Nadia Testimony

My first approach to intercultural volunteering was as a chronicler. Interested in the subject, in mid-2013 I decided to assume the role of objective observer and I began to collect stories and then translate them into a documentary.

The hypothesis that guided my research, and whose truth I intended to prove, was the idea that these kinds of experiences are transformative and represent a hinge in the lives of those who decide to carry them out.

That's how I met Climb South and the crush was instantaneous. The project brought together the two things that I consider most exciting: volunteer work and travel. It was they who introduced me to the volunteers so I could interview them and some time later they gave me the opportunity to live more closely the intercultural volunteering.

That was how on May 7 I arrived in Croatia and by chance I had a luxury welcome. My arrival coincided with the celebration of San Duje, patron of Split, and the city received me dressed as a party. That night different musical groups offered concerts and a massive lottery was organized in Riva, which is the Rambla de Split. Thousands of people circulated through the streets of the city celebrating and buying the typical wooden kitchen utensils sold for this date, as good luck charms.

The night ended with a fireworks show, which I could see from Matejuska, a dock where the boats are moored and is usually the meeting point for young people. With such a show as set design, I had my first meeting with Help volunteers. Catarina from Germany, Lorena from Spain, Kelly from Scotland, Piero from Italy and Nícolas from France; They also introduced me to all the Croatian friends they had known since they were in Split.

The next day I went to know the Help offices and experience the same feeling I feel every time I am on the terrace of Climb South. The comfort of feeling at home. Help is an NGO created in 1991 to help refugees during Serbian invasions. But once the war was over, it remained open for the fight against HIV. In its offices two programs are developed in parallel: Damage Reduction and the Youth Information Center.

The main goal of the first program is the prevention of hepatitis and HIV. To achieve this, we work with vulnerable populations, such as people who practice prostitution and drug addicts. To reduce the risk of infection, they are provided with needles and condoms and clinical tests are offered for disease testing. All this is also accompanied by strong campaigns to raise public awareness.

The first time I heard about the needle supply service for intravenous drug addicts, try to imagine how public opinion would see this in Argentina. I suspect it would be a controversial issue and a large number of people would oppose, arguing that this would encourage drug addiction. I arrived in Split fascinated to know how the Croats saw the implementation of this program and I was surprised that it is also a controversial issue for them. However, beyond the debate, statistics show that since this service is performed, the spread of hepatitis and HIV has been considerably reduced. Enough test to continue with the program. I wonder if in Argentina the evidence would suffice. Would our rulers support efficient projects, or demagogically and for electoral purposes they would be inclined to what public opinion said?

The service of delivery of new needles that is carried out in Help not only does not encourage drug addiction, but also tries to combat it. In the office where the needles are removed, a billboard offers all the information about the different clinics and specialized centers to treat the disease. And if the addict requests it, Help agrees to find him in less than 48 hours, a place to be treated.

The youth information center is the other program developed in Help. Through non-formal education, it is about encouraging youth to have greater commitment and play a more active role in society. Secondary students and university students participate in volunteering. It is on the basis of this program that, through the EVS (European volunteer service) or EVS, its acronym in English; Foreign volunteers offer classes in their native languages in the Help offices to promote interculturality, an attitude towards the encounter of cultures that goes beyond mere respect for differences and puts the focus on integration.

I cannot fail to emphasize that I see with deep optimism the fact that an organization born to protect refugees from war, arose in part by the clash of different cultures, who fought to have their nation and impose themselves on the rest; Work today on cultural integration. I think it is a triumph of reason over hate, and it speaks of the maturity of this people to review a very recent history.

But definitely the most fun activity, also aimed at promoting integration, is the intercultural night. A meeting organized by the volunteers to share the customs, music and traditional foods of their countries. Volunteer students are also invited to the event, which is really interesting, since this turns out to be an ideal occasion to practice and test what they have learned. In how many language institutes could students have this opportunity? The modest amount they pay to learn languages is a symbolic price that serves to cover the cost of materials for classes. Help receives subsidies from the European Union, the Ministries of Education and Health, the municipality of Dalmatia, and even receives contributions from private companies. For them, classes are not a form of financing, since Help is a non-profit organization, but it is a service that volunteers offer to the community.

In turn, volunteers attend Croatian classes to facilitate their stay in Split.

Katharina, a German volunteer, says she was surprised by the number of people who wanted to learn their native language. She currently has 4 courses and is delighted with her work: "If someone came to offer me $ 1 million to quit my volunteer work, I wouldn't do it."

Pierluigi is also convinced that this is one of the most enriching experiences he had to live: "Knowing people from different places is a way to grow, not only in the profession, but as a human being"

Ryszard Kapuscinski, a Polish journalist who toured the world as a correspondent, said: "There is a connection between our personal destiny and the presence of thousands of people and things whose existence we know nothing about and that influence our lives and their development."

These exchanges teach young people to think like citizens of the world and be aware of that connection that Kapuscinski mentions.

I believe that knowing and experiencing the enormity and diversity of our world also teaches us to be humble. Travel teaches you that the only way to know ourselves and to know our own culture is through the knowledge of other societies. Because when we get in touch with a different culture, we begin to become aware of our acquired customs. We develop a critical conscience, capable of questioning and questioning. Just as time allows us to see situations in perspective, the trip offers us the perspective of space.

A key aspect of intercultural dialogue is that there are no static cultures. Culture is dynamic by definition. It changes in the process of adaptation to new situations. And it would seem that on an individual level, volunteers also experience profound and positive changes.

Katharina, for example, says she feels more independent and self-confident, since arriving in Split.

Kelly from Scotland says that being with people from other places helped her see things from another perspective and allowed her to have a more open mind.

Personally, and although I have only been in Split for 21 days, I take a word, that more than word is a lifestyle. The word is Polish And it means slowly. I see myself repeating it to myself and remembering the wonderful people I met in Help, every time in Buenos Aires I get anxious and the city pushes me to live at its own pace. Because while in big cities you run for inertia, you run to get anywhere; Polish is to enjoy the road.

Thank you Climb to the South and Help for allowing me to travel this path and be part of this unforgettable experience.