Preparing the city game „Discovering the twin city of Strasbourg“ / Februar 2023
Hello everyone,
This is Elif Yalvac, I am reporting from Stuttgart, Germany! I’ve been volunteering for two months in here and will be for another 10 months in the organization called StadtJugendring Stuttgart.
Under the European Solidarity Corps volunteering service, I am coming here from Turkey, Mus. I was looking for opportunities and met with ESC, after I checked for the opportunities I get sight of StadtJugendring, and it got me with the vision of the organization. Because the organization was offering an opportunity to discover the diversity of youth work and youth participation, attending youth activities, and find a chance to create your own small projects if you wish. After that I applied, had an interview, I was chosen, and I am here
So yes, this is my coming abroad story.
After I arrive to Stuttgart, my mentor picked me from airport, and we went to the place that I will be stayed for 1 year.
In the beginning, everything was new and strange for me. From language to habits and norms of German people.
After 2 months in Germany, I can say that I still get hard to understand and adapting to some things, which is I think totally normal for anyone who tries to establish a new life order in a new country.
So far great, and what am I doing as a volunteer in SJR?
Beside being in the office and supporting the members and projects I am also according my interests I have chance to involve projects topics ; child protection, against to discrimination and racism, art, dance, sport, gender equality, democracy, health, camps for children and young, Children and Human rights, youth politics.
So yes, I have been here since 2 months now, in this time I find chance to already participate some different kind of projects with different topics by StadtJugendring and the member organizations of StadtJugendring.
Such as being volunteer in a dance project, helping and supporting them about the set-up, being their photographer (which I really enjoyed that 🙂 ) and meanwhile having fun of the great event and watching a lot of dance show!
Like I said, the organization offers the volunteer to participate in projects in lots of different topic;
I also had chance to being a Jury in the youth committee of our democracy department.
As young juries, we discussed the project ideas by the young people and decided for funding their project as organization or not.
With this project discussing, sharing my own perspective, own ideas and listening to others; I really experienced being inside democratic atmosphere.
For now, things are going really well. We will see what’s waiting me in this adventure more. Until then, bis bald!
