In summer ’19 I got involved in a great adventure. I was among a hundred volunteers from different parts around the world who came to Timisoara with only one purpose. We built 5 youth centres in 5 neighbourhoods of the city, in order to help the local community of young people. To be honest, I was not very familiar with volunteering programmes in Europe and just by a lucky sequence of events, I discovered for myself a new world. We worked hard that summer and left with the feeling of fulfilment, satisfaction and hope that these spaces will become centres of culture, creativity and innovation in this small, but beautiful and historically important Romanian city.
The Change
When FITT opened the call, I was really excited to come back and actually be the one to see The Change in the community. I was happy to be accepted and could not wait to start working in my Centrul de Tineret Aradului. I imagined the upcoming year to be full of great concerts, cozy gatherings, and many other kinds of events. I imagined a lot of things, but the reality turned out to be in its own way.
Right after signing the volunteering agreements, the global pandemic took over and put us in lockdown for two months. It was a great time for distant learning and self-development, as well as for planning the activities of the project.
However, it was hard to plan anything because the situation was so unclear and the air was literally filled with fears and anxiety.
Cleaning and renovation
In May, Romania entered the state of alert and we were allowed to finally go out and start working in the youth centre. Complete abandonment of the building resulted in so much dirt, dust, and destruction, that me and my Armenian partner Arus, needed about two months to make the youth centre look decent.
Besides all the cleaning/renovating, me and my working partner were trying to spread awareness of our project, in order to get the acknowledgement and receive help from the locals. We recruited many local volunteers among teenagers and students in the community. We tried to involve them in the organisation of the youth centre as much as possible, but most of them disappeared, due to both the pandemic and their personal reasons. Generally speaking, the local community was not very active and receptive towards the youth centre.
Emilia and Alice
However, two local girls, Emilia and Alice, have really put their hearts into the project. Thanks to them, I feel that my presence in Timisoara had meaning and purpose. These girls initiated two amazing projects (Art Club and Eco Club) on the base of the Aradului youth centre. They brought life into the youth centre and invited their friends. This way we managed to get at least some trust in the neighbourhood. Moreover, these two girls will take care of the youth centre after our projects ends.
It is good to leave something important and close to your heart with a complete assurance that all these efforts will not be abandoned and forgotten.
Even though many kinds of socialization were restricted, me and my working partner managed to get to know many people and get involved in different projects with a number of local NGOs and private companies. We have managed to get the awareness of people in the neighbourhood and had a lot of help from them in organizing the activities. Later, when all events in physical space got forbidden again, they helped us create online projects, which had relatively low participation, but otherwise, went awesome.
Final thoughts
To be honest, I have been thinking a lot about the project and the purpose of it. We spent most of the time at home, actively coming to the youth centre only in summer.
Did we accomplish our mission, which is “to set the tempo” for cultural life in the neighborhoods? Is it possible to do so when human connection is forbidden?
I do not have a clear answer to this question even now. What I know for sure, is that we did make a change. Maybe not in the neighborhoods, but in the people, who were helping us and participating in our activities. When I hear words of gratitude and appreciation (and that did happen quite a few times), my heart is filled with meaning and purpose.
After all, despite all challenges and disappointments, I know that the decision to come here was actually the best possible option. I feel grateful for myself and all people around me for this experience. Now it is time to move on and explore life. However, volunteering will always have its special place in my mind and heart.