„The program has a number of benefits. It helps you discover a lot about yourself and develop, since you participate in variety of projects.“
Hallo,
Ich heiße Raven Rudnik. Ich bin 24 Jahre alt. Ich komme aus Lodz (Polen), das ist eine Partnerstadt von Stuttgart. Ich arbeite im Stadtjugendring Stuttgart als Freiwilliger im Rahmen des Europäischen Solidaritätskorps.
European Solidarity Corps (ESC) brings together young people to build a more inclusive society, supporting vulnerable people and responding to societal challenges. It offers an inspiring and empowering experience for young people who want to help, learn and develop. They do variety of things including founding projects and offering short term team volunteering. But what is important to you it their Program funded by European Commission which allows people between 18 and 30 years old to become a volunteer in another country for a specified period of time, usually between 2–12 months. This is the program I participate in.
The program has a number of benefits. It helps you discover a lot about yourself and develop, since you participate in variety of projects. It also helps you learn a lot about the country you volunteer in. You get to know the culture, the people and the language. It provides you with two trainings that are essentially two trips to different regions in Germany, during which you meet incredible people who, just like you, traveled here from various countries, to participate in their own projects. Additionally you learn a lot about the program, and gain access to the network of people who can support you in resolving any issue that arrives.
Starting from this post, I will take you on a journey through out my one year long stay in Germany. I will tell about my life here: I will focus on the aspects that are, in my opinion the most crucial for a person that is interested in participating in it. I will talk about my experience as a volunteer working for Stadtjugendring Stuttgart to show you how the program looks in practice.
Before we start, I would like to point out that, I think it takes an incredible amount of courage to leave everything you know behind. To pack up your life into a couple of suitcases and start from scratch in different county. And if you are reading this, chances are you are questioning if this type of life its right for you. I hope I will help you discover that.
