My name is Kathryn Taylor Saunders, and during the London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games I was a volunteer Gamesmaker.
My role was in the Event Services Team, the largest group of
volunteers. I was assigned to the Greenwich Park venue where Equestrian, Modern
Pentathlon and Paralympic Equestrian competition took place. As Greenwich Park
doesn’t usually host sporting events the arena plus all of the concessions
stands had to be specially constructed. The views from the top of the stands across London were
spectacular, on a clear day the Olympic Stadium in Stratford could be seen.
My duties ranged from scanning tickets to directing
spectators to re-uniting lost children and parents. I found working in the
accessible viewing areas and with visitors with mobility difficulties
particularly rewarding. Pushing wheelchairs and helping spectators to their
seats all day was very physically tiring – a complete contrast to sitting down
in the office in Dunton all day!
The best part of being a Gamesmaker for me was the reaction
from the media and the public as it was so overwhelmingly positive.
I was often asked to describe what being a London 2012
volunteer was like, I think it is best summed up as exhausting and
exhilarating.
I was thrilled and honoured to be selected to take part in
the three medal ceremonies on the very last day of competition at Greenwich
Park. This was a fantastic way to end an amazing experience, one which I will
cherish for a lifetime.
It is just over a month now since I started what I have
dubbed my “Ankara Adventure”. Plenty of people have said it before and there
will be many more who will continue to say it after me, but its true that EVS is
a fantastic opportunity to get out there and not only help where you can, but
also to experience some truly incredible things. I highly recommend it to anyone
that has even a slight inkling to participate in something like this.
Turkey is a completely different world to that of the UK, the
culture, the religion, the language and food; nothing is the same. For the first
month the weather has been really good but I am told that will change in the
coming weeks. My project here is with a youth centre in Ankara called Guckobir,
there I am volunteering and participating in activities with under privileged
children. The project coordinator over here is a man named Murat and even though
we have troubles communicating because of the language barrier his passion for
his job and his desire to help these kids transcends this barrier. You truly get
inspired, and even though working with kids isn’t something I particularly
wanted to do I am now committed to doing all I can for both the kids at the
centre and for Murat. I am deeply thankful and indebted to Murat for allowing me
to come over here.
There are many things I want to talk to him about, to
discuss, to hear his opinions on but as I mentioned earlier the language barrier
is an issue. I feel like Kevin Costner in the film Dances With Wolves where he
has just met the Native Americans and wants to talk with them but cannot yet
communicate. It is rather frustrating.
Due to this communication issue the volunteers here are
enrolled onto a Turkish Language course. We have lessons three times a week,
four hours a day and are expected to do our own work at home and practice as
often as possible. Murat believes that by the end of the second month of the
language course we should have a decent grasp of the language and will be able
to participate in activities at the youth centre more often. I have a great
desire to be at that level of understanding as soon as possible.
As a month has passed I am already a sixth of the way through
my placement and the enjoyment I am getting from it really is making the time
fly. My residence permit is being sorted in the next few days, Turkish lessons
are now at the end of their 2nd week, I go to Istanbul for 4 days on
Monday and more volunteers are expected to arrive in early October.
Already I have met some fabulous people, and not to be cliché
but everyone has been extremely helpful and hospitable. I feel I have been
incredibly lucky with the group of people I have become friends with, outside of
the volunteers and the Turkish lessons are some locals who I know I will remain
friends with for years to come. Some fantastic experiences have been had already
and I know the future will hold even more.
Wherever you are in the world you have to make the most of
the opportunities and I truly intend to get everything I can out of these 6
months, well 5 months now. The time is going to pass too fast and I know as much
as I miss my friends at home and as often as I think about being back there with
them, when the time comes, I will not want to leave Turkey. If you take up an
EVS project I can almost guarantee you will feel the same.
Thanks to EVS, Concordia, Guckobir and everyone else involved
I am living in Turkey for 6 months having to pay very little to be able to do
this. Thanks to EVS et al I am able to make a difference to some of the under
privileged kids in Ankara. I am able to discuss the current conflicts in the
Middle East with people who have come from there, with people who still have
family there, Afghans and Syrians. I am able to witness the celebrations of a
country that fought for its independence less than 100 years ago. I am able to
learn a new language, to meet new people, to gain new experiences and to grow as
a person.
A Swiss woman spoke to me on the bus today; she has been
living in Turkey for 25 years. She said that I need to find myself a Turkish
girl, as Turkish girls are some of the most beautiful, and get her to teach me
how to speak the language. I guess we would fall in love, I would stay here, and
it would be a happily ever after story.
My name is Theresa and I have completed six out of nine
months of my EVS in Lisbon, Portugal. It has been a very varied, funny,
challenging and rewarding experience. I had previously studied in Lisbon and
fell in love with the city – its beautiful hilltop viewpoints, antique trams
through the cobbled streets, and unique nightlife and music – however, I wanted
to experience real Portuguese life by volunteering within the local community.
My project is based at the department for old people at a
borough council (Junta de Freguesia de Carnide), where they organise
educational and social activities for senior citizens. Everyone has been very
friendly and encouraging of my linguistic efforts, so I really feel part of the
community, and as though I have gained about 100 surrogate grandparents! Some
of the activities I’ve been involved in are: a soup festival, helping with
English and IT lessons, a protest against cuts to local government, a trip to
the Algarve, and a “sardinhada” – a huge party with lots of grilled sardines
and traditional music to celebrate the national holidays in June.
As part of these holidays, each district of Lisbon performs
a march, including athemed song and dance, and these are displayed down the
main avenue. The old people and children from Carnide also gave a performance
and I was asked to be the “godmother” of the march (shown in the photograph).
It was so much fun to wear such an elaborate costume and an honour to
participate in something so typically Portuguese. Another highlight of my project
has been the summer camps during July and August, in which we took 100 people
to the beach, swimming pool and different cultural activities every day. I am
frequently amazed at how much energy and silly sense of humour these old people
have, for example the event we did on the last day of the summer camp: a
cross-dressing fashion show on the beach, which everyone took very seriously!
I live in an apartment in the city centre with other
volunteers from Macedonia, Spain, Slovenia and Brazil. The flat is great and we
often have big international dinners, with other EVS volunteers from around
Portugal coming to visit. At times, my EVS project has been quite challenging,
and I have had to adapt to a lot of new situations and way of working. Living
abroad is a fantastic adventure, but I think no one is immune to occasional
homesickness (I was really sad to be away from London during the Olympics!) and
at the beginning it’s exhausting just to cope with everyday tasks.
I feel that I am learning all the time during my project: a
different language, how to engage with elderly people, the structure of local
government organisations…as well as learning more about my own interests and
capabilities, and becoming more independent and confident in myself. But the most
important thing I have learned so far is that when you get old, the fun doesn’t
have to stop!
"Working with the children was the
highlight of the whole project.
It was just amazing to be a part of their lives
for the duration of the year."
After university I was unsure of what
I wanted to do, but I knew I was not ready to start full-time employment. I was
hungry for more new experiences and eager to do something that felt worthwhile.
Through my flatmate I was introduced to the possibility of participating in a
European Voluntary Service project, something I had never heard of before. I
applied to the programme and to my joy, was accepted. I couldn’t have been
happier with the project that came my way. I was more than excited to be a part
of Decko Rychnov. So, after finalising everything, I finally hopped on a plane
and landed in the Czech
Republic. It was to be an
experience I would never forget and one that I would learn a lot from.
The first few weeks were all
introductory and plenty of advice, support and training was given during this
time. A smooth transition was made into the Rychnov community. Having the
opportunity to live with a Czech family was also something I did not expect. It
was the most incredible experience being in daily contact with such a wonderful
family and I felt that it was such an important one. It allowed us to adjust
and integrate more easily into the community and get a more impressionable feeling
for the real Czech
Republic.
The language lessons that were
provided were also fantastic. They were such a great help and really encouraged
communication and understanding. Plus it’s always good being able to
communicate with locals and show your interest in their country. It’s a fun
thing to try to learn a new language and I would say everyone was very
successful in picking up at least some basics. The classes themselves were very
interactive, great fun and beginner-friendly. The teacher is extremely patient
and really helps you to excel if you put in the effort. I found having
knowledge of the language made a real difference to the experience and gave
more purpose to the nature and goal of the project.
The project itself within Decko was a
wonderful one. It is a unique situation being given the opportunity to interact
and work with people from all different backgrounds, of a different culture, of
different ages and in a completely different country. Working with the children
who attend Decko activities and clubs was superb. There was so much fun to be
had, as well as there being many possibilities to gain new skills and learn
something new. The environment also provided many ways to make new friends and
enabled everyone to create friendships, which was a large part of the project.
Working with the children was the
highlight of the whole project. It was just amazing to be a part of their lives
for the duration of the year. Teaching at a number of local schools, throughout
the Kralovehradecky kraj, was another highlight. Visiting those lessons,
presenting about ourselves in Czech and then hosting English and occasionally
German lessons, was a once in a lifetime experience. Something like that does
not happen everyday. It was incredible the passion the Decko Director had for
the project and it was great of him to implement such a project as this. It
allowed both volunteers to test themselves in a completely new environment and
allowed them to stretch their comfort zone while also introducing them to new and
valuable situations and giving them the strength to speak in front of others
and also work with them. This experience is invaluable to me and has been an
influencing factor in directing my future.
The clubs that Decko offers really
enabled the volunteers to expand their skills and increase their knowledge of
certain subjects. Being involved in nearly all aspects of the organisation was
exciting. Helping out at public events, dressing up and representing the
organisation was also a great experience.
There were definitely times during
the project where I did not find Decko a pleasant place to work. This was due
to poor communication and a lack in comradeship. It was something I did not
expect in such an environment, however, this did not affect my overall opinion
of the project and the benefits of it.
I feel that the organisation itself
is fabulous with providing a wide variety of activities for children, teenagers
and adults alike. It is a unique place being made available to the Rychnov
community and hosts a huge number of local events. I can say that it was great
to be a part of such an organisation and I highly appreciate everything I
learned from the experience. Like I said, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity
and I will never forget it. I hope that the community and the project saw the
same results from us and appreciated having us. Everything gained and learned
will be treasured and carried on into our future lives. Thank you!
The three months I spent volunteering a Villa Buri can be
summed up in one sentence: Always expect the unexpected. I arrived in Verona
having very little idea of what I would be doing, and very few expectations. My
first impression of the villa and the park was that it was a beautiful, calm
place. The villa is nestled in a bend of
the River Adige, a few miles from the
centre of Verona, surrounded by a large park. I joined two other
international volunteers and worked with the local Italian team to look after
the park.
The international volunteers were three girls, but when I
arrived the first surprise was that only one of the other girls had turned up:
Agnes from Sweden. We lived in a small house by the main gate of the villa.
Part of our job was to open and close the villa gates. The second surprise when
we started work the next morning was that although the working language of the
project was nominally English, everyone spoke in Italian. So my Italian
improved faster than I would have believed possible. It is amazing what you can
learn when you really need to!
The first job Agnes and I were given was to feed the
kittens. It turned out that Villa Buri was home to many stray cats and these
kittens had been abandoned in the park. I spent the rest of my stay putting out
multiple bowls of cat food every day.
One of our other regular tasks was to empty the rubbish bins
in the park, and sort out the things that could be recycled, i.e. metal,
plastic, cardboard and glass. This was an occasionally unpleasant job, but it
was also oddly fascinating. We were very confused by the people who left at
least ten kilos of grapes in the bins over the course of about three weeks. We
also planted an awful lot of miniature winter vegetables in the Orto.
In September we spent a lot of time pruning trees,
collecting seeds and creating new flower beds. I discovered that hawthorn was
vicious, but not as vicious as the mosquitoes. Agnes counted the bites on her
leg one day, and found she had over 60. When we discovered some fly swats in
the back of a cupboard and could go mosquito hunting you have never seen two
happier people! One of the other highlights was the local Gelateria – we went
at least three times a week.
The next surprise came not in the form of
stray animals, but stray people. Five Ethiopian girls came to stay at Villa
Buri. They were refugees from Libya, having moved there to escape famine in
their
native land and then fled Libya when the war started there.
We invited the girls to come and work with us hoping it would help them to
improve their non-existent Italian. Communication was interesting, as only one
of them spoke a little English and none of them really spoke any Italian. Most
of what need to be said could be communicated by a combination of demonstration
and mime. This occasionally made you look pretty silly, but was surprisingly
effective. The girls were always willing to get stuck into any task and were
great fun, always ready with a smile.
In October the weather changed from the warm sunshine we had
been enjoying to become cooler and foggier. We spent more time weeding the Orto
Botanico, the Villa's large herb garden. The vegetable garden also had to be
tidied up for the winter and the remaining fruit and vegetables harvested. This
was also the season for the kiwi and kaki (persimmons) of which we had
hundreds. We even took a wheelbarrow round the streets to try selling them to
the neighbours!
By November the weather took on a wintry edge. With the cold
weather, the third international volunteer finally arrived, Katharina from
Germany. The weather also meant we spent more time indoors, doing jobs like
sewing curtains and painting furniture in an effort to make our little house
even cosier for the next volunteers. We also went to help harvest the olives at
Don Calabria, a community for men with mental health issues.
At the beginning of December it was time to leave Villa Buri. It was an unforgettable
experience. The language barrier was often challenging, as was adjusting to a
much slower pace of life. But I learnt many new skills: how to grow and care
for many kinds of herbs and vegetables, how to cook proper Italian food and
that you can have an entire conversation with a few words. I will miss having
the peace and beauty of the park right on the doorstep, and the warmth of the
people I met there. And remember: Always expect the unexpected!
After
spending about 2 weeks visiting major cities in Japan, I left the main island
of Honshu for Hokkaido. Destination? Onuma Quasi-National Park (大沼国定公園, Onuma Kokutei Kouen), at the
southernmost tip of the island, near Hakodate city (函館). The aim of the workcamp? 1 ½ weeks of mostly environmental work.
Along with six other volunteers (two of them Japanese and the rest
international), we built rafts to depollute water and cut some plants for
forestry work. I did not know much about environmental work before this
workcamp. Eighteen rafts and some tree-cutting later, here is what I learned:
1.Building rafts:
It may seem strange just hearing about it, but our main work was to build rafts
to depollute lake water. Explanation: Onuma Park has three lakes. Two of them,
Lake Onuma and Lake Konuma (大沼 and 小沼) are quite polluted. Visibility of
the water is low, some species have become extinct; there is little underwater
life in general. At first, people thought this was due to man-made pollution.
However, they soon realized that it was caused by intensive agriculture and
animal grazing instead. Worrying about the long-term consequences of this
process, a university professor decided to design a project to protect the
lakes.
·Why are the lakes important locally? They are vital to agriculture, as they provide
water for irrigation. They mean a lot to the people because the national park
is quite a beautiful area and home to many species of plants and animals.
Tourism is also one of the main activities that people live off of.
·Why was it important to set up this project? Other than the local degradation
aspect, this pollution problem has a wider impact. The lake water goes into the
sea. Not interfering at the root of the problem would mean spreading the
pollution to other places. On the other hand, solving the pollution problem
early causes less trouble to other people. The rafts thus represent a sustainable
means to prevent further pollution.
·How do the rafts
help to depollute?The rafts improve the visibility of the water
so that underwater life can redevelop. Their main function is to trap algae
floating on the surface of the water into a net. By bringing in more light,
there is more underwater oxygen production, and the water becomes a more
habitable space. Roots and dirt are also placed on top of the rafts, so that
new plants can grow and wildlife is once again attracted to the lake.(Esthetically, I thought it had a third
advantage of making the rafts become virtually invisible. Ducks seemed to like
them as well, as they made their nests on the rafts.)
·Do they work?From what is known, they do seem to have a
positive impact on the lakes. According to a series of recent surveys, Onuma
Lake has been gaining on average 20 cm per year in visibility (80 cm visibility
in 2007, 120 cm in 2009.)
Building rafts
2.Cutting plants:
For two days, we participated in another activity, aimed at protecting the
forest (rather than the lakes) of the park. We worked with the forest rangers
of Onuma to clear paths in one area of the park. Like 40 other percent of
forests in Japan, the forest in Onuma Park is man-made, rather than natural.
The forest rangers are responsible for its conservation, and aim to restore it
to a natural forest state over a period of about 100 years. Clearing the paths
helps them patrol the forest. Our work meant simply cutting unwanted plants,
but it also had the effect of protecting special species from parasite plants.
(Potential damage can come from animals or other plants, if those use all the
nutrients in the soil or monopolize all of the available sunlight).This work was therefore more straightforward
than the raft-making, but it was also more physically demanding: we worked our
way by going slowly uphill and the forest was very humid.
Other activities: Towards the end of the workcamp, we took part in a third activity,
with a cultural focus. We had the chance of helping at an o-matsuri (お祭り), a Japanese festival.It was a sort of o-Bon (お盆) matsuri, a festival held to remember and celebrate the dead. Families
write the names of their dead on lanterns and put them on the lake to float.
The spirits of the dead are supposed to be attracted to these lights and follow
them. In Japan, this festival is generally held in early July or early August;
however, because of tourism issues in Onuma, the local government decided to
have it at a different time.It was
touching to see it take place, especially because of the earthquake and tsunami
which happened in March.
As a group,
we wanted to make the most of the festival, therefore we unanimously decided to
attend it while wearing yukata (浴衣). Yukatas are
a sort of summer kimono that people (both men and women) wear for the
festivals. (They can also be worn on a daily basis, generally by the elderly,
and the less fancy ones can be used to sleep in). We wore them for the lantern ceremony,
to enjoy the o-matsuri and to watch hanabi (花火, literally ‘flowery fire’), the fireworks.
The
o-matsuri and wearing the yukata were the cultural highlight to this workcamp.
However, they were not the only cultural experience we had; we were able to
experience a lot more. We slept on futons (布団), in the traditional style, ate on a traditional low table (without
chairs), and tried some local specialties. While touring the village upon our
arrival, we had free o-dango (お団子), a typical
Japanese sweet. We also tried local ice cream and cheese, as milk is also
renowned in the area. 抹茶ソフトクレムはおいしいです !
(Matcha sofuto kuremuwa oishi desu!,Matcha –Japanese traditional green tea- ice
cream is delicious!) Last but not least, we tastedジンギスカン (Jingisu
Kan), a kind of dish with a special meat named after… the warrior! (I think
it was named as such in an attempt to mock him.)
Conclusion: This workcamp was a very intense 10 days where
we were able to experience many things. The aim of the workcamp was
well-explained to us. We could understand the type of work we were doing and
why we were doing it. We were also treated very kindly by the people we worked
with and there was an excellent atmosphere within our group. This made the
activities interesting and enjoyable. I did have some doubts about the
effectiveness of our work at some point, but I do feel like it was important in
the end, and that I have gained a lot from this workcamp. It will remain an
amazing memory. 皆、ありがとうございました ! (Minna, arigatou gozaimashita; thank you so much everyone!)
“If you think
you are too small to make a change, then you’ve never slept in a closed room
with a mosquito”.African
Proverb
I’ve
been asked by Concordia UK
to write about my experience as a volunteer of the ROBBS Bursary Programme. I
am a member of Subir al Sur, an Argentine organisation that works in the
strengthening of youth groups in different parts in Argentina, by promoting local and
international volunteering. It is hard to use words to describe the whole
month, but to sum it up I can definitely say: AMAZING! I warn you, reader, this
article will be EXTREMELY boring for those who like to read about terrible news
or poor and sad experiences, for it will be loaded of POSITIVE adjectives in
such an amount that you will start doubting whether everything happened for
real or it was just a very pretty dream. Well, let me tell you, and I have
witnesses, that this month was enough time to make a change, at least in myself,
and this is real, for sure.
My
first experience was at MoulsecoombPrimary School and MoulsecoombForestGarden and Wildlife
Project. We were eight volunteers and a camp leader participating in a 15-day
workcamp, sleeping in the School’s gym, joining the children’s classrooms and
working in the CommunityGarden. Well, Moulsecoomb
is supposed to be a “deprived area” inside Brighton and Hove,
and I could tell that there are many problems such as violence, drug abuse,
alcoholism, etc, underneath the beauty of the streets and the important
Universities. Nevertheless, I don’t know if it’s because of my extreme optimism
or the fact that I come from a country where “deprived areas” are areas where
there are not even basic public services, but Moulsecoomb for me is a diamond
in the rough. I have to say that the Primary School’s way of teaching, their
willingness to transmit to the children the importance of communication, the
expression of their opinions and feelings, the relevance of working with and
for the community, and actually doing it, teaching it by giving the example,
was inspiring to see. Everyone I met working at the Primary School and the CommunityGarden is committed to the community and
is working to make the best out of Moulsecoomb, mainly for the children that
live there. All the School and Community Garden’s Staff members and volunteers
are so involved with their community and so confident of the fact that the only
way of dealing with harsh environments is working together towards a different
and better future, which results in stimulating and exciting everyone that
joins the project.
During
my second weekend in UK,
Concordia invited me to the North-South Training that is held every year for
volunteers that will participate in projects on the South part of the world,
and for people interested in joining some of these projects eventually. It was
an intense weekend where I got to meet many people with different backgrounds
but two things in common: they were all from the UK, and all had been wondering
about the idea of “change” in a particular way: by volunteering somewhere far
from their home country. “Change”, I mean, in a wide and subjective form and
definition; “change” conceived in a different way for every different
individual. In this sense, it may mean an internal change, a social or a political
change, etc. It was important to get to know what their fears and expectations
are before leaving to their projects, so as to work on them before they arrive
to Argentina.
The training is very successful in raising questions that everyone should ask
themselves before joining a North-South project: What does being a volunteer
mean?, How am I going to deal with cultural differences? If any conflict
arises, how am I going to cope with it? How do I think I will be feeling
outside my comfort zone? Am I willing to learn from other cultures? These
questions help the volunteer reflect upon important matters and situations that
may happen during a project. The awareness that naturally comes with the
questions help the volunteer be more prepared for the trip.
The
ROBBS Programme is not only a volunteering programme, but has another important
objective that is getting to know other organisations in the UK that promote
international volunteering, in the way Concordia and Subir al Sur promote it, as
an intercultural experience. That is why Concordia sent me to London
to meet Nigel from VAP UK,
and to Cardiff,
to meet the members of UNA Exchange. This experience was enriching in many
ways, but mainly in an institutional level. I got to interview members of
organisations that work in a similar way as we do in Argentina, and was able to exchange
experiences and information, for both of us to improve.
Regina volunteering in Wales
In
Wales,
I was invited to take part of a weekend project in the valley, in a place
called Abercynon. This project was very different from what I had experienced
before, due to the fact that we were only two volunteers and one coordinator,
working in a CommunityGarden, together with its
manager and his helpers. It was a hard-working weekend, where I learnt to make
a fence, cleared weed from an area full of growing trees, dug a pipe trench and
carried 20 wheel barrels loaded with soil to cover the trench to protect the
pipe. But as tiring as it sounds the satisfaction of doing it and actually seeing
the results of such hard work was more than enough to compensate the effort. It
was a beautiful project and I enjoyed it so much!
There
are many, many things unsaid in this short article but I thought that the best
way of describing my experience was by telling a bit about the different
projects and people I met thanks to the Programme. I want to make a special
mention to Concordia’s Team for the support they gave me from the very
beginning and their constant motivation. I will be forever grateful!
If
someone is lucky enough to join this programme, I would suggest they seize
every day, knowing that every minute is important to enjoy and learn from the
inspiring people they will meet during the trip and to let the beauty of the
places penetrate them. Everything happens so fast! And you never know how far
the impact of your presence in the projects goes and how deep your footprint on
someone’s heart steps. It is definitely worthwhile making the best out of the
experience, because if you think you are too small to make a difference, then
you never slept in a closed room with a mosquito.
My
name is Bety, I come from Czech Republic and since March this year I have been
volunteering for Concordia helping in the office to send volunteers on
international projects overseas and as one of the reasons to come to Brighton
was to coordinate an international residential project, which Concordia
generously offered to me, I decided to go for a training for the leaders of
youth projects organised in Bojnice in Slovakia. I got an invitation just a
couple of days before the project started, but I decided to go for it without
any hesitation, because I knew I have still lot of to learn and I wasn´t confident
enough about leading a group of international volunteers. Another reason to
take part emerged itself from the description of the project: 70% of all
transport expanses will be refunded after the end of the training. Well,
interesting, even these possibilities exist within the wide european net of
youth projects and training opportunities and everybody can go for that. The
only limit is age, but since I´m under 30 I can participace in any of projects
funded by european organisation Youth in Action. But the real catching point in
terms of inovation was the fact that there was going to be a bunch of 20
participants from differnet countries, and all were going to be trained by
experienced trainers, which sounded amazing and all together with the location
in Slovakia (my dearest brotherland) I basically couldn´t say no. I bought my
flight tickets three days before the project started, that may sound rushed,
which scared me a little bit, but all these feelings were absolutely pointless,
because one week later I was leaving the project with the notice of complete,
deep and cheerfull satisfaction with an expression „I can do it“ on my face.
Having fun during one of our many team building games. Can you spot me?
Situated
in a beautiful village of Bojnice, which gave us many daily and night
opportunities for free time activities, the training was full of enthusiastic
and open minded participants and especially with great professional trainers
from Estonia, Slovakia, Cyprus and Czech Republic it was one of my best holidays
ever. Our main goal was to write an international guidebook for future leaders
of youth projects, which was supposed to teach us by the very elaborated method
learning by doing how to lead a group of young people. During different
sessions such as intercultural learning, conflict resolution, evaluation
methods or project managment the trainers teached us how to handle with
different (problem) situations, which can occur at a group of young people, how
we should behave and act to satisfy the needs of each participant and whether
it is possible at all. What I really loved about the project was that besides
so much handy information we got something more and it was our self
development. This was very insightful and I think all the participants noticed
that and it brought all the group together. All the programme was just very
well organised, the trainers as flexible as they could be and they gave us the
best example. All I can say for the end is that i would strongly recommend this
kind of training not only to future leaders but also for those, who would like
to learn or reveal some new facts about themselves as personalities.So if you see such a project is going to take
place, don’t hesitate and go for it, because it will rock and I’m sure you will
love it!
Roy (our EVS volunteer) reports on his 10 months abroad teaching fun and inspiring English classes at a Montessori school in Germany. Looks like great fun, we love the illustrations.
A year in English: speaking, playing, cultural
exchange and having fun.
This year I've
learned a lot from my place in the European Voluntary Service here at the
Montessori school in Würzburg. I've tried to share my enthusiasm for
discovering new things in life. I've worked everywhere in the school, from
swimming and ice skating with the afterschool club, to debates on issues such
as justice and climate change disciples with the FOS (college). I would like to
thank the teachers with whom I had the opportunity to work closely together in
the classroom, thanks for being patient with me when I was new and could not
speak two words of the German language!
Our
first English project: "Casper the Friendly Ghost"
Together with the
4-6 class we watched that old ghost film in English and talked about all the
animals Casper scared away. Afterwards,
everyone took a picture from the movie and everyone wrote a caption describing
the image. Finally, we recorded our own version of this spooky but happy story.
Our
second English Project: The Mystery of the Icelandic Iceland
Once upon a time
there was a precious treasure in a small museum on the island of Iceland.
Unfortunately the
next morning the treasure was missing! Who stole it?
In small groups we
answered this question and finished the story. With a lot of creative thinking
we have decided what the treasurer was, who had stolen it, and if they manged
to escape at the end. One example was that it was an old fossilized alien who
was rescued by Lula, the lighthouse keeper.
Here are pictures of
two other figures from the story. We used these images as inspiration to
describe the drawings in the stories.
English
learning center
In the English base
I've worked with all students from the 4th to 10th class. With the 10th we've
talked about their "Topic-based talks," and I learned a lot about
dancing, graffiti, movies, skateboarding, gymnastics, and India. And with the
9th class we read a very interesting and
motivating story about Nelson Mandela.
Furthermore,
with the 4-6th classes we have learned all about the face and many adjectives
to describe it. We then drew a few faces and played a game where they had to
guess the face that was being described. Here are two examples of our faces
We have also written
a small English autobiography. I prepared a few topics and then each pupil took
a piece of paper, folded it and turned it into a small book.
We have written, all
in English, something about where we come from and where we live, our hobbies
and interests, and our inspiration and our dreams.
"...I have grown in confidence and it has been a brilliant experience..."
My name is Amy, I am 23 and currently on EVS in Sweden. I live in Stockholm and work for a youth exchange organisation called Youth for Understanding (YFU). I have been here for 7 months now and it has been a fantastic experience thus far. I am part of a project called `World Coloured Glasses´. Along with three other EVS volunteers from Germany, Turkey and Mexico our job is to travel around Sweden, visiting schools and holding workshops with Swedish students. We inform them about the opportunities to study abroad with YFU and discuss topics such as stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination, to enhance intercultural understanding and celebrate diversity.
In effect, we are like substitute teachers for an hour and a half, and have the freedom from YFU to devise a workshop that we feel is interesting and insightful for the students, whilst at the same time bringing a little bit of our cultures into the classroom. In the beginning, the prospect of having to present and talk to a classroom full of Swedish students was a little daunting, but that was part of the challenge of taking on this particular project. With every workshop I have grown in confidence and it has been a brilliant experience to meet with so many young, motivated and interesting students, whilst gaining lots of practical experience and personal development in such a short period of time.
I would highly recommend readers to participate in EVS. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to live in the beautiful city of Stockholm, make friends with people from all over the world, and help the organisation to spread an important message of what the European Voluntary Service stands for; mutual understanding, peace and solidarity.
Last year Concordia and
many of our overseas partners took part in The Flag Tour 2011.
The Idea….
was for a flag to travel around the world visiting many international
volunteering projects. For9
months, from March to November
2011, three flags travelled all around the world visiting 60 projects and events of 33 voluntary organisations involving more
than 1600
volunteers. Concordia finished with
the flag in November for our big General Assembly that we hosted in Southampton (the flag is now hung up in our office). The
flag raised awareness of volunteering, The Alliance, promoted international
volunteer projects and ran alongside the European and International Year of the
volunteer 2011.
Concordia
was very much involved in the whole process, from the design of the flag, to
co-ordinating the flag around the world and making sure it didn’t get too lost
(it did disappear a few times and got stuck in customs) but this was all very
much part of its journey!!
Finally we managed to
put all the pictures and comments into a small film.
Enjoy!
"Before I came here I heard about England; there are red phone boxes at every corner , double deckers are all around, nobody go outside without an umbrella , people drink tea at 17.00"
I am 29 years old and from Turkey. I have been in Brighton in England for over 7 months.There is a cliche among EVS volunteers which is ''Time flies when you are doing EVS.'' First I have to tell you this cliche is very true , yeah it really flies!
Here I work for YMCA which is a charity organisation for community and young people. Mostly I join the sport sessions to support youth workers, recently I satrted to run my own sessions as well. The variety of social activities is really wide here.So I gain many experiences in different areas. Actually this is the biggest important thing about EVS, you cannot even imagine how many new different experiences you could have and how much they teach you during your EVS. As an example , I was an extravagant person before and I never managed to organise spending my money wisely. But here, I have learnt how to use my money effectively. So even the factors you might consider as difficulty (like EVS Money is limited) can teach you a lot. I want to mention about my time in England a bit more. We all know there are some stereotypes about cultures , nations and countries. Before I came here I heard about England; there are red phone boxes at every corner , double deckers are all around, nobody go outside without an umbrella , people drink tea at 17.00 and English people are a bit cold and formal... I cannot say telephone boxes, double deckers disappointed me but it made me suprised how friendly and welcoming English people are, the opposite of their grey and cold weather. EVS gives you the opportunity to experience it on your self.
And of course the main purpose of EVS... Yes, working as a volunteer gives you the sense of fulfilment and real satisfaction as you would not expect. Especially I felt in this way when I worked with kids with special needs. It is so easy to approach them, you can even communicate with them by eye contact and it sometimes tells much more than verbal communication. This is an experience which you have to have it on your own to comprehend what it really means.
I can tell you even more about my own EVS experience and elaborate it, but it would be boring. I hope you will enjoy your own EVS experience.
My name is Kathryn Taylor Saunders, and during the London 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games I was a volunteer Gamesmaker.
The best part of being a Gamesmaker for me was the reaction
from the media and the public as it was so overwhelmingly positive.
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