di Bordano 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
Following the testimonial of one of the participants, Artem
Artem’s Testimonial
Ciao ragazzi and привіт! My name is Artem, and I am from a town called Popilnia (I want this name to stay here) in Ukraine. I was looking for the project that fits me the most for a long time, so after passing some ups and downs, I finally found the Joint ESC, and I didn’t hesitate for a second whether to apply there or not. The project description was very promising, and as I am a person who easily believes in the marketing tricks, so possibility to spend 2 months in the heartbreaking Italian mountains, to meet young people from different countries, to work in the nature, to cook varenyky and deruny for foreigners, to do fun sport activities and to learn more about Friuli worked well as my motivation to come here. It was no time to be bored in Bordano as there were always something to do. We worked at Lago di Cavazzo and the hiking trail to Monte San Simeone, so we had a chance to build our own opinion about various invasive plants, differentiate vite canadese and vite americana, found a plant that we called bastardo and connect with the nature in the most convenient way. Except of working outside, we shared amazing time with always friendly local people and their sometimes friendly dogs, cooked our national dishes, went hiking in the mountains around, discovered midnight demons in the caves, made our opinion about one Latvian song, swam in the river and ate barbecue in the lake. We also learned many new things about Italy, like what happens if you drink cappuccino after lunch, what rhymes with bambino, and why there are so many butterflies around. The team was always open to any new activities even after I crushed them in ligretto, so it was very easy to find something to do with them. If you want – chill documentaries about the fish and discussing how good is Margeary from Game of Thrones; if you want – having a party with the local football team and le-do-lo-le-lo-le. The place, the organisation, and the best coordinator gave us plenty of options what to do, including the possibility to scream at rafting, to scream at paragliding or to scream at ceramics. I am happy to share these beautiful moments with my team in Bordano, and I can totally recommend it to others. Even if you are not sure, give it a try, and you will be surprised by how much warmth this project can bring.
ESC Teams
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, lɜ participants have the opportunity to create strong bonds even in a short period of time.