Today, we bring you the testimony of a year full of achievements!
As we always say, there are European Solidarity Corps volunteering projects for every taste. Federica did well in choosing a project directly related to her passion—videomaking. What did she do? What did she learn? What challenges did she face? Find out by reading the text below!
“I left for Sweden a year ago without knowing exactly what to expect. In the first six months, I worked at the Youth Centre in Svenljunga, supporting the team in organizing activities for young people. I proposed new events, such as screening documentaries about rappers to explore hip-hop culture and share Italian culture through food. During the summer, I also helped young people involved in summer work create content for the social media of BUS (Barn och Unga i Svenljunga), thus strengthening my skills in digital content creation and communication.
At the same time, I had the opportunity to develop, direct, and edit Home as a Feeling: Lives in Svenljunga, a documentary created with Balma—my flatmate and fellow volunteer—and Gabi, a friend I met during this experience. We interviewed three people—Erhan, Yuliia, and Zeinab—who entrusted us with their migration stories, telling us what it means to be forced to leave one’s home country. Working on this project was both a great responsibility and a privilege: I had to manage the budget received from the Kultur Ungdom organization in Gothenburg, learning how to plan resources effectively, and I collaborated with the municipality of Svenljunga, which provided us with the necessary filming equipment.
This experience allowed me to explore how personal experiences and emotions can be told through different expressive languages, such as cinema or play. Being surrounded by people of different ages and backgrounds stimulated my curiosity and openness, helping me appreciate the many ways in which ideas and emotions are shared through art, food, language, and traditions.
Directing the documentary also gave me the opportunity to have deep conversations with people who shared their experiences with me. This taught me the importance of active listening, asking targeted questions, and communicating with empathy and sensitivity.
During this year, I improved my English skills, becoming more confident in expressing myself both orally and in writing. I started studying Swedish by attending SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) in the first months and then continued independently, reaching an A1-A2 level of understanding. Additionally, writing the Swedish subtitles for the documentary helped me see the language as a bridge between different cultures.
I learned how to work in a team, handle unexpected situations with flexibility, and carry a project from the initial idea to its concrete realization. More than anything, this experience made me more aware of the social and cultural dynamics around us, strengthening my sense of social responsibility and my commitment to fostering dialogue, understanding, and sustainability within diverse communities.
If I have to describe this year, it would be: Roller coaster.”
