My volunteering experience at Associazione Uniamoci Onlus

I have volunteered for Associazione Uniamoci Onlus from mid January till the second week
of July. These six months have been a great experience.
In the beginning I really had to get used to Palermo, but once I did, my time in Palermo got
really enjoyable. Working for Uniamoci Onlus was a very nice experience. I have learned so
many things by working here and with the users, but also at the projects that I participated in
as well as in Palermo as in other countries. Besides learning a lot, I had a lot of fun and
made new friends from different countries.
From the first day I already felt welcomed by everyone. The vibes were always good, there
was a lot of fun and laughter and everyone was really nice.
During my time here I worked five days a week. Three days I helped the users with the
activities, and the other two days I did office work. I also participated in the Palermo Green
project, where we cleaned streets and planted flowers together with students from different
high schools.
The projects abroad that I got the chance to participate in were in Slovenia, Austria, Estonia,
Madeira and North-Macedonia. All of these projects were a very nice experience. I learned
about inclusion, how art can connect people, how to write easy to read texts for people with
a reading disadvantage, how to plan the creation of an online course and remote work. In
the projects that I participated in Palermo, I learned about environmental activities, art and
mental health, different types of art therapy and collaborative economy without barriers.
Working with people with a disability was a new experience for me. I wasn’t sure what to
expect, but I had only positive experiences. Even though it wasn’t easy to communicate with
them because of the language barrier, I still had a lot of fun with them and was able to
connect with them.
Davide, Eleonora and Giulia are doing a great job, and I am really glad I got the chance to
work together with them and I am very thankful for all the opportunities I got.
Besides working, I of course also discovered Palermo. There is a big expats community here, and every week they organize activities to bring each other together. On Wednesdays there were language exchange nights with a pub quiz and karaoke.
I attended those nights a lot of times. Besides that they also organize open-mic evenings, trips to different cities, dinners and much more. This is a great way to get to know other people from different places, but also locals, and to make new friends.
Palermo is a beautiful city, with friendly people, good vibes, beautiful nature, and good coffee and food.
I can say that I really enjoyed my time here.

Janka Deuten