Thanks to Libera, it is possible to spend the summer in work camps and actively contribute to the success of projects aimed at bringing back to life territories and lands scarred by the mafia. Truly active volunteering. A different kind of summer.
In Italy, the number of people dedicated to volunteering is very high, and growing all the time. They operate in a country that currently needs this important contribution across many different fields: environmental, social, the integration of different cultures, to name but a few. Volunteers thus represent a very significant economic resource for the organisations they serve, while gaining personal enrichment in return.
Those who dedicate themselves to these activities often do so when they are freest from work or school commitments — that is, in summer, during the holidays. As a result, various associations have for some time been offering volunteering activities during this very period of the year, meeting the needs of these active citizens.
Today we want to introduce you to a project by Libera – associazioni, nomi e numeri contro le mafie – founded in 1995 with the aim of engaging civil society in the fight against the mafias and promoting legality and justice, which for some time has been organising work camps on land and assets confiscated from the mafias and now managed by social cooperatives and associations.
Registrations for E!state liberi — that is the name of the project — are open to young people, students, youths, senior citizens, and groups from all over Italy and Europe. It is possible to take part in camps for individuals, groups, families, minors, international participants, and thematic camps, including the innovative experience of corporate volunteering. All of this runs through to October.
The work varies according to seasonal production and the area in question, and is organised in close collaboration with cooperative staff. A typical day for a volunteer involves three hours of fieldwork in the morning, while the afternoon is devoted to training sessions and in-depth exploration of the phenomenon of the mafias, through direct testimony from those who fight the mafias on the ground every day. The evening is the preferred time for leisure and cultural activities, through the organisation of meeting and discussion spaces with local communities.
Volunteering within Libera's project is open to everyone: if you are a minor, you will find the camps suited to you here; if, on the other hand, you would like to take part together with your colleagues or employees, click here.
Whatever your needs and your desire to help, you will spend an unusual summer and come back from this experience changed and enriched — because in being a volunteer, you gain more than you give.