Newspaper Articles
Volunteering in Florence
By: Compass CAPA
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| Students hard at work on Via Pandolfini |
As part of the My Education Program, CAPA Florence was pleased to take part in the voluntary project Angeli del Bello, which is dedicated to helping students, tourists, and all the community become proactive citizens. The association Angeli del Bello is a volunteer collaboration between Quadrifoglio - the municipal company for the environmental services - and several other Florentine associations and private community groups.
Through this project it is possible to "adopt" a street/square/garden of Florence and take care of it for the time students will be here. This is a chance to offer a more sustainable lifestyle, civic and environment respect and protect the patrimony of residents and visitors in the city of Florence.
What does it mean to adopt a street, a square or a garden? It means to take care of it, clean it, cover the graffiti, remove the stickers, and take part in information and awareness campaigns.
Being an "Angel" means to be in love with Firenze, It means to help the city, to leave a mark, something immediately recognizable, it means to respect yourself and the others. Below is some feedback from the students about their experience:
"Volunteering with this organization was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life. It felt so good to give back to such a beautiful and welcoming city. I also think that when the locals saw us volunteer it gave them a new opinion of American students. It felt so good to hear how happy we made the locals when they saw us cleaning. This is something everyone should do when they're abroad...and when they are home. "
-Hannah Kaplan - Summer 2011, Purdue University
"Being a study abroad student, I often felt that I was only taking from this wonderful city. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to give back!"
-Hilary Schroeder- Summer 2011, Purdue University
"I was a part of the Wednesday volunteer group for Santa Croce. I have to say that it was one of the best experiences I had while in Italy. There were actually many people that appreciated everything that we did, and they often told us how appreciative they were. Though sometimes I felt unwelcome in the city, Wednesday was always a day to look forward to because I knew I would be doing something that the people would appreciate. I volunteer quite often back in the States and at school, but this was something different. Each week I had the opportunity to reflect on how much I was truly taking from the city, and it was a great feeling to give back. I was often a tourist, but this was an experience that made me feel at home in Florence. I was very happy to give back and to be able to do something to help CAPA and the community! I would recommend Angeli del Bello to anyone that comes to Florence... It was truly a fantastic experience!" Sarah Eder Summer 2011, Purdue University
"I really enjoyed volunteering here in Florence. It felt great to give back a little to the city that's given me so much this summer. Plus it made me feel like I belonged and I wasn't just a tourist or any other study abroad student. I had several people thank me when I was out and had lots of people ask questions about directions and the sites so I got to try to share some of my little knowledge of the city. I really liked that we had this option to volunteer! It felt good to do so after having not volunteered in a couple years. Thanks.
-Tracy Miller - Summer 2011, Purdue University
Reproduced with permission from Purdue University Perspective