My 185 Days of Experience

During six months since my arrival to the northern part of Italy for long-term Project ‘YOUng Culture’:

• I’ve been participated in two Erasmus+ training-courses in Bulgaria and Malta,
• acted as a Russian teacher assistant and held more than 12 lessons about wildlife and conservation areas in Russia at Belluno school (Renier Liceum) and more than 9 lessons at Feltre school (Colotti Instituto),
• spoken on the conference in Feltre ‘The White Paper and the EU Future’,
• worked for three months in the office of Feltre tourist center and made guided tours to all visitors,
• had a research and presentation in Mezzano in the framework of training-course and ‘Stand Against Drugs’ Project on drug addiction issue in Belluno province,
• have taken photos of Feltre city (people, buildings and facades, streets, ladders, churches) and have written the description for travellers of all types for IsoIpse Cultural Heritage Association and Izi.Travel Project

The Dolomites are such an extraordinary area you never tire of seeking out those spots as soft dreamy pastures, rugged rock faces and the resplendence of its colours. So for more than three months I’ve been working as a volunteer for tourist centre office in Feltre, the neighbouring ancient walled town with a 1000-long history. Being a guide I got acquainted with people from all over the world: New Zealand, China, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Poland, USA, Netherlands etc. giving information to visitors on transport, attractions and local services and activities. As a tour guide I’ve shown them sightseeing places and helped them to visit unfamiliar areas for hiking, describing places on the town’s map. Preparing the tour I’ve learnt enough historical sources about Feltre and Venetian Republic which led to Feltre’s destruction in 15 century. Such town with a rich history remind the glory and power of that time.

So far I’ve already done hiking and trekking to the Dolomites several paths: Malga Erera Bredol (1708), Malga Pramper (1500), Nevegal (1618), Croce d’Aune (1993), Forcella di S.Mauro (1480). The scenery is spectacular and I was impressed by the colourful beauty of this province. I was also visited tiny places as Igne, Casso, Erto e Casso, Vinigo, Asolo, Marostica - these are the villages with a history of producing hand-made shoes (scarpeta), cheese and wine.

Upon arrival in a country, according to Erasmus program rules, volunteers must participate in two trainings: on-arrival and pre-departure. Last September I was lucky to attend the first one which took place in Nola, a small town in the southern part of Italy in 15 km away from the Vesuvio volcano. Blessed with blue skies, a balmy climate, a rich cultural heritage and a magnificent backdrop of sea and mountains, Naples boasts a profusion of museums, art galleries, restaurants, shops, landmarks and night spots. Apparently within seven bright days full of activities the group of young people who did not know each other before from 16 different countries and cultures mixed and transformed into friendly community and network in general. The program had divided in two parts: the language course (Italian class) in the mornings which we had I liked the most and the plenty of non-formal education activities (games, role plays, tasks for improving team spirit) which is originally an education apart from formal institutions. Therefore it’s simple and useful tool for understanding key points of cultural diversity, learning experience and breaking stereotypes.

Then in October I was pleased to join in participating a learning mobility project ‘Step Inside Volunteering’ in the Balkans, a small Bulgarian border-town Ruse, organised by Association ‘Inspiration’. The overall aim and objective of the training-course was to learn more on how to plan, develop and manage volunteering projects under the European Solidarity Corps and to support the creation of a network among the participating organizations in order to implement joint volunteering and youth projects in future. 27 young people from 9 European countries representing Poland, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Slovakia, Greece and Romania during five intensive days discussed the up-to-date aspects of volunteering using the tools of non-formal education. The packed agenda of the training-course highlighted again an in-depth topic coverage and parallel networking opportunities which is guaranteed the productive and informative time.

The records of the end of gorgeous autumn I spent improving my skills and knowledge on the Drug Abuse Prevention Training-course which was held on 24-30 November in Gozo, one of the Maltese islands with fascinating views in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. The seminar was part of the biggest project ‘Stand Against Drugs [SADs]’ has been funded with support of the European Commission and therefore included Erasmus+ Key Action 2 - Capacity building in the field of youth. The consortium of project players consists of five countries - Italy, Malta, Romania, Norway and Uzbekistan.

During fully five days of complete immersion to substance abuse issues in Europe, our group of more than twenty people discussed deeply the local realities of drug addiction problem, factors leading to substance abuse and their effects in a multicultural society. By the end of January I have continued to discuss these issues and did a presentation with an overview of the drug phenomenon in Belluno Province covering drug supply, use and public health problems.  

The next six months I am going to finish a Guidebook for Izi.Travel and cannot wait to start working at Feltre tourist center in order to improve my skills and to make guided tours.