Stella, France

My experience with Climbing the South is surely one of the moments of my life that most contributed to enrich me as a person and was an important starting point to awaken in me a greater motivation and interest in international volunteering.

I wanted to do a volunteer experience in Latin America and I don't know why I have always had a passion for this beautiful country, Argentina. It was by chance that I met Subir al Sur, a coincidence that I am very grateful for today.

What caught my attention the most when I saw the site of Climb to the South was the phrase on the first page “If you came to help me you are wasting your time. But, if you came because you think your liberation is connected to mine, then, let's work together. ” And this phrase reflected exactly the concept of volunteering I was looking for. For me, volunteering in general is a way to see the concept of “work” from a different perspective. Everything is based on “the will” of each person to dedicate themselves to a project that feels close to their values and to collaborate with other people, who share these same values, to build something that can contribute positively to any cultural enrichment , spiritual of some societies, big and small. The extraordinary thing about volunteering is that what you give is almost always much lower than what you receive. You realize that the time spent with these people, who are children, teenagers, elders, contemporaries, has put in you some seeds that are extremely precious and with an unquantifiable value. It is difficult to explain in words the energy in these projects, it is an energy that can be born only when different cultures, languages, religions and values come together to communicate, meet and learn together. However, there are also challenges, misunderstandings, contrasting looks, as it is normal and "healthy" to find in any multicultural space, but sometimes the confrontation of these challenges and the achievement of a solution can also enrich you and give you an idea of the difficulties that can arise when different cultures are found.

It was an absolute pleasure for me to collaborate with this association and see the vitality and strength that encourage the people who lead and participate in these projects. I saw every day and in each project desire to improve, stimulate, learn, collaborate and now I try to make these values part of my daily life. It was for me a way to approach in a completely new way to other culture, share mine, learn from others and above all use my time in the most fruitful way possible, because these are the experiences that make you grow as a person and above all take you to have a greater awareness of this wonderful and colorful world around us.