Voluntary service abroad

EXPERIENCE EUROPE

FAIRbund enables young people from Germany to participate in a voluntary service in other European countries or in one of the partner countries.

We would be happy to advise interested people from Leipzig and the surrounding area and support them in their search for suitable volunteering placements and in the application process. Together we create the documents necessary for a voluntary service abroad and prepare the young people for their stay.

Do you want to get involved in projects in Europe? Then feel free to arrange a consultation appointment with our EU projects office.

You can find tips for applying here:

Former European volunteers, funded by the ERASMUS + program and the FAIRbund e. V. about their experiences abroad:

CONTACT

EU-Projects
Rückertstrasse 10, 04157 Leipzig
Tel .: 0341 - 2 316 122
Fax: 0341 - 2 316 120
euprojekte@fairbund-leipzig.de

Dörte Dietrich (team leader)
Mobile: 0177 - 4 123 172
doerte-dietrich@fairbund-leipzig.de

Andrea Proniewicz
andrea-proniewicz@fairbund-leipzig.de

Iryna Svistunova
iryna-svistunova@fairbund-leipzig.de

Silvia Verdu (European volunteers)
silvia-verdu@fairbund-leipzig.de

“The Camphill Community Glencraig is arguably one of the best places to volunteer and
To spend lockdown. "

Glencraig - UK

Not only do you have beautiful surroundings right on your doorstep, but you also meet people of different abilities, interests and nationalities.
In this way, both work and leisure in the community are never boring.
Five days a week I and many other volunteers help in one of the houses and support the residents in their everyday lives.

This includes, for example, cooking and baking together, playing, making music, dancing, painting and doing handicrafts, watching films, going for walks, celebrating parties and much more. But of course you also have to do a lot of cleaning work and depending on how independent the residents are, you also have to help them dress, brush their teeth, eat,
Showers and other chores help.

There is always something going on in Causeway, the house where most of the 25 or so volunteers live. A lot of young, committed people from all over Europe, and sometimes even from further afield, meet here. Each volunteer brings their own knowledge and skills with them and can bring them to life and pass them on in everyday life.

For example, one volunteer has been doing yoga for years and sometimes invites you to join in. Another volunteer is a talented draftsman and gives a lesson every now and then. And the countless musicians among the volunteers can often be heard playing together.

Of course, there are also some restrictions due to Corona. We are not allowed to accompany the residents to their workshops or take them on excursions outside of the community. Even for us volunteers, excursions during the last lockdowns were sometimes limited to a 10 mile radius.

But as soon as it is allowed again, one of the mentors organizes trips to places of interest in the area.

My time here in Glencraig is almost over now and the thought of leaving all the people I know, appreciate and love here soon hurts me very much. But I have also gained a lot of knowledge and experience and this and my newly made friendships will certainly stay with me for a long time to come.

"For more than seven months now, I have been living in a country that is not too strange to me, but still unknown, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to be more precise in its capital Sarajevo."

Sarajevo - EVS

For more than seven months now I have been living in a country that is not too strange to me, but still unknown, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to be more precise in its capital Sarajevo. In addition to the religious differences between Catholics, Muslims and Serbian Orthodox and their places of worship, there are also clear disparities between the buildings within the city. While there are still houses with damage from the Bonsia War on one street corner, one of the most modern buildings in all of Bosnia can be found on the next street, such as the Sarajevo City Center (SCC). But apart from the richly populated center, Sarajevo shines with its unique nature and the mountains, such as the Igman or Trebevic, which are always worth a visit. Just like the old town and its souvenir and shopping facilities, which are reminiscent of a Turkish bazaar.

As a German EVS volunteer in an agency for addiction prevention "NARKO-NE", besides organizing and translating workshops, my tasks include going to elementary school and having conversations in German with the children who have been learning German since first grade or to give a short talk. In addition, my Bosnian organization made it possible for me to take part in an international conference with participants from over ten different countries. Before Corona, one of my main and favorite tasks was giving two little girls piano lessons in Bosnian at a primary school, as I've been playing the piano myself for about 8 years. I also give a weekly German course for the volunteers from NARKO-NE. Thanks to Corona and the associated home office, I also got a new job in the technical area, and that doesn't just mean participating in the mid-term training via "zoom", but also shooting DIY videos for a fundraising campaign. I also help them with creative tasks, such as designing buttons or designing photo frames for group activities.

All in all, I'm looking forward to the remaining few months and will use the time as much as possible with my new friends and contacts.

“Krakow is one of the most popular cities for Erasmus students. It's teeming with Spaniards, Italians and Germans, Krakow has grown into an absolute Erasmus metropolis in recent years and that makes it all the better. "

I take Poland for 10 months

“The greatest sight there is is the world. Take a look at it ”Kurt Tucholsky once said and according to this motto, thousands of young people go abroad every year with the EU's voluntary service. This year too, I was driven abroad, more precisely to Krakow in the south-east of Poland to work in a kindergarten and a school there.

Why Poland may be asked and admittedly I wasn't sure at the beginning whether it was the right choice. First, spending a year abroad and second, going to Poland if you have the whole of Europe to choose from. Looking back, I can say with certainty that I couldn't have made a better decision. Krakow is an incredibly beautiful city and with almost 800 inhabitants there is always something going on, especially the Jewish quarter and the old town never stand still. Krakow also scores with an exceptional bar and cafe culture. The external conditions for a good one
Stays abroad are absolutely fulfilled in Krakow.

The only thing missing for a good stay abroad are the right people and what can I say, there are plenty of them here. Because Krakow is one of the most popular cities for Erasmus students. It is teeming with Spaniards, Italians and Germans, Krakow has grown into an absolute Erasmus metropolis in recent years and that makes it all the better. Because it comes to the encounter of so many cultures and associated habits and very different characters. But that's exactly what I like incredibly well this year. You not only learn a lot about Polish culture, but also from all the other volunteers about their culture. Starting with Spanish music to the real French crepes to the Polish language.

Last but not least, it remains to be said that in addition to all the fun, the year also brings with it one or two challenges. But that is exactly what rounds off the year, because it is not only full of experience but you work a lot on yourself and develop in unimagined areas. Whether that was at the training courses in Warsaw and Torun or when designing new ones
Activities in kindergarten, everyday life is full of surprises and challenges.

In conclusion, I can only recommend such a voluntary service to anyone who has the opportunity, because you only have it once and there are few things in the world that are so worthwhile and free of charge.

“I was in Calabria from 01.02. - 04.12.2021 in the project "No Borders" by the host organization Entropia at the University of Calabria - a project that supports the integration of foreign students, asylum seekers and refugees.

Review of my project “No borders Citizens” at Entropia

To put it briefly: It's been a crazy and beautiful experience in which I learned an incredible amount of things. During these 10 months I felt like no week was like the one before. I met a lot of people, faced new challenges and gained a ton of experience. The project took place at the cultural association Entropia, which is located inside the University of Calabria in the south of Italy. The project was about the integration and inclusion of international students, asylum seekers and refugees.

Over the course of my time at Entropia I was involved in a large variety of activities and projects. Since the restrictions at the beginning of our project due to the Covid-19 situation were quite severe, the opportunities to conduct social activities were strongly limited. However, we were still able to meet some new people for language exchanges and perform outdoor activities with refugees and asylum seekers at a local refugee center. During this time, I also recorded a podcast about the international protection system and the refugee arrival and recognition process in Germany, Italy and Spain, together with my partner in the project. Towards the summer, as the pandemic situation calmed down a bit, we could finally reopen the association for students and some social activities. From this point on, part of my work consisted of receiving and assisting students, refugees, artists or other visitors to our space. So, we were finally able to fully start enjoying Calabria by traveling around it's beautiful little villages and beaches.

Our weekly program at the association included a range of activities open to internationals as well as locals. These activities included karaoke nights, public viewings, babel tea (language exchange & socialisation), jam sessions, music and art labs, movie nights and italian courses. Apart from participating, part of my duties were to promote these activities by creating flyers, speaking to people and writing social media posts. I was also involved in the promotion of our festivals and the association in general. Furthermore, we also worked on weekly live radio broadcasts. during the
first period of the live shows I assisted by taking care of the social room, which includes operating the social media page, answering comments and passing the comments on to the speakers. In the second period of the live broadcasts towards the end of the project, I worked inside the studio with the speakers as sound director, a role that I really enjoyed. One of my personal highlights and one of the big parts of my project was the European project “No Borders Festival” in which 40 young people from different backgrounds came together to organize a festival promoting social inclusion. I was involved from the interview process of the participants through to the organization, the final implementation of the festival and the conclusion period. It was amazing for me to see how people from all over the world came together to work towards the same goal, overcoming any differences that may exist between them.

My biggest challenge during the project was learning a new language from zero, since I didn't have any previous knowledge of Italian. Many people in my environment didn't speak much English, which made it hard to communicate sometimes, but it was also beneficial for my progress in the language. Despite the difficulties I sometimes faced, I was very lucky to have many supportive people around me willing to teach me patiently and help me out in many ways. With their support I ended up being able to communicate decently in Italian.

All in all, I gained a lot of knowledge about European projects and opportunities, refugees and asylum seekers, radio broadcasts, picture and video editing tools, youth work, festivals, social media, and most of all, about people from all over the world and their culture. I also learned a lot about the problems that exist in Calabria, especially for young people. However, I was proud to be part of an association that tries to make a positive change to this reality. During this year I had the chance to work with some amazing people from various origins. I really loved working on this multicultural team and managed to make some great friends along the way. I feel very privileged to have been able to be part of this project and I feel very grateful towards everyone involved in having made it possible. Overall, this experience was one of the best I ever had and I feel that it impacted my life and me as a person immensely.