There are journeys that don’t end with a return ticket, but that ignite a light, a real spark, destined to shine for a long time. This is the common thread of our campaign “Sparks of Dreams“: a choral tale made up of faces, stories and hopes born and raised in our experiences of meeting and service in every corner of the world.

Recently, we had the pleasure of meeting with ASCS volunteers and volunteers who had returned from their journeys to Latin America, South Africa and the European borders of Ceuta and Calais. A moment of “return care,” as we called it, in which we shared the deep traces these experiences left behind.

We asked them to answer two simple questions to tell us about their spark. And here is what emerged.

Who are you and where did you experience your Spark?

From the Andes to Africa, via European cities, the stories of ASCS volunteers are a mosaic of dedication and courage:

• Andrea, from Trento, experienced volunteering in Tacna, Peru.
• Syria, who lives in Bern, pursued a volunteer experience in Guatemala City.
• Martina spent a year in Santiago, Chile as a volunteer.
• Chiara, from Milan, volunteered in Ceuta.
• Alberto, 28, lived his experience with ASCS always in Ceuta.
• Magdalena, from Trento, did her volunteer experience in Tacna.
• Chiara and Frederick shared a six-and-a-half-month journey in Johannesburg, South Africa.
• Joan volunteered in Chile for five months.

Each name and place is not just a destination, but the beginning of an inner transformation.

What is the Spark that this experience ignited in you?

The spark is that light that does not go out, the motivation that drives one to get involved again. For our volunteers, this light manifested itself in different ways, all related to the value of encounter and solidarity:

• For Andrea, the spark is “the desire to spend myself again for the next ones.”
• Syria speaks of the need to “Bring hope there where there is none” and to welcome “everyone with a smile that helps so much.”
• Chiara and Frederick have gained “an awareness that now our hearts are divided, and a piece is left there.” A piece that, although it may be “painful,” turns out to be “a tremendous enrichment.”
• Martina acknowledges that the experience “was much more everything that was given to me and changed within me, rather than what I gave to others.” A profound change in perspective.
• Magdalena has ignited “the desire to be with others, the sharing and smiling of people.”
• Rebecca realized that she wanted “more and more to make real connections and use [her] privileges to help others.”
• Joan found it in the “freedom” of service.
• Chiara (from Milan) was driven by the “desire to put myself out there again for these issues.”
• Albert felt a desire to “continue to serve human life and ensure that every story is looked at, seen and accompanied.”

These are not mere testimonies, but proof that volunteering is not just about leaving, but returning with a more open gaze, a bigger heart and an unending desire to change, together.

The spark that burns in each of them is the engine of our mission.

How about you? Do you feel your time has come to ignite your spark? Find out more about our routes and write to us: [email protected]