12 months ESC Volunteering
Bergolo, Italy
Vitality
What is Vitality?
Vitality is a European Solidarity Corps project that brings aliveness and
dynamism on different levels:
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To the rural community of Alta Langa and lower Piedmont by introducing international mobility opportunities to local young people, by valorizing local through cultural heritage, taking care of the natural landscape, by organizing festivals and events, and promoting sustainable tourism.
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To the lives of volunteers who will experience themselves outside of their local reality, they will discover new passions, and enhance undervalued learning opportunities in the field of youth work.
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To the entities involved in the project: The organizations Vagamondo, New Wellness Education and Parco Culturale Alta Langa will receive support with the implementation of their institutional activities and new inputs and ideas from the volunteers.
Watch the introduction video of our team
VITALITY 2023
And read Sofia's experience here...
Sofia, Greece
My volunteering experience in Bergolo during 2022-2023, is one I will truly remember forever. I became independent, learned more about the world (both my internal world and the external one), and developed different aspects of myself. Most importantly, I met and connected with very different people than me, and together we created a strong team that felt like family ❤
If you want to go out of your shell and break the limits of your current reality, I totally recommend this experience!
Local Area
Langhe
The Langhe is a hilly area in the north-west of Italy famous for its wines, cheeses, hazelnuts and truffles - particularly the white truffles of Alba. The countryside as it was in the first half of the 20th century features prominently in the writings of Beppe Fenoglio and Cesare Pavese.
In 2014 Langhe area was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list for its cultural landscapes, an outstanding living testimony to wine growing and winemaking traditions that stem from a long history. Watch a short documentary about Langhe.
Valle Bormida
The Bormida valley develops along the course of the Bormida river and connects the Alps to the Apennine mountain range. The Bormida valley connects the regions of Piedmont and Liguria, embracing the provinces of Cuneo, Savona, Asti and Alessandria.
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Alba
Alba is the closer city, with a population of about 30.000 people. Our volunteers like to spend time there when they miss the urban dimension. Vagamondo cooperates with the info youth office of Alba to inform young people about European opportunities.
The city hosts the headquarter of Ferrero company and an important international truffle festival.
It is located 45 minutes by car from Bergolo. Watch a short video about Alba
Cortemilia
Cortemilia is the main center of the local area of Alta Langa with a population of 2300 people. It is located 8 km far from Bergolo.
It is noted for the production of one of the most famous types of hazelnut, the Tonda Gentile di Langa, awarded IGP status. Every August the town celebrates the Sagra della Nocciola (hazelnut fair). In Cortemilia there are bars, pubs, supermarkets, shops, banks, gas stations, and public buses to the cities Alba, Asti, and Savona.
Bergolo
Bergolo, a village of 54 inhabitants, is located on the hills of south Piedmont in the province of Cuneo, northern Italy.
It is a peaceful destination for Nature and outdoor activities lovers. The village doesn’t have any shop, only 1 restaurant and it is the ideal place for diving in nature and disconnecting from busy city life. Bergolo has a long tradition of music, art, and, in general, cultural festivals and since 2018 hosts regularly youth exchanges and trainings organized by different youth organizations.
Monesiglio
Monesiglio is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 kilometres (43 mi) southeast of Turin and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of Cuneo.
Monesiglio borders the following municipalities: Camerana, Gottasecca, Mombarcaro, and Prunetto. It is home to a castle, built in the 13th century, later (17th century) rebuilt into a late-Gothic palace. It houses several 16th-century frescoes.
Conditions
Travel
There is a budget available to reimburse the A/R travel costs of the volunteers. The total amount depends on the distance of the volunteer living place.
Accommodation
Volunteers will be accommodated in shared apartments. The apartments consist of a kitchen with a dining room, a bathroom, and double bedrooms. Volunteers will decide for themselves how to settle in the rooms. All the accommodation expenses are being taken care of by the organization.
Food & Pocket Money
There is reimbursement available for food expenses
up to 165€ per month, and each volunteer will receive monthly pocket money of 180€.
Volunteering Schedule
The usual daily working schedule is from 9:30 to 13:00 and from 14:30 to 18:00, from Monday to Friday. The timetable will be different and can include weekends
when youth exchanges, trainings, or other events
happen in Bergolo. The secret word to apply is "Bee".
Local Transport
All the transportation expenses related to the activities of the project are covered by the organization. There is a bus station in Cortemilia. A personal mountain bike is available for the volunteers to explore the local area in their free time. A car can be provided in case of need.
Associazione Vagamondo
Vagamondo, based in Bergolo, in the south of Piedmont region, in Italy, is an NGO focused on European mobility and non- formal education. It provides learning and growing opportunities for young people and youth workers.
The name Vagamondo comes from the concept of travel as a powerful tool of self-discovery and personal development: it is through direct contact with cultural and personal differences that identity becomes more visible to every individual; it is coming out of the comfort zone, getting involved in new activities, different than the usual ones, that people can identify room to grow and work on themselves.
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Main Tasks
International & Local Youth Work
You will provide support to Associazione Vagamondo in the development of youth exchanges, training courses, and volunteering projects in Bergolo and abroad. You will also help promoting the international opportunities for young people available within the ESC and Erasmus + program. Additionally, focusing on the municipalities of Alta Langa and lower Piedmont through meetings in high schools, universities, organizations, and other public and private spaces - further increasing access to youth opportunities for young people who live in rural areas.
Digitalization
Volunteers will complete the project Bergolo Digitale, which digitizes the artistic heritage of the town, makes it usable online and allows visitors to access information on the art works exhibited an plain air through QR codes affixed to the side of the works. It is planned to expand the digitization paths to other villages in the Bormida Valley and, gradually, also to other municipalities of the provinces mentioned, also including the digitization of human heritage, through interviews with relevant personalities.
Local Festivals &
Cultural Activities
The municipality of Bergolo organizes festivals and cultural events of music and art. Your role will be to collaborate and support the organizers of these events. You will also have the chance to propose and take care of the organization of activities managed by you or new cultural events.
Fighting depopulation
Volunteers will contribute to develop initiatives and identify strategies to counter the depopulation of Bergolo and the Bormida Valley, considered one of the isolated areas of Italy.
One of those strategies is the promotion of sustainable tourism through various channels and offer tourist information to visitors to the village of Bergolo
Personal Project
In the framework of your learning goals and of the goals of the project, you will be encouraged to carry out your own personal project.
This experience may be for you if:
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You are 18 - 30 years old
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You are resident in Europe or in a neighboring country
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You are available to volunteer for 12 months (343 days)
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You want to interact with locals and young people from other countries, directly and online
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You want to practice and improve teamwork skills in a multicultural context
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You want a pause from your daily life, focus on yourself, experiment with new things, and valorize old or new passions to start a new path after volunteering with clearer priorities and newly defined goals
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You want to live for one year in a village, in the countryside and enjoy being surrounded by nature
You see yourself in one of the following profiles:
Junior Youth Worker:
- You have already some experience in working with young people in educational contexts and non-formal education, or you took part in some international youth exchange or training course and you're further interested in learning how to organize such projects.
-- You want to increase your competencies in youth work.
- You can freely communicate in English and are interested in learning Italian
- You are available to experiment with different tasks you've never done, following the instructions and having support from the coordinator.