No matter how experienced you are or you are not - Volunteering is something you need to do at least once in your life.
I found out about European Voluntary Service (EVS, currently European Solidarity Corps (ESC)) long time ago and it seemed to be a dreamlife to me which I will never have. I always followed the stories and happy faces of young people all over Europe who seemed to be so brave and free to live a piece of different life. I knew that this program is changing the lives and I knew that I will always regret in my life if I wouldn't do it. The project is for young people aged 18-30 and the older I was getting, the impossible the project seemed to me. But we become braver when we realize we are losing something. So I took my last chance and finally applied for several EVS projects. First I decided to apply without a sending organization but after two rejected applications I realized that the sending organization matters more than my profile and motivation. So finally with the help of "Yeghvard" NGO where I have been volunteering since 2011 my application was approved by Hírös Agóra Cultural and Youth Center in Kecskemét, Hungary. Time to act! 10 months in Kecskemét, 10 months with Hírös Agóra. After the half of the project I felt like I had been living in that city for all my life. It seemed to be a very long time when I was there and seems to be very short time now that I am back home to Armenia. I had a life changing experience in Kecskemét, volunteering at different centers of Hiros Agora. Working directly with children and youngsters was something I have always cherished. I was in love with the diversity and uniqueness of the youngsters I was working with. To be true, the first period was a bit hard for me to be accepted by the children who didn't speak English and, well, I myself understood not a single word in Hungarian. It was very challenging to use translators every time I wanted to say something or to understand something but after a very short time the language barrier disappeared and we could understand each other quite well without understanding a single word. How? I don't know either. The first months I kept working in 3 youth clubs of Hiros Agora: Eleven, 10 perc and Kék Elefánt, although I was mostly attracted by Kék Elefánt center from the very beginning. Why? Because I felt home there surrounded with the lively kids and youngsters who were the most active and joyful people I met since I was there. I felt so satisfied every time I could help them to learn a single word in English and it kept me motivated to invent new games and methods to involve them in the learning process. From another hand they helped me too to learn Hungarian and to feel more involved. Later Kék Elefánt became my main working place and I could spend more time there. As we had a small music studio there too I "accidentally" found out that I have musical skills too and started learning to play the guitar and later composing songs and singing them by myself during different events at Kék. And thus came the idea of writing an official song about Kék Elefánt which is a home for dozens of people living in Kecskemét. Another thing I enjoyed a lot was the training-meetings with different pupils at high schools. Based on the English level of the class, we could organize different activities started just by talking about hobbies to the active discussions about human rights and hate speech. Besides these meetings we also organized experience-sharing trainings at schools and other institutions to raise awareness about Erasmus+ projects and opportunities and to encourage the youngsters to be more active not only inside the country but also internationally. One more plus about volunteering in Hungary was that there is always a festival coming next week, so you always have to prepare for something. And as a volunteer of Hiros Agora I was happy to support and be part of those festivals and events and to feel more integrated into the Hungarian community and culture.
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