“Hyphen8” ESC-Team volunteering, Sicily Italy
The project is structured in a network action thought the southern part of Italy, which interest several different communities. Events, campaigns, meetings, workshops, work-camps, festivals be the main activities. Health, well-being, healthy lifestyles, civic participation, will be promoted as means to achieve the main objectives. In total, hosted 32 volunteers, divided in groups of 16. The project will last 40 days.
The activities of the project had the following structure:
Sicily: connecting with the local reality trough the creation and partecipation of events connected with healthy lifestyles, well-being, mental health and the power of the nature.
Calabria: preparation and implementation of a big festival called “No borders Festival”. During the preparation of the festival, the volunteers together with the organizers had labs about music, theatre, dance, body movements, graffiti to represented during the festival itself.
All activities had designed to ensure the active involvement of volunteers, who played a dual role as both promoters and beneficiaries. The approach was interdisciplinary, integrating environmental sustainability, inclusion, and well-being to create a meaningful and holistic experience. Each initiative aimed to generate a lasting impact on the local community, leaving a tangible legacy through concrete actions. The activities alternated between practical and theoretical moments, fostering not only hands-on learning but also opportunities for reflection and personal growth.
The project has a huge impact on:
Young volunteers who will be able to develop new competences and soft skills useful for their personal, social and professional development.
Local communities of different Sicilian and Calabrian cities and villages, who will benefit from the solidarity action of volunteers engaged in the project aims
In the texts below you will read about the experience of the volunteers of this project:
The ESC volunteer program “Hyphen8”, was held in 3 different locations in Sicily and Southern Italy and lasted a total of 40 days from June 26 to August 6, 2025. The Greek organization that supported and sent me to this program was PRAXIS and the host organization in Italy was the Strauss APS organization. The On Arrival Training took place in Palermo and then we were divided into 2 groups of 17 people. The first part of the program I sent in Mussomeli, one of the most isolated but cultural villages I have ever seen in my life.
So, Mussomeli is a village with several people from different countries who have taken refuge there for its way of life which is also one of the most positive and healthy ways of life I have ever seen. The first part of the program therefore had to do with the development and promotion of mental health. It lasted 2 weeks with each day we had and a session – workshop on mental health. There were also several events from the village at that time which were also a factor in the development of the topic. Some of the events that took place were the following: A dance performance from a local school, a fashion show, a yoga session, a seminar on “how nutrition and exercise affect our body”, a workshop organized by us volunteers with the theme of the 5 senses. In the 2nd part of the program, the next 2 weeks took place in Calabria. My experience there was a bit unpleasant because despite the fact that as a group of 17 people we were enough to cooperate properly in order to carry out the 5-day organization of the “No borders festival”, there was poor communication between us and several misunderstandings were created.
In the end, we carried out the program and the whole experience of this 2nd part showed me how poor communication within the team can greatly reduced the results of the work. This was also a part that helped me understand what to avoid next time so that it would not reach such a point. Then we went back for the final evaluation in Palermo.
The ESC (European Solidarity Corps) programs in my opinion are quite exciting and intense because there are many things that you can unlock several aspects of yourself through them such as: Build self-confidence, improve your public speaking, get out of your comfort zone and see the world in a more different and beautiful way, get to know new cultures from all over the world and through this increase compassion and love for the planet and the world. It is an opportunity that some countries outside the European Union do not have and it is a great opportunity as a young person to learn through giving.
Stelios Traganakis
My participation in the Erasmus Solidarity Corps – Hyphen8 program, organized by Strauss in Italy, and PRAXIS from Greece, was an experience I will never forget. We all had the same goal: to help the local community, to talk about health and well-being and to bring young people closer through various actions. Every day we did something different, from small events and workshops to festivals, and we met many people
What I liked the most was that we were not just spectators, but we were also creators.
In Calabria, we prepared a festival with music, theater, dance and painting, and at the end we presented it all together as a team. In Sicily, we organized activities to show how important good nutrition, exercise and mental health are. All this made me feel that we really offered something useful.
I learned a lot from the program. I learned to collaborate with others, listen to different opinions, take initiatives and not be afraid to try new things. I made friends with people I probably would never have met otherwise, and I learned to respect and understand different cultures. These experiences made me more open-minded and confident.
I believe that all young people deserve to take part in such programs. It is not only the joy of the journey and the new acquaintances, but also how much you change as a person. Personally, I plan to use what I learned in my studies and future work, but also in my everyday life. It taught me to see cooperation, solidarity and creation as values that have real meaning in life.
Lydia Vogiatzi
I had a really great time on this experience. I had the opportunity to meet some of the most special people and create friendships with people from many different countries, which made the whole experience even richer and more interesting. The project I participated in was particularly well-designed, original and creative, without being difficult, which allowed me to actively participate and enjoy every moment. We had to organize activities that were aimed at entertaining different age groups.
At the same time, I explored the beautiful Sicily and Italy and was able to learn firsthand the culture and beauty of these places.
I would highly recommend anyone to participate in such an experience, because not only do you gain knowledge and skills, but most importantly you live unique moments, meet amazing people and gain life experiences that are incomparable to anything else.
Maria Spanogiorgoy
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