By Shristi Kaliraj
Published: June 3, 2024
Volunteer Educator Story, Palermo, Italy – June 3, 2024
I am a Nepalese person who studied Business Administration in the UK and then I moved to Palermo as I got a good scholarship for international students coming from underdeveloped countries. I learned about the RAISE project when I decided to join the intercultural training in Bucharest, Romania in May 2023.
I worked on my idea of workshop during the RAISE training in Bucharest, and it was focused on my personal experience as an international student moving to Italy, among strengths and challenges faced along the process. I had already moved abroad to study and work — for example in Australia — and this strengthened my adaptation skills, and helped me understand what could be challenging and what is not when changing country.
My idea was to create a workshop that could be delivered online with the aim to encourage Nepalese students to move to Palermo, by sharing the advantages and disadvantages of this opportunity on multiple levels — bureaucratic procedures, adaptation process and social life. Talking of advantages, did you know that the possibility of getting a scholarship does not depend on your marks? I have always found this amazing. You can also get a VISA document and travel to other European countries. Life is not so easy here, especially for the linguistic barriers — only few people in Italy can speak English — and the lack of clarity when it comes to bureaucracy.
My educator trainers supported me in the building process of my workshop idea, and they were really helpful as they guided me in one of the most challenging aspects: the pattern of the presentation. How could I structure my personal experience, taking into consideration time management as well as audience engagement? I practised this idea of workshop in front of all the international people participating in Bucharest and it was so fun. It comes natural to me to add some fun to learning sessions.
I would hold my workshop not only in Palermo, but across Italy and then the world. I would love to guide other Nepalese students in the process of moving and applying for a scholarship so that what I learned could be useful for them. This could be a unique opportunity for those young people wishing for a future life in Europe.