Find
Pubblicato il 03/09/2026
Hello, my name is Mariann. I am 25 years old, and I come from Estonia. I recently concluded a 10 month ESC long term volunteering project named “Promoting volunteering and youth participation” with InformaGiovani in Palermo, Italy.
After graduating from university and working in financial auditing for a year, I decided that I needed to do something more meaningful and interesting. With years of volunteering experience through the YFU youth exchange program, Erasmus+ activities, and volunteer camps, I decided that long term ESC volunteering would be the next logical step for me. After discovering the call from InformaGiovani on the European Youth Portal, I knew that this project was a perfect match for me.
This project allowed me to use my previous skills and knowledge from youth work, international projects, and volunteering, as well as let me learn a lot about EU funded projects, international volunteering opportunities, and hands on youth work with local youngsters.
Throughout my project, I learned about different administrative aspects of EU funded projects, did workshops in schools and youth centres, helped to choose and welcome new short term and long term volunteers to our partners in Sicily, participated in various community events, hosted a study visit, prepared youth exchanges, helped to facilitate them, helped to manage numerous volunteering camps throughout the summer, and much more. For my personal project, I helped young people improve their financial knowledge by facilitating a personal finance masterclass.
I am incredibly thankful to my colleagues at InformaGiovani for welcoming me, becoming my friends, and always being there for me. I am very happy with how much I have learned and grown throughout the project. I especially appreciate their flexibility in giving me tasks that interested me while also allowing me to explore and learn new things
But ESC is not only about the tasks you carry out or the workplace. What made my ESC experience truly incredible were the people I met and the memories we created together. Apart from my colleagues, I became friends with some of the most amazing people through ESN and with other volunteers from ESC projects.
I will never forget the nights spent dancing to Italian songs in Piazza Sant’Anna, singing karaoke, playing scopa with my roommates, or enjoying a glass of wine on a rooftop. I will remember the beautiful landscapes of Sicily, the lovely beach days with friends, the amazing Sicilian cuisine, and the countless pizzas we shared together.
Thanks to my colleagues, friends, and ESN, I had an amazing opportunity to see Sicily and even travel to new countries. During this time, I went swimming in Cefalù, visited the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, partied at Carnevale di Sciacca, enjoyed the first warm spring day in Mazara del Vallo, watched the sunset in Marsala, and saw the beautiful town of Taormina. My adventures took me skiing and hiking on Etna, trekking a volcano on the Aeolian Islands, and seeing lava for the first time on Stromboli. Thanks to ESC, I got to visit the European Parliament in Brussels, see Rome for the On Arrival training, and discover Tunisia with my ESN friends.
This ESC experience showed me how important it is to slow down, not take things too seriously, and enjoy the simple things. How important are friendships and connections with people that you’ve just met. It taught me adaptability and patience when dealing with difficult situations, and understanding towards people from different cultures and backgrounds.
After spending 10 months in Sicily, I am happy to say that this place feels like home to me. I know that my contribution to the project was well received, as InformaGiovani has offered me the opportunity to continue working with them. So, here’s to the next chapter in Sicily!
Project n. 2024-2-IT03-ESC51-VTJ-
