My Volunteering Journey with FITT
Stepping Into a New World
My name is Waed Sassi Iam from Tunisia, and one year ago I started a journey that has been nothing short of life changing. Joining the Change Makers 2 project with FITT was my first international experience abroad, and stepping into this new chapter felt both exciting and a little scary. I was leaving my comfort zone, my country, and everything familiar—but I was also stepping into a world full of learning, growth, and possibilities I never imagined for myself.
Those first weeks in Timișoara were all about discovery. Our initial month was focused on training: marketing and media workshops, human rights sessions, guidance on facilitating activities, Romanian classes, and learning about the culture and the country. Every day I felt myself changing, understanding more, learning more, and slowly finding my place. Being surrounded by volunteers from different backgrounds made me realize that this project was not just about volunteering; it was about becoming part of a community that believes in inclusion, solidarity, and creating real impact.
Finding My Place Through Facilitation
As the training continued, I finally began to understand my role: facilitating activities in rural areas. At first, I was afraid— “How will I manage? How do I guide a group? How do I run activities for the first time in my life?”. But the moment I started facilitating, something clicked inside me. I felt like “Here I am. This is my place.” I helped young people learn more about architecture, design, sustainability, and creativity. With every activity, I became more confident, and little by little, I started getting used to this new world that was shaping me into a stronger, more skilled version of myself.
YOUTH SUMMER FEST 4 — A NEW ADVENTURE
In August, a new chapter of my journey began with the fourth edition of Youth Summer Fest, and it quickly became one of the most unforgettable experiences of my project. I stepped into a new role as a co-team leader, supporting and guiding the new volunteers as they prepared and facilitated activities. It was a big responsibility, but also an opportunity to grow. Working side by side with fresh volunteers from different backgrounds showed me how much I had already learned in just a few months. Helping them, supporting them, and watching their confidence grow gave me strength too. Youth Summer Fest was more than just an event. It was a moment that built my own self-confidence and allowed me to connect with people from so many cultures, stories, and experiences.
CREATING IMPACT IN CENAD — SUSTAINABILITY & MY FIRST EXHIBITION
After Youth Summer Fest, my journey took another meaningful turn when I started organizing activities related to sustainable development for the youth in Cenad. These sessions were special because they were preparing the community for something they hadn’t had in a long time: a real exhibition. We worked together on creativity, design, environmental awareness, and expressing ideas through art.
Seeing the young participants create their artworks, watching their excitement grow, and feeling the community supporting them was something truly unforgettable. When the exhibition finally took place, I felt incredibly proud—proud of them, proud of the work we did together, and proud to see the entire community celebrating this moment. It was one of the best and most emotional moments of my volunteering journey, a reminder that even small actions can bring joy, connection, and change to a place.
If you’ve ever thought about volunteering, I truly encourage you to take that step. This journey pushed me out of my comfort zone, helped me grow in ways I never expected, and allowed me to contribute to something meaningful. Volunteering challenges you, transforms you, and opens your heart to new people, new cultures, and new perspectives. It teaches you how powerful small actions can be, and how much impact you can create just by being present. I’m grateful for every moment of this experience, and I hope my story inspires you to begin your own. Together, we can shape communities and build a better world.
Waed Sassi,
