Alessio Bini single-handedly researched information on the Social Partnership Centre and volunteered to contribute to the project Volunteers Without Borders. The initiative, which was started in the Sumy and Cherkasys regions in 2008 and will continue throughout 2010, is sponsored by the German Foundation «Erinnerung, Verantwortung und Zukunft» (Remembrance. Responsibility. Future.) and will target development and popularisation of the international volunteer movement in the aforementioned regions via volunteer agencies.

This field of work is new for Alessio, but he's no stranger to the country. During September-December 2009, he worked at the Italian Embassy in the Ukraine. He is interested in democratic processes in our country, corruption prevention in private and public sectors, and political situation and development of the NGO movement. Since the Social Partnership Centre targets precisely the development of the civilian sector, Alessio decided to work with that organisation.

During briefing, the volunteer had an opportunity to meet the personnel working at the Social Partnership Centre and the team of the partner organisation, Cherkassy Regional Youth Resource Centre. To provide a good start for productive work, all members of the briefing shared their intercultural experiences.

Alessio learned specific features of an NGO operation and voiced his expectations on his volunteer assignment – that is, to be useful in the development of civil society in the Cherkassy region.

We feel that the next two months will be full of new ideas and concepts with Italian flavour.