Dino's experience in Croatia

Hi! My name is Dino and I am one of the volunteers in Zagreb. I am here thanks to the European Solidarity Corps project, and I arrived at the beginning of September. I have been living and volunteering in this beautiful city for almost two months now.

From the very first moment, the members of the Amazonas association, where I will spend my year of volunteering, proved to be extremely helpful and supportive. Above all, they immediately gave me a clear perspective of the activities I will be carrying out throughout this year. In fact, they gave me the opportunity right away to put my knowledge into practice and to develop activities related to the European field, with the aim of contributing to raising awareness within the local community about topics concerning the European Union.

Moreover, they gave me the opportunity to try my hand at teaching: after just over a month, I started teaching the Italian language to a group of Croatian students. This activity is very interesting and enriching both for me and for the students, because in addition to teaching Italian to those who do not know it, I also have the chance to get to know the Croatian reality better and to tell them about the different facets of Italy. This creates a valuable moment of intercultural exchange between us, allowing us to grasp both the similarities and the differences between our two countries.

As for the city itself, it is truly beautiful and its historic center is very distinctive: it is almost impossible not to notice the various European influences that this city has to offer. In fact, I can confidently say that Zagreb is a small European gem that is still relatively unknown and deserves much more attention. In any case, the city is very livable and there is always something to do, also thanks to the efficiency of public transport, which allows me to reach any part of the city in a reasonable amount of time.

So, what can I say about these first two months in Croatia? Simply: thank you. Thank you for the incredible opportunity given to me by the European Union and by the members of Amazonas, because it allows me to challenge myself and to discover a new reality. I would also like to thank the people at YouNet, who made this experience possible through their support from Italy.

I am sure that this experience will enrich me greatly and will give me the opportunity to learn more in different fields, such as social media communication or how to organize events of interest with different partners. But above all, one day I will be proud to say that I took on the commitment to give my contribution, even if a small one, to one of the countries of the great European family!