At Youth Works Hub, we love sharing the real journeys of our community. This time, we are proud to feature Silvia, a 24 year old from Italy who grew up in a suburb on the outskirts of Rome. Silvia left for her first Erasmus+ project in 2024, and since then she has taken part in more than 10 youth exchanges and 3 European Solidarity Corps (ESC) projects. A Youth Exchange is a meeting of groups of young people from at least two different countries who gather for a short period to implement jointly a non-formal learning programme. The European Solidarity Corps is the European Union programme that brings young people together to build a more inclusive society, support vulnerable people and respond to societal and humanitarian challenges. Here is her story, in her own words.
Last updated: November 2026.
I was born and raised in a suburb on the outskirts of Rome. Growing up, money was tight, so travelling was never an option. Between bullying at school and a complicated situation at home, I never had the chance to study English either. The world, for me, ended at the edge of my neighbourhood.
In 2024 I left for my first Erasmus+ project in Vatra Dornei, Romania. Honestly, I left with very little hope. I was scared I wouldn’t connect with anyone, and that my English wouldn’t let people see who I really am. I was wrong from day one.
Since then, one project led to another: more than 10 youth exchanges and 3 ESC projects across Europe and beyond. I celebrated the Kekri festival with a local community in Finland, slept in tents while restoring a protected island in Sicily, led an Italian group as Team Leader in Luxembourg, and spent two weeks in Point Blanche Prison in Sint Maarten, where I filmed a short documentary about the creative workshops we ran with the inmates. One of them designed the tattoo I now wear next to my heart.
These projects gave me a new language, friends in so many countries, and the confidence to become the person I’m proud to be today. They also shaped my future: I’m about to graduate in Communication Science, and my dream is to open my own NGO and work in the world of Erasmus+.
Every time I talk about these experiences, I feel like I’m giving away a piece of my heart. I share them hoping that young people who started out like me, with fewer opportunities and a lot of fear, will discover this chance and realise how big the world really is. And that we are never alone
Silvia Olivier
Silvia is going to Aruba soon for a six month European Solidarity Corps placement. Aruba is one of the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) linked to the Netherlands, and young people who live in an OCT take part in the European Solidarity Corps on an EU Member State status. A Youth Exchange lasts from 5 to 21 days, excluding travel days, and ESC volunteering is a full-time unpaid activity that has a duration of up to 12 months. Our guide on how long an ESC project lasts compares the formats, and how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where the offers are published.
Thank you, Silvia, for trusting us with your story 💙 Have your own Erasmus+ or ESC story? Send it to Youth Works Hub and we will feature it here, so other young people can see what is possible.
More stories from our community: Serena's Erasmus+ and DiscoverEU story · Mariam's ESC story in Tallinn · Olga's ESC project in Provence
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=esc-projects
