We want to share the story and experiences of Giorgia, Basma and Eleonora, who are volunteering at Merseyside Expanding Horizons. The association offers opportunities to people from different background and origin to get valuable working experiences abroad, by sending and hosting volunteers and interns.
From the left Giorgia, a girl of 24 years old who studies in Turin but comes from Trani, a beautiful city in Puglia (Italy). She started very early to volunteer in her city and now she is volunteering not only in MEH but also another association in Liverpool.
In the middle Basma, a 27-years-old girl from Il Cairo (Egypt). She thinks that volunteer is a great opportunity to improve own skills and helping others.
And at the right, 25-years old Eleonora, from sunny Cagliari, Sardinia ( Italy). She started volunteering during high school and after that, she continued helping other associations in her city.
All three agree that volunteer was a wonderful and gratifying experience, a good opportunity of sharing and helpings others. Let’s hear their experience
What does it mean volunteering for you?
B. Volunteering for me is helping others, doing something with a real impact on my society and improving the experience and gaining new skills.
E. For me, volunteering means constant development of my self in a stimulant learning environment and also with a room for mistakes. It means also to meet a lot of different people, new friends and inspiring personalities and giving my help.
G. In my opinion volunteering means sharing. You decide to give your time and share what you know and you receive a lot from it. You learn new competencies, meet new people that share their knowledge and experience with you and challenge yourself in a different environment.
How did you start volunteering? Tell us about your first experience
B. I started volunteering when I join a university with a student activity helping my colleagues to find the suitable courses in our study field and after I started to volunteer with a non-profit organisation in the field of cultural heritage.
E. I started volunteering in some charity events in my village. It was nice to feel part of the community and to bond with different people out of my tiny group of knowledge. With the same group, a few years later we started to organise a festival of arts (MEDinART) involving more and more people. Now, this festival is made every year and it is really popular also outside the village. The first group of ‘’organisers’’ became really close friends and enlarged even more. Then at University, I started volunteering for a European student association, being part of the board and organising my activities, and there I grew up a lot both personally and professionally.
G. I started volunteering during high school when I was 16 because I felt I wanted to try something new out of my comfort zone. My first experience was in a wonderful local community centre: I was involved in workshops with vulnerable children, in theatre classes with adults with mental health issues and disabilities and in some office-based work, like answering emails or picking up calls.
Would you advise this experience to someone else?
B. Yes, of course as I explained doing volunteering and voluntary work will improve our technical skills and soft skills as well, knowing new people living new experiences and helping others.
E. I have many rewarding times, but one really valuable is related to my first experience in my village. While organising the festival and putting a lot of passion and effort on these people in the village seems to be not interested at all, not really willing to help and actually surprised we were spending so much time on this. When the day of the event came and a lot of people came, took part in the activities, enjoyed and congratulated with us for the success it was really rewarding. Also, the sense of community and friendship that was created is one of the best memories.
G. Yes, absolutely. Volunteering is an added value for everyone, and there are so many opportunities everywhere that everyone can find something that suits him/her.
During the volunteering experience, what was the most rewarding time that you lived?
B. I am currently doing my EVS and I could consider this is my most rewarding time as it’s my first volunteering experience abroad for the long term, working with European organisation with a diverse environment for my is an amazing experience.
E. I have many rewarding times, but one really valuable is related to my first experience in my village. While organising the festival and putting a lot of passion and effort on these people in the village seems to be not interested at all, not really willing to help and actually surprised we were spending so much time on this. When the day of the event came and a lot of people came, took part in the activities, enjoyed and congratulated with us for the success it was really rewarding. Also, the sense of community and friendship that was created is one of the best memories.
G. There is not a specific moment that comes to my mind. Every time I volunteer with children I get a lot of enthusiasm from them, they are always thankful and this makes me feel great after all the efforts.
Did you volunteer in Egypt/Italy as well? If yes, did you find any difference between volunteering abroad and in your own country?
B. Yes, of course, Volunteering in my country is only with people with the same culture and habits but volunteering abroad you meet people from different countries and culture so we can discover the world and gain new experiences.
E. I think in the UK volunteering is more common and more flexible. In Italy, I think most of the people connect volunteering to a waste of time or working for free not seeing the big benefits it can bring to the community but also to you.
G. I don’t see big differences, but I have the feeling that organisations are more flexible with volunteers in UK. Also, in Italy is more common to have young volunteers, while in UK also adults are often involved in volunteering.
Do you think that volunteering is a widespread practice among young people?
B. In my opinion, volunteering is not widespread among people of my age because in schools and universities in my country they don’t promote for voluntary work and don’t encourage young people to volunteer but there is some initiatives started now to promote volunteering in and abroad which I really like and support.
E. I, As I said before in the UK is maybe more common and more people volunteer, also in many different fields. I don’t feel in Italy it is really spread, at least in my region because many times volunteering is perceived as a huge amount of time invested in working for free and not invested on people and on yourself.
G. I am not sure, but I think it is quite common. In Italy, I have a lot of friends involved in different kinds of volunteering activities.
In your opinion how could volunteering be encouraged?
B. Through schools, universities and NGOs who work with young people try to reach them and encourage them to apply for volunteering and also in my opinion volunteering should be flexible to encourage them to apply at least for those whom never did volunteering before.
E. In my opinion, volunteering can be encouraged as a practice also by institutions and by schools and university. As a starting point, it could be officially recognized as an educational experience. People start to make things they did not think about when they see a tangible benefit, but once it becomes normalized people will just see the whole range of benefits and the positive feelings that volunteering can give.
G. I think sometimes people need to know they will achieve something by volunteering. It is important to spread the message that volunteering is not only about “helping” or “giving our own time”, but also about learning and improving ourselves.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to undertake a volunteering experience?
B. I would recommend them to volunteer in the fields they are interested in and they like because they will be motivated to learn more and to improve their skills comparing to volunteering in routine voluntary work which is boring and people might leave soon.
E. I would advise starting looking for a field you are really interested in and to start dedicating a small amount of time every week even if you have more available time and you are really passionate. I think that jump completely into volunteering dedicating the big amount of time can be then demotivating. Both because it can be tiring and hard to manage with other responsibilities and because organizations or people you volunteer for will rely a lot on you and on your work, which is positive, but only once you understand your rhythms, availability and possibilities.
G. I would tell them to not be afraid of trying something they don’t know anything about, challenge themselves and enjoy every single moment of the experience.
