Get to know our ESC volunteers - Viola F.

Where are you from?

I’m from Luserna San Giovanni, a town in the mountains close to Torino, in Italy.

What is your training or background in circus or the arts?

I graduated from a fine art high school last summer, and I sometimes paint and draw as I like experimenting with different media.

From age 4 to 16 I trained as a gymnast before starting to try various disciplines in circus, which I had always been fascinated by since I watched circus shows as a kid. In summer 2021 I took part in a one-week circus exchange with two other schools, and later I took part in social circus seminars. For the last year and a half before moving to Galway, I've been involved in Pirilampo Scuola di Circo as a student, volunteer and tutor assistant. Pirilampo is a new circus school that I was lucky enough to see being born, and to work alongside and learn so much from the wonderful people who both work there and founded it. These same people supported me to come to Galway Community Circus.

What made you want to volunteer at Galway Community Circus?

I believe circus and Social Circus have the potential and the power of promoting and finding collective and individual wellness, fun and new ways of self-expression. These are obtained by means of absence of judgment and prejudice, reciprocal and self-care, within a context of freedom where everyone is welcome, everyone can do. Reading about Galway Community Circus I discovered these are part of the company’s basic values, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn so much while doing something meaningful. And I was right!

Who is your sending organisation? Tell us about them.

MOH (Mobility Opportunities Hub) is a sociocultural association in Bari, whose aim is to promote mobility among young people, to create synergies with local and European associations and to trace a link between social and artistic work. They use art as a means and practice of inclusion, promotion of equality and gender equality.

What do you love about working with Galway Community Circus?

Oh, there are so many things I love about Galway Community Circus! Could it be everything?

I love seeing the confidence grow in each student from week to week. I love seeing each student grow at their own pace, in their own direction, being supported and accepted for who they are. I love how every day I can learn something new in the most diverse range of knowledge both from other team members and students. I love being part of a support network. I love realizing how circus is a network (both in Ireland and internationally) where if you meet someone once, you are friends and the next time you’ll meet each other you will hug. I love hugging each team member every morning... the list goes on and on and on.

What project(s) are you working on at the Circus and what results (of those projects) do you hope to achieve?

During the classes I’m a tutor assistant in, the class I’m taking and my admin hours I’m learning so much about so many different things. I’m trying to gain as much knowledge as possible from the amazing people I’m surrounded by.

I am currently working on the recruitment of the European Solidarity Corps volunteers that will work at Galway Community Circus next year, and I’m looking forward to improving my communication skills with it. Another project I’m working on is researching and then planning workshops to offer during the Bealtaine Festival with some other tutors. With this, I’m trying to gain a broader view on how circus, fun and play can be accessible.

What do you love about Ireland?

I love Galway – it’s lights and colours add something magical to it. And the magic also resides somewhere else, because I’m so sure Galway is a place I will never forget. Weirdly enough, I love the rain. I love seeing the ground be so nourished and the plants so full of life. I love being able to walk to the sea, the woods or the countryside whenever I want, and all the majestic and surprising landscapes you get to see traveling just a bit further away

What are a few important things you have learned (or are learning) while volunteering with GCC?

I find it very interesting to be able to see so many different teaching styles working with different tutors each day. I feel like I’m constantly increasing my baggage of practical and theoretical skills and I really aim to absorb as much as I can.

I think I’m learning new ways to communicate, and how to navigate life in general! And I think I’m learning about confidence from and together with the students, maybe in different ways.

What is one thing you love about circus in general?

I love the care there is for the singular person, which in the end aims for collective wellness through constant mutual support. I love the way most of the time someone can teach something to somebody else, no matter their levels, because circus is such a broad matter in which there’s always something to learn. I love the lack of competition, or the choice whether to have it or not.

Why do you think a programme like European Solidarity Corps is important?

I think it creates such a broad and accessible spectrum of opportunities for young people to search and discover new parts of the world and ourselves.

Would you recommend that other people apply to volunteer at organisations through the ESC programme? Why?

I would!

It enables people to have experiences that are so enriching for the future (or at least I believe so, I’m not there yet!) All the people, the points of view, the lives you meet – they change, evolve and add some of the little puzzle pieces that you are made of, and maybe a few will pieces will fit better after.

You can learn more about the European Solidarity Corps here or visit the European Solidarity Corps page on our website for more information.