Getuigenissen

Simon, Laura en Iván zijn vrijwilligers bij Jeugdzorg Emmaus

Simon (20)

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België

Een jaar

Simon komt uit Oostenrijk, is zelf nog maar 20 en doet vrijwilligerswerk bij Jeugdzorg Emmaus, ondersteunende dienst La Strada. Bij La Strada kunnen er jongeren tussen 12 en 21 jaar terecht voor atelierwerking en trajectbegeleiding. “Youngsters with a tough background”, probeert Simon mij uit te leggen. Simon vertrekt bijna terug naar huis na een jaar vrijwilligerswerk, Laura uit Oostenrijk en Iván uit Spanje zijn pas aangekomen. Zelf betalen ze niets, want dankzij het subsidieprogramma European Solidarity Corps kunnen zij gratis vrijwilligerswerk doen in deze organisatie.

De ervaringen van Simon, Laura en Iván zijn weergegeven in het Engels, want zo vertelden ze het ook.

Simon, 20 - Oostenrijk

Terugblikken op een jaar vrijwilligerswerk. Hoe doe je dat eigenlijk? Je begint bij het begin.

“I was studying industrial engineering and when I finished school, I wanted to try something else and go abroad. Belgium seemed a nice country to me and Antwerp as well, a nice location in the centre of Europe. I hadn’t been here before, but I wanted to try something new.”

Iets nieuws proberen was het doel en zo ging Simon van de rustige, Oostenrijkse bergen naar de drukbevolkte Antwerpse stad, waar hij niemand kende.

“I arrived in October 2017 and didn’t know anyone here. I missed the “On Arrival”-training in September so it was hard to get to know people in the beginning. Luckily my host family showed me around. I really like Belgium. I like the waffles, the fries and the beer. It’s a compact country and I was able to visit other cities on a weekly basis. At Jeugdzorg Emmaus, I work from Monday until Friday from 9 am until 4 pm. I create ateliers with youngsters and because I like sports, it’s ateliers like fitness or capoeira.”

Capoeira wordt vaak omschreven als een Braziliaanse vecht-dans, waar je aanvals- en verdedigingstechnieken en ontwijkende bewegingen uitvoert op muziek. En dat werkt blijkbaar heel goed bij deze jongeren.

“The fact that a lot of youngsters from different ages are here together is difficult, they are all into different stuff so sometimes there’s a confrontation. There’s one day I’ll never forget, there was a fight and one guy of 15 years old was acting out. In the end I gave a session around capoeira with the group and that solved everything.”

Simon spreekt Duits en hij wou het Nederlands heel graag onder de knie krijgen, maar het bleek toch een struikelblok, vooral in het begin.

“In the beginning it was definitely difficult because you want to interact with the youngsters but they speak no English at all. But the staff that works here helps a lot. I also took language classes to learn Dutch. Now I can understand them and I can talk to the youngsters without a problem.”

Open kunnen praten met de jongeren is heel belangrijk, ze moeten weten dat ze bij jou terecht kunnen.

“If you’re calm, the youngsters know that they can come to you. I love that everyone is really honest. In June, there was an atelier that looked back on the school year. The youngsters were able to give their opinion and reflect on the past year. They also gave positive feedback about me as a volunteer and that was a nice moment.”

Wat hij hier bij Jeugdzorg Emmaus doet, is een grote verandering van wat hij deed in Oostenrijk. Maar het was zeker geen verspilde tijd.

“I really learned a lot, I became interested in group dynamics and I know now there’s methods and techniques in becoming a mentor. Maybe I even want to study again, psychology or something. This experience will be helpful in any kind of work. I have a good feeling now that I’m leaving. I wanted a change and this is exactly what I needed. And it also made me think. My goal in life is to own an IT company and I will take this volunteering experience with me. The lesson I’ll always take with me is that it’s not always easy. Even if there are tough moments, don’t be scared, do your best, that’s the way you can learn the most. I’m sad to leave this place, but I’m excited for new beginnings.”

Simon’s tips:

Volunteering abroad will take you out of your comfort zone
Take your time to choose a project that fits you
Interact with everyone, meet up with other expats, try groups, go out, socialize
Be open to meet people from all over Europe and gain a European consciousness

Laura, 19 - Oostenrijk

Laura had een beetje hetzelfde gevoel als Simon: de drang om iets nieuws te proberen in een grotere stad.

“In the town I live in in Austria there are only 700 people. I wanted to try something new, I wanted to live in a bigger city and meet new cultures. I just finished high school in Austria and I wanted to study social work at university, but I choose for this project. I Skyped with Simon before and that’s what convinced me to come here.”

Maar dan was Laura natuurlijk nog niet in België, vrijwilligerswerk doen via het European Solidarity Corps vraagt heel wat tijd.

“From the moment I found the project until now it took me about 6 months. And now I have been here two weeks. I thought leaving was going to be easier. I didn’t realise it was going to be such a hard goodbye until I was already here.”

Hoewel het afscheid wat moeilijk was, gaat alles goed met Laura.

“I live in a separated part in a flat, where also a couple of teenagers are living. The contact with the youngsters is hard right now because of the language, but everyone treats you with respect and I’m feeling comfortable and cool working with them.”

En ze heeft nog heel wat leuke vooruitzichten.

“I’m looking forward to the training next week, to learning Dutch, to the project, to travelling. I just started but it’s already the best idea in my life.”

Laura’s tips:

Everything is organised for you: everything is planned and you get a lot of support
It’s a good opportunity to find yourself, a year to take time, to get to know new people and become more independent
It’s safe and fun

Iván, 27 - Spain

Iván komt uit Spanje en is nog maar pas in België. Hij is iets ouder en heeft al wat werkervaring. Maar ook Iván was op zoek naar iets nieuws.

“I was working in a company as a technical architect, but I wanted a change. I wanted an experience in another country and I wanted to learn another language. I love travelling, I already went to Cyprus, Iceland, Poland and Ireland and now I wanted to go to the centre of Europe, to a big city.”

Voor Iván staat er een grote uitdaging op de planning.

“I like the project but the language is really hard. My native language is Spanish and I want to learn Dutch and improve my English so I can have good conversations here.”

Maar buiten die grote uitdaging, kijkt hij uit naar het dagdagelijkse leven als vrijwilliger het komende jaar.

“I’m staying for almost a year, until September 2019. I live in a house and have the second floor all to myself with a little kitchen and a little bathroom. I use a bicycle here to get around and I really like it, we don’t bike in Spain. Jeugdzorg Emmaus is nice, they really care about me as a volunteer. I know some boxing and I have played basketball professionally so I can’t wait to use that in my ateliers. I also can’t wait to meet other volunteers and try the beers and the typical food.”