Mobility and volunteering are among the most powerful educational tools for integration, supporting the acquisition of new skills, competences and values important also for entering in any working field. Youth crossroads project aimed to build up with young volunteers, young people and local community from Palermo a positive relation and interaction model, carrying out integration paths among local, with migrant background and newly arrived (mainly unaccompanied minors) young people.
Within the project Youth Crossroads, CESIE hosted 5 european volunteers coming from Hungary, Greece, France, Spain, and Portugal. Volunteers were involved in different organisations in Palermo, they were supporting daily activities of the receiving organisations and also participated and created different workshops, recreational activities, focus groups, research for local and EU projects addressed to youth and migrants. Those activities were based on non-formal education methodologies, aimed to promote and encourage active citizenship, critical thinking, social inclusion and solidarity among target groups.
This photo exhibition is one of the project’s result that volunteers showed through collection of photos during their volunteering experience. The objective of this product is to raise awareness among young people through intercultural dialogue and active citizenship.
Main target groups of this photo exhibition are: youngsters of the local, national and European communities, local and international youth workers, migrant groups of new arrivals, youngsters open to new activities and inclusive action, social centres affiliated to CESIE and to the other partners. The product is also targeted for those looking for a source of inspiration for inclusive activities at local level, such as youth organisations that are or would like to be accredited as sending, receiving and or coordinating organisations, interested in the course of the project at European, but also at international level.
CESIE wishes to thank all who contributed for this product, with a special thanks to EVS volunteers who participated to the project: Csaba Simon, Mariana Cardoso, Charlotte Croigny, Carmen María and Katerina Kountourou.
Katerina Kountourou, EVS volunteer at CESIE within the Erasmus + project YouthCrossRoads
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- Picture 1. Activities with Children In Palermo, there are many organisations who organise activities for children. Palermo seems to care about childhood. This photo is one event organised by different kinder gardens in Palermo. Children were very excited to participate in the activities.
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- Picture 2. Palermo Streets art When you walk around Palermo, it’s very unusual that you don’t see street arts. It often happens to be surprised by unexpected arts, hidden spaces, surreal places. In fact, there are many murals specially in old buildings walls they present about the History of Palermo. One of my favorite things in Palermo was to walk around and observe these pictures. This wall is my favorite!
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- Picture 3. City tour with Italian language school I would like to share this picture as well. During my Italian class in Itastra, we had one day of outdoor lesson, was to discover a part of Palermo’s culture: the puppets!
Csaba Simon, EVS volunteer at CESIE within the Erasmus + project YouthCrossRoads
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- Picture 1. Palermo Pride 2019 My first ‘mission’/ public appearance with CESIE happened to take place at the Palermo Pride just a few days after my arrival. Among many other local NGO’s CESIE was represented on one of the festival’s trucks sending an important message and offering balloons, drinks and techno to the happy crowd passing by. I had been to a Pride before in London, but that was different, more organized and rather distant with all the cordons separating the trucks from the audience. In Palermo it’s a real, shared experience, the whole city seemed to unite to party hard. I remember saying to myself on the way home: ‘Yep, Palermo was the right choice!
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- Picture 2. Interns and a volunteer in the open space of the CESIE Headquarters Work needs to be done; European projects will not manage themselves. However, my dear desk mates and I know very well that there is always time for checking your vibes and for posing.
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- Picture 3. Vucciria during the day Looks quite innocent from above, however, this is the piazza principale of Sin City. There are no rules but there are shots, beers, reggaeton, haze and some good old organized crime. Vucciria was one of the famous historic markets of Palermo but now it’s known for its vibrant night life. This is the essence of the city to me; it represents almost everything there is to know about life here.
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- Picture 4. Etna squad Eva, Carmen, Pablo, Camille and Csaba enjoy climbing Mount Etna while being slightly oxygen deprived. One of my best trips with one of the best crews – and there were many of those – during my whole EVS. Walking on top of this huge active volcano feels like setting foot on another planet. It’s the most momentous miracle on the island.
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- Picture 5. On arrival training in Rome Volunteers from across Italy meet up for a week-long training in Rome in November 2019. Mornings were difficult as volunteers tend to socialise late night. We learnt a lot about Italy, volunteering and we gained important soft and social skills. We played games, made movies and podcasts, went for sightseeing and sang together in a Karaoke bar. Best training I have ever been to.
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- Picture 6. Last breakfast together Two French, a Spanish, a Catalan, a Portuguese, a Belgian/Dutch and a Hungarian having breakfast together for the last time at the Volunteer’s Headquarters in Via Tripoli 15. Covid 19 had just hit Italy badly, lockdown was about to start, and sadly, many of the volunteers decided to finish their programme earlier. We would have to say goodbye to many friends soon but on this morning, vibes are still intact.
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- Picture 7. Welcome APERITIVO on the island of Stromboli We woke up on Lipari, we went to the Island of Volcano for climbing up the volcano and for swimming in the thermal mud lakes and then we arrived at Stromboli where our B&B host gave us a beautiful welcome aperitivo. It was a busy day, we were already dead at this point, however, we would still hike up to Stromboli and would see lava coming out from the craters. I travelled with a group of Erasmus students and with one of the last volunteer survivors, Tosca. This trip around the Eolian islands during post-lockdown times was a unique experience, Europe’s most touristic natural wonders were easily accessible, not crowded, in fact there was nobody else around.
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- Picture 8. Last morning, last swim On my very last night in Palermo I went out for a last delicious pizza with friends, we spent the night around Piazza Sant’ Anna and Vucciria, later we were hanging out at Piazza Magione, and then, we ended up swimming at Foro Italico while the sun was rising. Later, I was still wet and running in order to catch my flight which I almost missed. This ending could not have been more perfect.
Carmen Maria, EVS volunteer at CESIE within the Erasmus + project YouthCrossRoads
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- Picture 1. The sun never goes away from Palermo In the first month after my arrival, the other volunteers took me to enjoy the sun and taste typical Palermo food!
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- Picture 2. An awareness campaigns After a workshop on project about art therapy at CESIE we decided to finish with a performance in a very famous piazza in the city centre. I remember we were all nervous but we had a lot of fun. I also won the fear of speaking in public.
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- Picture 3. Trekking Monte Pellegrino When you live in Palermo it is almost a duty to do the famous “acchianata” of Monte Pellegrino, from where you can see the whole city! At least I have done it about twenty times haha, always in good company!
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- Picture 4. People at the Centro Astalli Centro Astalli hosts several people with different migrant backgrounds. This photo was taken during the volunteering activities with one of the many people I met at Centro Astalli, and I won’t forget!
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- Picture 5. When you don’t like the sun The Sicilian summer is beautiful, but it’s even nicer when you take your Hungarian roommate to the sea and he’s afraid of the sun, it’s always entertaining to make fun of a friend (in the end he got used to it and always went to the beach).
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- Picture 6. Boat trip This day we discovered a little more about Sicily, thanks to the friends of CESIE and the mentor who took us to the sea by boat. A new and beautiful experience.
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- Picture 7. During activities at the Centro Astalli This photo was taken during the activities at Centro Astalli, Pablo and I. Pablo was a CESIE volunteer through another EVS project.
