Name: Ebru Buyukyenigun
Project: ACTIVATE THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT 2.0
Type of program: European Solidarity Corps
Host Organisation: Semper Avanti Opole, Poland
Sending Organisation: Institute for Change and Innovation, Georgia
About 5-6 months ago, I came from Turkey to Opole, Poland to volunteer. I applied for the project via an internet platform where the project was published. When my project application was accepted, I participated in online meetings with the project owners as a candidate. After I was accepted to the project, I started making the necessary preparations to come to the project. After starting the project in Opole, I have been working as a volunteer in various schools. The program language and common language are English. For this reason, the studies I did were generally on English studies. I carried out activities such as presentations, English lessons to local people, organizing workshops, etc. The events organized or arranged required me to work with people of all age groups. Each study I did not only improved my English but also showed that I could find a way to understand people of all ages, even those who did not speak English. For example, I found my own way of getting along with children by playing games. I found a way to communicate with adults with simple Polish words and English and Polish translations that I learned in English lessons. With the project, I had the opportunity to speak in front of the public, travel around Europe, improve my English and learn introductory sentences to Polish as a new language. I must also say that each collaboration develops a different skill of mine. For example, I did work that required manual dexterity in a workshop event we jointly organized. Work aside, the friendships I have made here have a special place in my life. It has been a nice experience for me to help others with various tasks and meet other people who love to help in the same way. Meeting different cultures and learning something different from each person also helps me achieve my personal goals. My project is still ongoing since it is a 1-year long-term project. I can say that I am excited and motivated for my future work.