Hello everyone! I am Arda Erpak from Turkey. I am a short-term volunteer at the volunteering project called Broaden our horizons in teams SUMMER 2023. I was lucky to be accepted into a fantastic volunteering project among 21 other enthusiastic volunteers from Algeria, Belgium, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Morocco, Spain, South Korea, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine. We began a two-month adventure together with the goal of making a good impact on the local community and creating memorable memories. In this article, I will explain my first week under this project.
As we all gathered in Poznan, a city filled with history and charm, we were eager to start our first week of volunteering. During the first week, we were mostly in our main office, Strefa and we eagerly participated in an intensive training program hosted by the CIM Horyzonty organization. This comprehensive training aimed to equip us with essential skills and knowledge in some key areas such as intercultural education, non-formal education, team building, acknowledging and respecting cultural differences, developing a team identity, and outlining roles and responsibilities.
We brainstormed to find the most suitable activities for children, youth, and the elderly. We focused on sports, arts, intercultural activities, and ecology. For children, we planned sports events and creative art workshops. The youth would engage in intercultural activities, language exchanges, and cultural workshops. As for the elderly, we aimed for gentle exercises and artistic sessions to bring joy and companionship. Our goal was to create a well-rounded and enriching experience, fostering a strong sense of community and togetherness throughout the project. In addition to this valuable training, we played various games to get to know each other better, and these games were very important in order to socialize. Thanks to these games, we learned the hobbies, birth dates favorite movies, and music of almost all volunteers.
Again during the first week, we had the opportunity to meet some different local partners. We attended a small music show organized by elderly people in an elderly care home we went to and this gave us a unique experience. In our second office, Pireus, we visited an existing small art gallery and listened to the stories of the artworks performed by the artists themselves. As we wrap up our first week in this remarkable volunteering project in Poznan, our hearts are filled with curiosity and excitement for the weeks to come.
The experiences of these initial days have left us eager to delve deeper into our activities with children, youth, and the elderly. As we embark on this two-month-long journey, we embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. The adventure has just begun, and we can’t wait to explore, learn, and grow through our shared experiences!!!!!!
