EUSA Year Magazine 2023-2024

EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS ASSOCIATION YEAR MAGAZINE 2023-24^126

6. EU INITIATIVES

ITALIAN CIVIL SERVICE

The European University Sports Association (EUSA) has been

hosting international volunteers and interns in EUSA office based

in Ljubljana, Slovenia, for many years now, and in 2023, the EUSA

Office continued to gradually expand the working capacities.

Besides hosting the European
Solidarity Corps volunteers, who
work closely with all of EUSA’s
working departments, including
Sports, Media, and Education,
this year EUSA welcomed two
additional volunteers from the
Italian Universal Civil Service
program.

Simone de Luca and Giacomo
Mori joined EUSA Office in
the beginning of November,
supported by OPES Italia,
through the program funded
within the International
Civil Service. The Universal
Civil Service is a voluntary
choice, aimed at fostering the
promotion of core Italian and
European values, by working in
the non-profit sector through
actions in support of local
communities and territories in
the same spirit of international
cooperation. OPES is an
organisation for education and
promotion of sports, working in
the field of grassroots sport for
the purpose of social and human
empowerment.

With a few months of being part

of the team of the EUSA Office

in Ljubljana, doing different

kind of activities, reaching

a development of an intern

experience of working in an

international office, Giacomo

and Simone showcased valuable

skills and knowledge to the

office work, as well.

For the purpose of this

magazine, they have shared

their satisfaction and

expectations so far:

Simone De Luca, Italy

My name is Simone, I am 26

years old, and I come from

Pesaro, from the Marche

region of Italy. Throughout my

life I have tried to alternate

between sport and academic

life. In April 2023, I graduated in

International Relations from the

University of Perugia, where I

had the opportunity to increase

my propensity for the world of

international cooperation and

volunteering in general.

I left Italy with hopes of

improving my way of life and

my knowledge of international

cooperation in the field of

sport. By sharing the goals

and principles of EUSA, I am

currently convinced that my

academic path will develop, and I

am sure that this period will give

me a lot of satisfaction, both on

a human and professional level.

I look forward to using my time

here with EUSA to promote sport

and its fundamental values.

Giacomo Mori, Italy

My name is Giacomo, I am 29

years old, and I come from

the Tuscany region of Italy. I

have an academic background

in international relations and

European studies, with previous

study and work experiences in

France and Switzerland. Sport

has been a fundamental part

of my educational background,

and sporting activities have

mediated my very first steps

in life since I was only a child. I

believe that sport has had a huge

influence on my personality and

contributed greatly to shaping

the person I am today, providing

me with the basics to face life.

Given my educational

background on European

policies, my main interest is

to fully understand how sport

can contribute to achieving a

better integration of European

citizens. In this sense, my major

expectations regarding my period

of work at EUSA are to learn

how the promotion of university

sport among young students

in Europe can contribute to the

strengthening of fundamental

European values, such as human

dignity, freedom of choice and

equality of opportunity.

Both, Giacomo and Simone,

hope to make the most of

this experience with EUSA in

Ljubljana and are proud to be

representing Italy in Slovenia

through this cooperation

project. A special thanks from

them and EUSA goes to the

sending organization, OPES

Italy, for providing partnerships

and valuable volunteering

opportunities like this one.