Community Development Volunteering in Rome, Italy

How did it all begin… “I’m so busy… should I sign up for another project… without even being paid for it…” – this was going on in my mind when I was deciding to go or not to go… well I decide to go. And it was the BEST EXPERIENCE ever! July 11, 2022, I arrived in Rome for my two weeks of volunteering in the Creative Technology Program with Impactrip. I was a bit anxious. The last day before my departure I asked myself – Why, please, remind me again? Instead of enjoying your summer vacation (I’m a secondary school teacher and I have two-month summer vacation) you decided to go to a new place, in a hot Italian city, where you don’t know anybody, to do who knows what with who knows who… This is so out of your comfort zone… Why are you doing it? I was anxious about the camping place I’ll be at, the roommate, the job location, even the language. Arriving… Arriving at the airport I was greeted by a big smile. This was Mortez - a volunteer himself, who was at the airport specially for me. He walked me to the parking, and there another volunteer – Juliana – drove me to the campsite. It’s like I’m a VIP. ☺ The camp was a luxurious one, with a pool and restaurant. It was clean and spacious with a shower, toilet and AC in each room and only two people per room. Next day came the orientation. Nice icebreaking games, a lot of new information, lunch and walk around the city. It is a bit hot, but hey – this is Rome in July! I still didn’t know who I’ll be working for and what I’ll be doing. Third day was the “dive in” one – I met with my “boss” - the “engine” of the organization Dario Dongo. He is one of the moving forces behind the social movement in Rome and Italy in general for variety of projects with a high social impact and definitely one of the most inspiring people I ever met in my life. From this meeting I learned about the situation of the people with disabilities and specifically of those with motor disabilities in Rome. Over the next few days I’ll be meeting with different people in their homes and making videos about their personal stories. Living with disability – what are the architectural barriers they need to overcome in their daily life. I’ll be also working on another mini documentary for the accessibility of the Rome’s metro…. And so it began… The result… The result of my work, as well as the links to some of the videos you can see in the egalite website. There is a mini documentary, that we produced with some of the other volunteers and you can find it in youtube. Besides making the videos… I was going to peoples’ homes and I was listening to their stories. Talking to me, they were going back in time and they were reliving their accidents or reflecting on their lives… I got to know people that went through incredible hardship and adversity. Some had the family at their side, some didn’t; some had multiple years-long debilitating diseases, some had one life changing accident. And instead of whining, instead of blaming destiny, instead of being defensive and bitter, they found the strength and the resilience to keep going and to build a new productive life for themselves. They connected with others and stood up for themselves, they work for the common good and keep giving to the society and inspire the people around them. What does it mean for me… I felt connected with that network of amazing role models and I felt I can help a bit to have impact on the community they live in. I realized how fortunate I am and it made me grateful for what I have. I felt appreciated for what I did. My knowledge in video editing and my experience in filmmaking were applied for a society needed project. I felt respected and valued for my volunteer work. I made new friends among the other volunteers too. We were visiting historic places and tourist attractions, we were attending concerts and singing in karaoke bars. We travelled to Naples, swimming in the pool, and having fun together. The volunteer coordinator - Paule Yao was one of the most fun loving and supporting people. She is a perpetual mobile communicator – interconnecting business with volunteers, helping on each site, accompanying young lost souls, boosting the energy when the heat melts volunteer motivation, transmitting of ideas, joining people and ideas, and leading and inspiring all of us – the visitors of the old city. She was texting/informing/calling/meeting until midnight and from 6 a.m. I’ve know what does it mean to be busy, with three jobs, two kids and volunteer work, but Paule raises the bar for sure ☺. In brief – I’m looking forward having more fulfilling activities and adventures with all those amazing, like-minded people that I met during these two week. In conclusion… We, as human beings are all hard wired to be connected to each other and being helpful, being appreciated, delivered to me immense pleasure. I was happy to have this experience. I feel grateful for all that have and blessed to live the live. ☺ P.P. If you want to see more of my stay in Italy – visit my blog.