EUROPEAN SOLIDARITY CORPS
European Solidarity Corps
The European Solidarity Corps is the new European Union initiative which creates opportunities for young people to volunteer or work in projects in their own country or abroad that benefit communities and people around Europe. It offers young people aged 18 to 30 a unique experience of intercultural learning in a non-formal context, promotes their social integration and active participation.
Young people can do voluntary work in a country of the program or outside Europe, for a period ranging from 2 to 12 months, working as “European volunteers” in local projects in various sectors or areas of intervention: culture, youth, sport, social assistance, cultural heritage, art, leisure time, civil protection, environment, cooperative development, etc. The project uses the principles and methods of non-formal learning. Through this experience young people have the opportunity to get in touch with new cultures, express solidarity with others and acquire new skills and skills useful for their personal and professional training.
It is since 2001 that Legambiente Verona welcomes European volunteers and not only, proposing activities aimed at raising citizens’ awareness of environmental issues. The volunteers cooperate in the realization of national campaigns such as Mal’aria, Goletta dei Laghi, Puliamo il Mondo, Spiagge e Fondali Puliti, etc., participate in the life of the association (opening of our office, helping in various projects, participating in our urban trekkings, etc.) and especially they contribute on the works for Parco delle Mura in Verona, at the Bastions of Santo Spirito, San Bernardino and along the hills managed by Comitato per il Verde. The contribution of the European volunteers is essential and volunteers have the opportunity to integrate into the local community, learning Italian language and culture. Moreover, each volunteer’s unique background and experience is an important source of contribution to the association and the city of Verona.
What can you do?
Salvalarte
Since 1994 Legambiente strives to make the cultural heritage of Verona available to the public. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, we are able to open the gothic church of San Giorgetto with its interesting frescos to the public every weekend. During summer we also open the area of the Arche Scaligere for visitors who are interested in seeing these beautifully sculptured medieval tombs from up close. We are always looking for volunteers to help us open, close and supervise San Giorgetto and the Arche Scaligere. San Giorgetto is open all year on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You could take a morning shift from 10:00-13:00 or an afternoon shift from 14:00-18:00. The Arche Scaligere have the same shift, but are only open during summer, from June to September, every day of the week except for Monday. The volunteers open and close the doors, make sure everything looks tidy, supervise the entrance of visitors and answer questions about the church and its frescos or the tombs of the Scaligeri. It is an interesting job to do, because you meet many people from all over the world, you can practice your Italian speaking skills and you get to learn about the cultural heritage of Verona. If you’re interested, please let us know!
Parco delle mura e dei forti
Legambiente Verona and our partner-organisation Comitato per il Verde are responsible for the maintenance of a part of the Parco delle Mura, the park alongside the historical city wall surrounding Verona. Our goal is to make this beautiful and green area available for the people of Verona to enjoy nature and see the history of the city up close. We are always looking for volunteers to help us with the maintenance: mowing the grass, cleaning the picnic areas, pruning branches, removing leaves or any other job that could come up at the park. The shifts are every working day from 8:30 to 12:30 and on Monday and Thursday from 14:00 to 18:00. Working at the park is physically demanding and requires robust shoes and suitable clothes. Legambiente provides gloves and equipment and we explain how to use them safely. This job is useful, because you can immediately see the results of what you have done, you get to work with your hands (sometimes it can be a real workout) and you can practice your Italian speaking skills. If you’re interested, please let us know!
National campaigns
Every year Legambiente takes part in many national environmental campaigns from Mal’aria tot the Italian version of ‘Clean up the world’, Puliamo il mondo. Check our Facebook page or subscribe to our newsletter to know which activities we have planned and let us know if you’re available to participate.
Share our initiatives
An easy (but no less appreciated) way to help us is to share our message and initiatives with friends, family or anyone you know:
2016/2017: Diana and Niki, our volunteers from Portugal and Hungary
Diana and Niki started a blog in 2016 about their experience in Legambiente.