Caterina studied Communication Science in Italy and, after her degree she decided she wanted to learn Spanish and at the same time gain some experience abroad. “Detachment”, “farewell”, “solitude” were some of the words in her mind before the departure, some of her fears. Now she talks rather of “friends”, “knowledge”, “change”, “opportunities”…and all in fluent Spanish! She spends her time with the kids of Vallecas, a neighborhood of Madrid, teaching Italian, organizing creative activities and workshops, entertaining them in their free time, teaching and learning.

Zdenek used to be a technician of heating systems but wanted to try something different. He worked as a volunteer in a hospital in Prague and he realized that…he loved volunteering. Having a look at opportunities around, he found out that the Youth in Action programme was a very good option for working abroad, merging together two of the things he prefers, travelling and working in the social sector. He is now in Madrid, he learns Spanish, travels around the country, works in a social project with kids and plans the next step: “After the summer, when my project is over, I would like to go back to Czech Republic, to my home town, and I would like to work promoting volunteer job among other youngsters."

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