Tag: volunteers

I’ve always had the feeling that I should do more for the world. I was always interested in helping other people, but until now, I’ve never had the time to think about it and try to research some ways to get into volunteering. I’ve known about Youth Portal for some years now, other organizations were sending me offers, but it never felt like this is the one I should choose. 

When I applied for YCU2, I knew that my current job contract would end soon, and I would be supposed to look for something new. But just finding a new job was not appealing to me. I was exhausted from the daily routine, the angry managers, and poorly thought targets. I wanted to do something special, to have a new start and, maybe, pursue the call of helping other people. 

One day while browsing the opportunities on the Youth Portal, I found the FITT’s logo. It immediately drew my attention to it. As a side thought, I will add that I have lived in Timisoara for three years previously as a student. I clicked on it and started to read the materials, description, then I got on their website to make sure that the project is active and it’s not like a very old post, and I would just spend my time on meaningless waiting for an answer and keeping the hope of hearing back from them. 

I clicked with the idea they were presenting and how they identified the purpose of the project. Growing up, my community lacked a place that would be a safe space for everyone, a source of information, a source of opportunities, and just somewhere to get away from school and other people. Then I started to imagine how I would be helpful to the project and how I can contribute to the project. Will I be motivated enough to help and bring my contribution to the community? 

I applied, and shortly after we had the interviews, and in a matter of a week, I was ready to get on the road. Then I realized that I would need a visa, and at this point, things started to get harder for my mental health and general wellbeing. Applying for the visa was quite a challenge. They always had some comments about my documents, so I had to go to the consulate 3 times for them to accept my application. After that, every day was a waiting roller-coaster, the worst 39 days. 

Afterward, as I got the visa on my hands, I started to pack, and a day later, I was already on my way to Timisoara. It was pretty nostalgic to see the old things and places that you don’t think you missed until you see them again: the trains, the people, the atmosphere, and just remembering the old memories hidden deep down. As I arrived, I was welcomed by the people I somehow knew from my past, and everyone was extremely welcoming and humble. I felt like I’m back home and not as an alien in a foreign country. 

I look forward to what the future has prepared for me in this project. I believe in the team taking care of the project and the volunteers who have already arrived. I think that together we’ll do great things for the local community.

We are looking for new local volunteers for the second edition of Youth Centres UP.

Youth Centres UP 2 is a long-term project organised by Timis County Youth Foundation (FITT) through the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), in which 10 international volunteers from different countries and local volunteers are involved in setting up 10 new youth centres in the neighbourhoods of Timisoara. Through this project, we promote the participation of young people, as well as social inclusion, human rights, and solidarity. 

The project is a follow-up to its first edition organised by FITT in 2019, which had a real success, resulting in 5 new Youth Centres in the municipality of Timisoara: Calea Aradului, Calea Martirilor, Calea Șagului, Lipovei, Dâmbovița. It was one of the biggest projects organised ever in the county and in Romania: more than 90 international and local volunteers were involved in the renovation of the spaces for the Youth Centres. 

This is an incredible opportunity for the community and the youth of Timisoara and Timis county, an initiative that seeks to make them participate in the development of their neighbourhoods.  

For this year’s edition, they are the volunteers that are already here, ready to break the ground and build the best Youth Centres in your neighbourhood: Burak, Alperen and Fatih from Turkey, Esther and Miriam from Spain, Armando from Albania, Charlie from France and Ion from Moldova. You can meet them all on the 16^th of June, in our  Youth Centre in Sagului.   

As we will start the renovation and preparations to open the new youth centres, we will need more help, especially from the people that live in the area of the youth centres and understand the needs of the local youth, their mates and colleagues. If you are interested in being a part of our amazing team and help us organise the best activities for the local youth and spread the word of the new safe spaces, you can always apply on our website and be a local volunteer. 

And if you are not sure whether this is what you want, come to the Youth House (Str. Arieș 19) to find out more about us. 

This month, the ESC volunteers enjoyed spring at its finest. They took advantage of the great weather and had picnics, were on treasure hunts, city tours, organised and attended various online and offline events. In a word, they weren’t bored at all.  

April started with a great learning opportunity for the volunteers. They had the chance to organise a giveaway for the local youth and see how their audience reacts. Shortly after, another two volunteers, Miriam and Esther, joined the Youth Centres UP 2 project. On this occasion, all the volunteers have visited and examined the Youth Centres in the city.  

Spring revied their motivation, and they were excited to jump into work. Even the less creative tasks seemed easy and fun to do. So they finished the Community Engagement guidelines, created a partnership database for short-term volunteers and sent out offers. They regularly post on Facebook and Instagram fun and exciting things about themselves and their activity in the project. Feel free to follow them! 

As mentioned before, they had experienced spring at its finest, which means they had many outdoor activities. They started the month with a nice friendly picnic, then participated in a treasure hunt in the Youth House to find out more about the building. Then, Ion organised a city rally in which the volunteers and employees discovered Timisoara through a treasure hunt. At the end of April, a cycling event (by Centrul de Tineret Martirilor) near the Bega River to promote outdoor sports in the spring took place. Also, the volunteers took part in a significant project: they distributed flyers and posters in the city to inform local people about the Vaccination Marathon at the end of April.  

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Regarding the current pandemic situations, they also had many online trainings, events and workshops too:  

• Videography photoshoot with Katsia; 
• Online travelling – event organised for the local youth together with the youth workers from FITT, where they presented Turkey and the Turkish culture; 
• On Arrival Training – a week-long training for the volunteers, where they learnt, among others, about the roles in their project, cultural differences, cultural iceberg, non-violent communications, etc.; 
• Public Speaking – an online event that introduced the local youth to the world of confident speaking. 

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The month ended with a tremendous non-formal event between the volunteers. They tasted different national foods of their countries at the International Dinner.  

We’re looking forward to taking all the good vibes of this month and turn them into good energy in the following period!  

As most of the long-term ESC volunteers from the project Set the Tempo are gone, we are glad that they have left behind some fantastic local volunteers who are happy to share their experience of working with them in the youth centre Aradului.

Read the testimonials here:

I really enjoyed being a volunteer at the youth centre. I am so glad I chose to join because I got the chance to meet new amazing people like Katsia, Arus and Emilia, and all the participants in our activities. I am so happy because I could do the things I am interested in and implement some of my ideas, such as the Eco Club. The youth centre brought me a little bit of hope and some happy days during these hard times. 

Alice Oprea

 

It was my best choice. I think choosing to be a volunteer here changed me as a person. How I see things, how I deal with problems and challenges, how I talk to people I just met. Katsia and Arus are the people I want to thank for this experience the most. Without them, nothing would’ve been the same because they were there for all the activities, and they were behind them as well. 

Emilia Mihuț 

Here at Aradului Youth Center, I had a wonderful opportunity to engage in our community. Especially at the art club, where I got to learn and evolve my drawing skills with the help of the amazing volunteers. Even though we started meeting online, it still feels like we are together and sharing each other’s drawings. 

Diana Ghilezan

The art club really helped me draw more often, meet new artists and explore my creativity through drawing themes. Overall, it is a nice experience, and I think more young artists should attend it. 

Anisia Falniță

It was an awesome experience!! I met a lot of cool and friendly people. The vibe was so cosy and inspired me to create!! The space was beautifully decorated, and we had music in the background, which fit perfectly with the atmosphere. I really enjoyed the time spent there!! ✨💞 

Thea Marconi

I had discovered the Youth Center Aradului in the summer of 2020 when I got involved in the project named “CiviCultura” (theatrical workshop), which was an amazing experience, and I think that was the moment when I had met Katsia and Arus, the most friendly and serene people you can ever meet. At first, I didn’t have any idea about the place of the CiviCultura event, it was a cosy place, and I didn’t pay much attention. After few weeks, I understood the concept of having a place for youth in order to develop different skills for =free= or just spend some quality time learning in a social context. Amazing. I started to follow them on Facebook, and from there, I discovered the future events that got my attention: Public Speaking workshop (this was my favourite so far, the girls coordinated the activity so well, I didn’t even feel the distance made by online events, it was so real, it was the activity that I would love to repeat, also big up for Daniel Bocsan, the man who taught us the ‘power of words’ ), Yoga Sessions online (nice activity to maintain the health) and the Art Club (where creativity is blooming). From each activity, I learned something, and I am very thankful for the experiences they have offered me, for the friendship, for the skills. 

Eliza Cheşa

 

My experience with Aradului Youth Center is a very positive and nourishing one. To begin with, Katsia and Arus were very open and curious about my proposed ideas and very dedicated to making them happen once we agreed to start yoga classes. Their commitment and cooperation were admirable. The facilities we used are well looked after and well managed. Not only we managed to create a community where we moved and shared experiences; I feel like I gained life-long friends. Thank you for the opportunity to collaborate with you! 

Oana Rotariu

 

Centrul de Tineret Calea Aradului helped me make new amazing friends, learn many things, and offered me a community where I can exchange my ideas and learn from others. Having the chance to be in a creative and friendly environment really helped me step out of my comfort zone and say yes more often to new experiences. Meeting the volunteers and getting to know them made me more aware of how lucky we are to be living in Romania, as many of us don’t realize this (me being one of them). I found tremendous value in getting to know more about different cultures and seeing that even though we might have different traditions and ideas, we are more alike than we think. I really hope that the youth will take this chance provided in their neighbourhoods and step out of their comfort zone; it will really expand their horizons. 

Ionuț Vișoi 

We are so glad that Alice, Emilia, Diana, Anisia, Thea, Eliza, Oana and Ionuţ felt great and fulfilling to work with the ESC volunteers. If you are interested in taking part in the local community work, feel free to contact us. 

“Learning Patience can be a difficult experience, but once conquered, you will find life easier”  – Katherine Pulsifer

As a person, I was never really involved with Erasmus+ projects — I always had a preference towards projects and conferences that were made by universities and other organizations. 

So, when I was accepted after 4 months of waiting in the project Set the Tempo, I was quite happy to change my pace of daily working. I was so glad to change my demanding and full schedule to a more relaxed one. Volunteering has always helped me feel better and relax as I can see the results of my work almost immediately.  

But sadly, I was wrong. I was happy to see again some people that I already knew. I was eager to meet them and to start working in order to bring forth a positive change. But looking back to this year, the change was minimal.   

Waiting for a great start 

In the first month of the project, we were basically waiting for the other 7 volunteers to arrive so we can start to work. This resulted in the fact that our work was almost nonexistent and we were almost forgotten. The second month of the project brought forth the first quarantine, by which we were forced to stay inside with strangers for 14 days.  

After that, the work started tentatively. It became apparent the difficulty that people that actually care to bring forth a change and help, have to deal with many parasites. Parasites that, as I observed, are sucking the good work that the youth sector could do in the communities. (Often, when I think of those people, I think of leeches. My mind goes back to one of my favorite series of books “A Series of Unfortunate Events”. In the 3rd book, the aunt of the poor orphans is eaten by cannibal leeches.) There are many other work sectors that are getting money from different grants or, in our case, from the European Union. So yes, the people that want to get money doing almost nothing are leeches, in my humble opinion. 

Creating connections 

During the first few months, I had the chance though to cooperate with some really nice people that motivated me. Although I don’t like to use the word “friendship” I started feeling very nice and happy working with them. I also want to point out that I did not have a partner. We should have been working with partners, but mine did not arrive till November. Talking about a project that started in March, this aspect did not look that good for me. My work was more solitary than anything, but in the whole duration of the project, I did not feel like I was a part of a team.   

Work at its finest 

Summer came and we were finally able to go out and start working in the youth centers. Of course, you can understand the state of them after being closed for a year (Spoiler Alert: it was not good). Everything needed to be repainted, the mold needed to be cleaned, the windows needed fixing, the floor as well, nothing was ready and everything was pretty bad. Little by little I started working on that. The help I received from the organization was very limited. Thank God, I had a really nice volunteer helping me with some things. As such the project progressed, and through many hours of work, I managed to have the center ready. I had the first event done before all the other youth centers and I was very proud of it.   

Holiday 

Then I went back home to Greece for holidays. Honestly, the best time I spent on the project was the holiday that I took back home. But then I went back and work continued to be difficult for only one person. From August till October the work continued happening although my motivation was almost nonexistent. At this point, we had many arguments with the organization, and many things suddenly appeared for us to do that we had no knowledge of. The only thing that I was actually enjoying was my work with the volunteers and the neighbourhood that I was working in. I met some very nice people there that really made me happy that I came in the project.   

Losing motivation 

But in the first days of October we were again forbidden to do events in the youth centers. So everything had to be done online and the work became boring and it lost all meaning for me. Of course, at that time everyone was tired of doing online school and online university. I saw from my volunteers firstly, that they did not want to participate in these kinds of events, so I decided to not force anyone. I just did the events with very few people. 

In the first days of November my partner also came, after almost 9 months of waiting. He was a very nice boy and we started to work. And then the second and third quarantine came, where I had to stay in the house for a whole month. With that, my motivation died and went to Hades to the underground world and it is still there, keeping Hades company.  

Honestly, I do not have anything more to say about the last few months of the project, only that I miss working with the people of the community. It was hard to admit that online events do not work and my soul is being sucked out because of them.   

Thoughts for the future 

Right now, I am waiting for the project to finish so I can continue my life like before. Certainly, I gained some friends and a lot of patience. I think I really saw the ugly side of the youth sector and what it contains. Now, after this experience, I am much more certain that whatever I start has to do with community work. I will try to build a good foundation with people that really care about their communities. I am anxious to see the results that this project will have in the continuation of my life. Hopefully, I will collaborate with some of the people that I met. I am really hopeful for these collaborations and for the future.   

Instead of sunny spring weather, cheerfulness and motivation, March brought moodiness and motivation drop to the ESC volunteers. But, as soon as the sunrays appeared, the work resumed. 

But the sun rose as a saviour for them. Even though the local quarantine extended at the end of March, the four volunteers immersed strength from the sun’s rays and began to plan. They researched group activities and community engagement ideas in order to prepare fantastic programs and projects for the local youth. They also had a creative and very effective meeting about how to promote a survey among young people. For increasing the number of completions, they scheduled, together with FITT, a giveaway for the local youth.  

Compared to how hard things were at the beginning of the month, the volunteers got into the end-of-month project with momentum. We hope this enthusiasm will follow them in April too. 

365 or maybe a few more days passed by, but I feel it was just instant when I’ve just arrived and now it’s time to say goodbye.  

Say goodbye to the city that completed the warm environment for a year for me, goodbye to the organization that supported us till the end, goodbye to the youth centre that in a short time became a place for expressing and understanding ourselves, goodbye to stores, malls, streets, goodbye to the culture that gave us lots of feelings, happiness, and joy and finally, goodbye to the people who have made this year for me, people or maybe just a person who became the biggest achievement for the year for me. 

After all the things I have tried to count, I don’t even know if it can be possible to count the number of things I studied and the experiences that I got. But I still can name something: the experience I have got was the best opportunity to see myself in different fields and to build myself in a professional and personal perspective. Which, I can truly declare, I did completely.   

Besides all these, I also remember how many times I got upset during this year, and how many times I told myself that this is it. Sometimes, I even thought to simply leave the project, but something always pushed me back, and now I am so happy about that. When I look back on how my personality was a year ago, and how it is right now, I feel much more developed, grown, and flexible.   

I really wish that my story becomes a source of motivation for you, the one who is reading it. And I hope that in the future, I will have the chance to read your story as well. 

I remember stepping into that huge building, Casa Tineretului. My baggage was heavy and so were my feelings, faced with the fact that I did it, I came back. It looked like nothing has changed. Dimmed lights were illuminating the walls, the echo of my steps was filling the space and the memories began to return in bursts. 

Happiness was mingled with anticipation and I stood in front of my decision, wondering if it was right. 

One year later I got my answer… 

There is no proper way to sit down and write about how this year felt for us, neither about what we have learned or what we have not. After all, it is still too early to define the range of our prospect to emerge all the gained knowledge, isn’t it? But at least I can try.  

What matters is what we all have inside of us. The change that came and will follow us back home. In the last days we could only wipe our tears and let the family go, all the members at their own side. That is life, that is what you learn. We learned to overthrow the differences that we, just a couple of months before, were holding on so tight. We recognize the glare in all the constructive discussions, or how we like to call them, fights. If this one year would become two, and we would have one more chance to be here and do what we do, we would obey the decision to stay united and loved. But it is just one year. And transience overtook us faster than we expected. 

Things to appreciate

Thereafter, we will learn to appreciate the moments, the big ones and the ones that at first sight seemed small, to give them the value that they deserve. The difference between them is deceiving. We will learn about the stories coming from our youth centers, and how the work continued many years after. The young people will have a shelter and a safe space to discover others and themselves. The same way how we did while bewildered going to organize public speech on the topic of human rights. The yearning feeling of going back and getting just one more slice of that cake made out of knowledge will consume us, and we will learn that the decision was right.  

Details are important, mrut jan. Smells, aromas, and side notes that you leave in the kitchen. But there will always be some malaka, which will not know if he left an empty glass on the table. And it’s possible that that glass was filled with jin tonic and a lot of ice. The ambulance could pass next to your window each time when you’re speaking on the phone, and people will not understand how. And sometimes you will hear someone singing in the living room, or while showering.

From across the street of Aries 19, late at night, when the whole Timisoara is sleeping, you could see one or two lights still being on. And there were some shadows on the curtain. These shadows have their dreams, oddly they keep them sometimes, but many times they share them. Those shadows would often be late from a common meeting and will need only bi dakka bi dakka to join. They laugh. A lot. And cry. And then laugh again because there was always a hug and a bad joke to suppress the silence.  

But believe me, no, really, believe me, all this will matter to you only when it’s time to leave.  

It was five in the morning when I arrived after 6 months. I was feeling that I am at home, I was feeling that all the memories that I have left would come back again.  

This year will always stay with me. It was something that had both extremely good and extremely bad days, but as I am always saying, we should realize the positive side of the coin. Every day of my life in Timisoara I got something new, something beautiful and meaningful. 

I am taking with me for my life this whole year and this amazing experience that gave me things that I will be grateful for in my future.

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.