MTV on the island of Tokushima

To start with a cliché,  has it really been just one week?  

Thanks to the amazing people I have met, there have been so many wonderful experiences and these unique insights into life in Japan are exactly why I wanted to spend so long volunteering in this fascinating country.  The landmarks of Hanna Road are slowly becoming more familiar, although I would be lost without Shinri-san, Yani and Natalia to guide me.  The blazing sunshine makes the water we supply even more essential and it is particularly rewarding to see a dusty corner return to life, such as the site of the recent car accident.  Hopefully we won’t see any more of those!

As we go around the city it is impossible to ignore the preparations for the festival and the sense of excitement is infectious.  Right now, I cannot imagine the one million visitors we will be welcoming and I know being involved will be both a privilege and a real highlight of my time here.

We have also been watching the teams practice, setting a very high standard for us to imitate as part of the international group joining the main parade on Sunday.  What an honour!  This also means we will soon be joined by another Workcamp, which will include two friends from the orientation weekend which seems so distant now.  It was sad to bid farewell to the other group, although they truly inspired me with their enthusiasm and dedication to mastering the Japanese language. My own attempts to improve have begun with three lesson at Topia. These classes have definitely stretched me, but my desire to communicate to the wonderful people around me is providing good motivation.

To me, this is also about learning more than just the language.  There is an entire culture to fathom out and I am extremely grateful to my patient guides.  Food is an endless voyage of discovery, not just because of all the new things I am trying, but I have quickly realised that our regular breakfast stop is the social hub of our little corner of Tokushima and I love meeting familiar faces there most mornings.

My taste buds have been left in no doubt about the quality of Japanese produce as our talented cooks create masterpieces that are breathtaking in both presentation and simplicity.  I think I will be on a constant mission in the UK to try and recreate my favourites.  Cooking itself is also great fun for me, whether it is watching experts at work, or frantically learning etiquette from the locals around me.  I just hope I don’t offend any of them with my frequent errors!


So, it is soon to be all hands to the deck for the festival ... and we can’t wait for the fun and games to begin.

Follow the rest of the adventures of Keira, our MTV volunteer in Japan, through her blog:
http://bizandaigaku.jugem.jp/?cid=10 

Our EVS volunteer at Sussex Central YMCA

EVS at SUSSEX YMCA in Hove with Concordia

From June to December 2013 Concordia had the pleasure to host Karim, a volunteer from our partner organisation Concordia France, who came to support the activities of the Sussex Central YMCA http://www.sussexcentralymca.org.uk   based in Hove through the EVS programme, funded by the Youth in Action programme (now Erasmus + programme).

 http://www.concordiavolunteers.org.uk/overseas-volunteering/european-voluntary-service/

 

Karim came from Bordeaux and this was his first international volunteer experience and first time away from his home town for an extended period of time

As an EVS volunteer, he worked along side qualified Sussex Central YMCA’s staff members to support the young people’s sport programmes and help to deliver sports training and activities.

He took part in many activities such as coaching sports such as football, basketball and tennis to the local young people and using these types of activities to promote an active lifestyle to young people as well as teaching team work, leadership, planning and preparation skills, motivation and building self-esteem. 

The Sussex Central YMCA offers many other activities and runs summer schemes for young people as well as engaging with older people and people with disabilities. Karim engaged in all the activities and used these to promote a healthy lifestyle and education through sports and outdoor activities.

Whilst here Karim learnt a lot of new skills such as first aid, child care, sport coaching as well as massively improving his English both spoken and written. He met lots of new friends and participated in activities outside the project, such as joining a local theatre group, couch surfing groups and supporting local people learning French. After going back home he stayed in touch with his new friends and even came back to visit during summer 2014.

Karim gave a great contribution towards this goals by working with youth, adults and elderly from all walks of life in west Hove and Brighton, enjoying particularly the Holiday Programme organised by Sussex YMCA during the summer for youth with several degree of disabilities.

He also learnt skills that he wasn’t expecting to learn…such as repairing bikes!

The EVS programme also provided him the opportunity to attend English classes so that he could study and practice and take fully advantage of his experience in the UK, learning more about British culture through learning its language.

Karim said, at the end of his project: “The project was really interesting, varied and I learnt a lot from it. It was a very interesting and reach project”.

EVS is a great tool for young people to volunteer for 6-12 months in any country in Europe and provides the opportunity to learn about other cultures, become an active European citizen, tackle stereotypes, prejudices, xenophobia, inequality and racism, as well as encouraging respect for the environment and the inclusion of all people in the life of the community, no matter what the social economical background is.

 

So, if you are interested in volunteering for 6-12 months, live independently in a European country and volunteer for a local community or organisation, learning at the same time a new language and deepening the understanding of a new culture as Karim did …well, there is only one thing to do: join EVS!! http://www.concordiavolunteers.org.uk/overseas-volunteering/european-voluntary-service/