Sam Curti, Process SME at our Vado Ligure site, volunteered in a unique scout activity for 27 young adults aged 17 to 21 years from Savona, Italy last summer.

Known as the ‘Summer Route’, Sam led the scouts on a seven-day hike across the Vallée des Merveilles (Valley of Wonders), located in France near the Italian border. The scouts were tasked with carrying their own food and equipment, with adequate planning as a key learning point as the scouts could not return to the base camp to retrieve items they had forgotten. The scouts had no access to Internet connection throughout the duration of the hike.

Sam, who found the volunteering experience incredibly rewarding, says “It was refreshing to see 27 young adults give up modern comforts such as an Internet connection for a week, focusing only on the most basic aspects of survival – water, food and shelter.”

He adds “I was also able to use my Infineum safety mindset to ensure everyone’s safety in a completely different environment, with greater risks from our surroundings.”

Throughout the hike, Sam and the scouts also had to practice quick thinking in the face of unpredictable challenges. An incident which left a lasting impression on Sam was having a hike to the group’s next location cut short by an impending thunderstorm, with the group having to find a safe area to camp and find water.

Reflecting on this incident, Sam says “While I was looking for water, I met two ladies who were unloading their car. One of them was kind enough to provide enough water for our group and offered for us to camp on her property. This unexpected act of kindness was truly memorable.”

Infineum actively encourages our colleagues to give back to their local communities through volunteering. For more information about Infineum’s sustainability initiatives, please visit: https://www.infineum.com/sustainability/.