Before I began my journey abroad, I knew I wanted to learn about the various communities in Rome during my study abroad experience. Volunteering is a great way to be able to explore different groups of people and social issues in a new place! This semester, I am volunteering by teaching English at a refugee learning center.
According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, refugees are people who have fled war, violence, conflict or persecution (poor treatment inflicted because of political or religious beliefs) and have crossed an international border to find safety. Even though I am the one teaching, I learn immense amounts from my students as well. They have opened my eyes to their experiences and their home countries, and have offered me a different perspective on Italian culture and living in Italy.
I have been volunteering for almost two months now. Although I cannot claim to understand all of the needs of the refugee community here in Rome, I do feel I have learned much more than I ever knew before!
All of my students both need and want to learn the Italian and English languages.
Learning Italian is very important because (for the foreseeable future) most of my students will be living in Italy.
