In March the Porta Nuova programme dedicated to senior volunteers over 50 from Cornwall has been carried out. The project is a part of Give, a L.L.P. programme for senior volunteers.
“Porta Nuova” is conducted with the partnership of the English organization Point Europa and it consists in a voluntary work period of three weeks (from 15/03 to 5/04) for six volunteers that are over 50 years old. The volunteers are involved in educational activities for three kindergartens-Child education Centers (Ubuntu, Santa Chiara, Giardino di madre Teresa) which are committed to offer a valid Primary Education to immigrant and non- immigrant children living in neighborhoods with infrastructure deficiency.
The experience has been very productive for the Centers, the volunteers, and especially for us since we were the co-organizers. Indeed it was very fulfilling, rewarding and exciting for us.
During the project, day by day, between local staff and volunteers there was an immediate great atmosphere and it developed into an intercultural and intergenerational active communication among all the people involved in the project. The volunteers attended a 30 hours Italian language course in order to facilitate communication and to acquire new competences.
Porta Nuova made it possible for Primary Education Centers, and children whom attend them, to enjoy the senior volunteers experience, who have worked for a long time in the educational field, or that are simply grandparents or first-time parents, with so much enthusiasm to give.
For the six senior volunteers, whom were involved, the experience was intense and highly educative, especially they challenged themselves in a totally new environment with very different methods from the correspondent English one.
Besides, the senior volunteers had the possibility to learn more about Palermo’s reality, and Adrian, one of the participants, showed us his notebook which was full of impressions and he also said to us: “this experience has touched me so deeply”.
The Porta Nuova programme will start again in June, when six Italian senior volunteers over 50 will be going to Cornwall for three weeks.
