A student in her 3rd year of Law and International Relations at Comillas Pontifical University tells us about...

"A normal volunteer day would start around 9 a.m., at which time we would arrive at the school where the summer school was being held. The children who attended would arrive between 9 and 10:30 a.m. at the school and play with each other until school started at 10:30 a.m. At that time we would divide them into three age groups and they would go to school. At that time we would divide them into three age groups and they would go to their assigned class, accompanied by the monitors corresponding to each group.  Depending on the day, the organization itself had planned activities that we helped to develop or we were the ones who proposed activities. The day ended around 4 p.m., when the parents began to pick up the children. Once everyone had gone home, it was time to pick up the classes. At the end of each week we would do a thorough cleaning of the building where we would mop and sweep the floors where the classrooms and bathrooms were located.  

When I signed up for the Vuela program I had no idea how much this volunteering program would mark me, thanks to which I have met wonderful people and from whom I have learned more than I thought possible, I have rethought my way of understanding and approaching life, as well as refocused my aspirations for my professional future. It is an experience that truly marks a before and after in your life and I can't recommend it enough to everyone".  

Sant'Egidio expressed his great concern for all those minors who, especially in the slums, have not been able to access online schooling and have accumulated serious delays in their schooling. To this end, he wants to propose interventions to implement summer activities and school reintegration pathways for these fragile minors, in order to counteract the learning gap generated by the health emergency.

The activities will take place during the summer period, in July, in the form of summer educational centers. Groups of 7 to 10 children will be formed with three or four Sant'Egidio operators for each group. The groups will be formed according to the age of the children in order to create homogeneous groups.

The commitment of the young volunteers will help the children to carry out the proposed activities. Moreover, coming from other countries will allow them to broaden their horizons and come into contact with realities different from the periphery in which they live.

Schedule: from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.

More information:

Students are advised to consult the information on the website: www.santegidio.org . More information will be provided at the training meetings prior to the field activity.

The program is aimed at children in situations of special vulnerability, with families living in poverty and/or social exclusion, and affected by the learning gap generated by the pandemic.

All students selected for the VUELA program will receive common training for participation in volunteer activities. 

Consult YOUR UNIVERSITY in the following links for training dates, location and conditions.  Don't forget to mark them in your calendar. This training is mandatory and is part of the project. 

The field accompaniment will be provided by the organization itself throughout the project, Lumsa University, as well as by a person from the convening universities who will accompany the experience in the field.

Shared apartment in Rome and common bag for maintenance during the project.  

The universities of Lumsa and Comillas will help in the search for accommodation and facilitate the arrival. Each volunteer must individually contribute an amount equal to the common expenses allowance to cover rental and maintenance costs. The amounts will be communicated prior to arrival, as well as the method of payment. 

Information on the possibility and conditions of financial support for these concepts can be found below, by consulting YOUR UNIVERSITY:

The student is responsible for arranging and paying for transportation to the intervention site, and must inform the project's reference university of the date and time of arrival at least 15 days in advance.

Lumsa University (Irene Culcasi)