Catania, culture "calls" and seeks young volunteers

Fifty-four young people, a common goal: to keep culture alive. Thus begins the new universal volunteering path of the Civil Service, which will see young men and women ready to contribute to the enhancement of the monumental, artistic, and architectural heritage of the city. And not only that.

In Catania, Aci Catena, Adrano, and Mineo, there is room for another 54 young people between the ages of 18 and 28 who are passionate about cultural heritage and can participate in the 2026 call for the Universal Civil Service published by the Ministry of Youth Policies and serve - for a whole year starting next summer - in some cultural sites managed by the Archaeological Park of Catania and the Valley of Aci.

In Catania, among the sites are, for example, the ancient theater on Via Vittorio Emanuele with Casa Liberti, the thermae of Rotonda and Indirizzo, and the Jesuit church of San Francesco Borgia on Via Crociferi. In Adrano, the regional museum “Saro Franco”; in Mineo, the archaeological site of Palikè; in Acicatena, the archaeological area of the thermal baths of Santa Venera al pozzo.

Unique among all the parks in the Region, the Archaeological Park of Catania and the Valley of Aci, directed by Giuseppe D’Urso, has already hosted 42 young people engaged in the Universal Civil Service thanks to an agreement with the Erei di Troina association, which focuses on youth training. Those currently serving, starting from July 2025 in the Park's sites, are mostly students, including those from outside the area, already graduated or with ongoing training paths (university and academic) of various backgrounds and training: among them, not only those enrolled in humanities faculties or dedicated to the study and enhancement of cultural heritage, but also students from the STEM field who enrich their growth and training path with a year of Civil Service in the segment of art and culture in some of the most beautiful sites in the city of Catania.

A collaboration that engages them for a total of 25 hours per week (5 hours a day and 2 days off per week), regularly compensated with a reimbursement of about 500 euros, and which provides a preferential lane in public competitions. The selection of eligible candidates will take place in May, and a ranking will be drawn up based on the score.

"This first year of integrated site management, with the “hybrid” formula of the Archaeological Park staff alongside the young volunteers of the Universal Civil Service - explains D’Urso - has been a decidedly positive experience for us that, among other things, has allowed us to increase the opening hours of some sites to the public, thus offering a better service to the community and to the tourist operators of the historic center. In the spirit of service of the ministerial call, we hope that this experience at the Archaeological Park has been an opportunity for human and professional growth for all these young people who dedicated their time for twelve months to the care and promotion of the great artistic heritage of our country".

The call expires at 2 PM on April 8 and to apply, equipped with Spid, simply fill out the online procedure on the site https://domandaonline.serviziocivile.it/