Predstavnici udruge “Mladi u EU” jučer su prisustvovali predavanju “Europske  snage solidarnosti – novi program Europske unije za mlade“  u Informacijskom centru Europe Direct. Tijekom ovog informativnog događaja, Agencija za mobilnost i programe EU (AMPEU) predstavila je studentima Veleučilišta u Šibeniku i ostalim zainteresiranim sudionicima nove mogućnosti koje mladi i  NGO-i mogu postići sudjelovanjem u navedenom programu. Događaj je također bio dobra prilika za razmjenu iskustva i primjera dobre prakse između prošlih i sadašnjih EVS volontera u našoj županiji.

Zapravo, osim predstavnika udruge, “Mladi u EU”  također je prisustvovala  udruga “Argonauta” s otoka Murtera.  Razgovaralo se o prošlim iskustvima na EVS-u te se promovirale međunarodne mogućnosti mobilnosti za mlade. Naš sadašnji volonter razgovarao je o ovoj temi počevši od druge perspektive … od motivacije, strahova, očekivanja i osjećaja volontera.

Ovo je komentar naše nove volonterke Rosselle iz Italije na jučerašnjoj manifestaciji:

“Na jučerašnjem predavanju o Eurospkim snagama solidarnosti  bilo je iznimno zanimljivo. Bilo mi je zadovoljstvo sjediti među mladima koji su zainteresirani za volontersko iskustvo poput onoga  kojeg ja trenutno stječem. Mi, kao volonteri, imali smo priliku zauzeti “pozornicu” i podijeliti svoja iskustva s onima koji su prisustvovali sastanku. Bilo je vrlo zanimljivo slušati njihove priče i vidjeti kako je njihov pristup istom projektu  različit od mog osobnog. Slične, ali različite za perspektive, očekivanja i dosadašnje iskustvo. Drugi volonteri su  već duže u projektu, dok sam ja u usporedbi s njima, i dalje početnik. Međutim, bez obzira na početak mog volonterskog iskustva dobila sam priliku prenijeti  svoja razmišljanja i iskustva o volonterskom programu. ali i općenito o europskom projektu mobilnosti mladih. Bila sam i još sam uvijek dio te Erasmus zajednice koja me vodi kroz život. Bio sam Erasmus student u Njemačkoj, u Leipzigu između 2011. i 2012. Tada sam željela poboljšati znanje njemačkog jezika tako da sam osjećala da moram ići. Znala sam da moram raditi ako se želim poboljšati i znala sam da bi dio tog poboljšanja značilo da svakodnevno  budem u kontaktu sa kulturom i lokalnom zajedicom. Zahvaljujući tom iskustvu bolje poznajem njemačku kulturu i Nijemce općenito. Vjerojatno se nisam uspjela približiti onoliko mještana koliko sam htjela, ali na kraju razmjene imala sam hrpu dobrih prijatelja koji još danas zaslužuju takvu oznaku. I znate što? Bez obzira što se nisam uspjela približiti  Nijemcima onoliko  koliko sam očekivala, s vremenom sam naučila postaviti i ljestvicu očekivanja niže za buduća iskustva.

Nije prošlo mnogo vremena za moje buduće iskustvo. Prije nego što sam diplomirala, odlučila sam da ne želim propustiti  posljednju priliku za Erasmus pripravništvo  i da sam htjela nešto drugačije. Već sam bila u Njemačkoj, a njemački mi se poboljšao. Htjela sam upoznati drugo mjesto, drugu kulturu i ljude. Ovaj put to je bila zemlja engleskog govornog područja (željela sam se preseliti u zemlju u kojoj bih mogla govoriti jedan od mojih radnih jezika), ali Velika Britanija nije bila opcija jer sam prethodno već bila tamo. Rekla sam samo sebi: “zašto ne Irska?” Uvijek sam bio fascinirana irskom književnošću i bajkovitim pričama. I pogodite što? Preselila sam se u Dublin. Stipendija je trajala samo 8 mjeseci, ali na kraju sam dobila posao tamo, upravo na mjestu gdje sam radio kao pripravnik. Ovaj put je bilo teže od mog prethodnog iskustva kao student u inozemstvu. Trebala sam se osloniti sama na sebe, nitko nije organizirao zabave s drugim kolegama, irski je bio pomalo težak u samom početku te sam sav oblik komunikacije obavljala na tom jeziku, a ponekad mi je nedostajalo pričati s nekim  na materinjem jeziku. Na kraju sam se naučila nositi sa tom nesigurnošću i  borbom da ovladam jezikom, na kraju sam uspjela.. Nakon nekog vremena mogla sam komunicirati skoro sa dublinskim naglaskom, a moje kolege iz jezične škole postali su dobri prijatelji.

Prošlo je nekoliko godina otkad sam bila u Irskoj. Sada sam ovdje u Šibeniku kao volonter. Mnogo se toga tijekom posljednjih nekoliko godina promijenilo. Živjela sam u nekoliko europskih zemalja, selila se više puta. Prikupila sam mnogo dragih uspomena, stekla sam nove prijatelje, također sam izgubila neke na putu, postala sam malo mudrija, ali uvijek sa postojanom hrabrošću za napraviti nešto novo za izlazak iz vlastite zone komfora. Iz te perspektive, ništa se doista nije promijenilo. Još se uvijek izazivam samu sebe na isti način na koji sam navikla kada sam imala dvadeset i odakle sam čitao što bih mogla naučiti i koje kutove mogu posjetiti i koje bi se ljude moglo sresti. Ovaj put je vrijeme za Hrvatsku i Šibenik i dajući mi priliku za promjenu i volontiranje. Hoću li biti dobar volonter? Hoću li naučiti neke hrvatske? Novi izazovi me čekaju, ali zato sam ovdje, da to saznam. ”

Yesterday the staff of our association “Mladi u EU” were in the Europe Direct of Sibenik for the event “The European Solidarity Corps – A New European Union’s program for young people”. During this informative event, Croatian national Agency (AMPEU) explained to University of Sibenik’s students and some local stakeholders the new opportunities which young people and NGO’s could get from this new action in the framework of Erasmus +. The event was also a good opportunity to share stories and experiences of past and current EVS volunteers in our County. In fact, in addition to our association, “Mladi u Eu”, also “Argonauta” association took part to this informative lecture.

We talked about our past EVS experiences and we promoted the international mobility opportunities to the young people. Also, our current volunteer talked about this topic starting from another point of view…from the motivations, fears, expectations and feelings of volunteers.

This is the comment of our new volunteer from Italy Rossella about the yesterday’s event:

“I had a great time at the meeting about European mobility yesterday. It was a great pleasure for me to sit among young participants interested in a volunteering experience like the one I am doing and to meet other volunteer peers. We, as volunteers, had the opportunity to take the floor and to share our experience with those attending the meeting. It was very interesting for me to listen to their stories and to see how different their approach to the same project was. Similar, but different for perspectives, expectations and previous experience. They are already very in the project, whereas, compared to them, I am still a beginner, but also me, I had the chance to talk to hopefully future volunteer peers about what has been so far my experience within the frame of European mobility projects. I was and I am still part of this Erasmus community, which is walking me through life. I was an Erasmus student in Germany, in Leipzig precisely between 2011 and 2012. That time I wanted to improve my German so bad that I felt like I had to go. No matter what my parents were saying about time wasting with exams or anything. I knew that I had to do if I wanted get better at it and I knew that part of that improvement would have meant to immerse myself into the culture and locals on a daily basis. It was thanks to that experience that I know better German culture and Germans in general. I probably didn’t manage to get closer to as many locals as I wanted but at the end of the exchange I had a bunch of good friends that still deserve that label today. And you know what? Whatever if I didn’t get closer to as many Germans as I expected, eventually I learnt also to set the expectations bar not so high for the next time.

And not long time passed for that time to come. Before completing my master’s, I decided not to miss the last chance for an Erasmus internship and that time I wanted something different. I had already been in Germany and my German had improved. I wanted to find out another place and other culture and people. This time had to be an English speaking country (I was supposed to move to a country where I could speak one of my working languages) but UK was out of question because by the way I had already been there… why not Ireland? I had always been fascinated from Irish literatures and fairytale stories. And guess what? I moved to Dublin. The scholarship was only for 8 months but eventually I got a job there, exactly at the place where I was working as an intern. This time was harder than my previous experience as a student abroad. I was alone, nobody organizing parties with other peers, Irish was so tough at the very beginning that before taking a call or a small talk I would rather perform a little Italian drama for the occasion. In the end I learnt to face that insecurity and that fear to fail and eventually I nailed it. I could almost speak with Dublin accent and I my colleagues and other students at the language school became my friends and beer after work was a classic after few months.

Few years have passed since I was in Ireland. Now I am here in Sibenik as a volunteer. Many things have changed in these years. I moved to other countries few times. I have collected many other memories to tell, I have new friends, I lost some along the way, I have become a bit wiser but I dare as always. From this perspective, nothing has really changed. I still challenge myself the same way as I used to when I was twenty checking out what could I learn next and what corner could I visit and what people could I meet. This time is time for Croatia and Sibenik and giving myself a chance for a change and being a volunteer. Will I be a good volunteer? Will I learn some Croatian? New challenges are waiting for me but that’s why I am here, to find it out.”