The eighth edition of the Ventotene Europa Festival held from 9 to 12 May also includes the Acarbio association based on the Amalfi Coast. This year’s festival is promoted and organised in cooperation with the Italian Youth Agency (AIG) and the European Commission as Representation in Italy. Acarbio was invited to represent the value of volunteering through the Esc programme, the European Voluntary Service. In fact, among the sixty young people selected by the Italian Youth Agency and coming from all over Europe, there is also Francesco Giordano from Tramonti, twenty-three years old, who, with the Acarbio association, took his first steps in this field of ‘youth commitment’ and active citizenship. During the day on 9 May, Francesco was invited to take the stage and speak about his personal experience.
““I spent twelve months with the “Solidarity Tracks” organisation on the Greek island of Lefkada, from August 2022 to July 2023 – told Francesco Giordano addressing the many participants present at the Festival – And during this time, I actively participated in the “Time Bank” project, an innovative initiative to promote the exchange of skills and abilities through the use of time as an exchange currency instead of money. Among other responsibilities I had there was supporting elderly members at the local community centre, the disability centre, and coordinating social activities. In addition, I had the opportunity to assist the organisation’s staff, gaining practical knowledge on how to write projects, manage reports and take on leadership roles. And thanks to this valuable experience, I developed not only personal, but also professional skills that later allowed me to fully integrate into the staff of ACARBIO, the association that supported me in my ESC experience”.
Francesco is currently involved in local projects in Tramonti and coordinates international projects dedicated to the environment and the local community, including “Make it Green”.
The sixty young people selected are also expected to vote in the upcoming elections, and to discuss issues of participation and active citizenship, national and European identity, European training courses, youth engagement in institutions and disinformation and new media, is more important than ever.
“The year of choices, from war to peace” is the central theme of the various conferences followed by interactive workshops and seminars dedicated to the European programmes Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps. The festival – which has been awarded the “Medal of the President of the Republic” – is being held under the High Patronage of the European Parliament, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Department for Youth Policies and Universal Civil Service, the Lazio Region and the Municipality of Ventotene.
(In the picture Francesco Giordano with Federica Celestini Campanari of the Italian Youth Agency)