Unica Radio Raccontiamo la città che cambia
Pauline, a 25 years old Belgium girl, was volunteering in Sardinia for LIVE project during one year. When he finished high school, she decided to take a gap year and move to Australia. Upon returning to Belgium, she began her studies in Social Science and later completed a Master Degree in Conflict and Development Studies. Also, while at university she also worked as a research assistant and set up the organization “Ask for Angela” in Belgium.
After her studies she knew she wanted to travel again and acquire real work experience so she applied for the project LIVE of TDM Association in Cagliari. The aim of the project was to promote human rights and volunteering through social media and other digital platforms. Although at the beginning she was only focus on this project, soon she started to help in other activities in the organization. For instance, she helped on logistics, communication, researching, focus groups, multiplayer events and workshops. Eventually, she also had the opportunity to be involved in a project where she was in charge of the internal communication and the development of some strategical plans.
Regarding what she would highlight from her volunteering experience, she mentions two aspects. Firstly, she mentions that she had the opportunity to try many things. Consequently, she could easily understand which are the things that she likes or not and this really changed her career perspective. Moreover, she would highlight the good relationship with other volunteers and co-workers, as there was always a good atmosphere.
Despite the fact that she had lived in other countries before, Pauline admits that the beginning of her experience in Cagliari was a bit difficult. Thereafter, it took her some time before she started to feel at home. Nonetheless, she acknowledges that returning to Belgium after his project has cost him almost as much as moving to Belgium.
Why does she recommend this volunteering programme in Sardinia?
Lastly, she definitely recommends this experience to other people. Thus, as a piece of advice, she recommends that when choosing a project, people should look at the job and the organization rather than the country. She also suggests that if someone is afraid to go to another country for such a long time, they can also choose a short-term project first.
In summary, she sees the European Solidarity Corps program as as a wonderful opportunity that it is very much worth taking advantage of.
