Summer Volunteer Programs in Rome, Italy

During my trip to Perugia, I learned so much about Italy’s culture, a bit of the language, and met people that I still talk to today, two and a half years later. My experience revolved around rescues and refuges, and being able to see all the different species in Italy, and our vet who showed us how to examine them, was so inspiring! It made me want to switch my focus to exotic animals rather than small animals. It was an amazing experience, and one that I will remember forever!

Men’s Mental health is very important to me because I struggle with bipolar disorder. Before the study abroad I was in a dark spot in my life and I was seriously contemplating suicide. After going abroad my perception changed on life and I learned to simply just exist and be nothing more then just a normal person. The friendships and influence from friends changed the way I write and read today. Nico Engvall showed me how different our American culture can be differing from state to state. So not only did I learn about European culture but I learned about American culture. I would like to become an Ambassador for AIFS, especially Rome, Italy. I will forever be grateful and my life will never be the same after that in all the amazing good ways. Outside the program I travelled everywhere, to countries like Spain, Greece, and Israel. I went to 8 different cities in Italy, Barcelona, Tel Aviv, and Mykonos. I figured out the meaning of what my life is really worth and the history of our world. I wish I had the chance to do it again but unfortunately finances are holding me back. If there is anyway I could go on a paid trip I would 100% do it and make a AIFS Europe documentary where I travel to each AIFS program in Europe and document everyone’s experience. The goal would be to make a documentary. Love the program and GOD Bless the program for helping me make life long friends.

I grew so much traveling abroad with AIFS. I was able to learn, explore, and experience all new things. AIFS did its best to provide us with a safe space and ensured we understood our environment. Very thankful!

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.