Participants’ testimonies

Anila Busho, Albania

What was your motivation to participate?

I am always motivated because I think that all our life will never stop to learn and also I love non formal education because is practical. I teach in formal education and I think is better to put in formal education also non formal methods.

How do you appreciate the usefulness of this training?

I learnt new things about volunteering and also I learnt that volunteering is the right path to the success, to be good leader also and to complement volunteering with the work. I think that when I turn back home I really want to offer my contribution to the unemployed people and those in need and working together it will be a bigger contribution. I met different kind of people from different countries that are really intelligent and different from me and I learnt a lot from them also. I thank for helping to be better and better because I think that all I have is lifelong learning. Also I learnt that with a strong team work we can fight the problem of unemployment and we all are enabled to make it if we have volunteering spirit and work harder. A big thank you for all.

Farid Haji, Azerbaijan

How do you appreciate your involvement in the project?

I was motivated to be involved in this project because volunteering it is not so developed in my country and I wanted to learn how to attract volunteers in Azerbaijan. I like the activities and I find them really useful because my thoughts are that the activities are the best to get experience and like this you see how it works in the real life. I learnt a lot about volunteering with the help of facilitators, trainers and participants, I enlarged my point of view on volunteering and I gained more personal development, I learnt how to be organized, I develop a lot in intercultural experience and I will remember it for long time in my life.

Stavrianakou Paraskevi, Greece

How do you appreciate the experience gained?

It was great, I like it a lot. It is very useful, I learnt lot of things about volunteering and I want to go deeper on this. I liked because there was diversity during the sessions so I couldn’t realize how the time passes. It was also very useful not only through training sessions but also through communication with different countries which was fruitful. The trainers and facilitators assisted us all the time and gave us everyday life information. I will be always a volunteer, all my life, I will try to motivate my colleagues especially in my country where unemployment is very high. I find it interesting to apply in the other activities as well. I understand to know better myself, to be more understandable through knowing the others with different characters and personalities.

Igor Osta, Italy

What can you say now at the end of the training?

For sure this training course increased my awareness and my knowledge of the volunteering phenomenon. This experience showed me an alternative and better way of learning, it made me aware of the importance of a leader in a group to try on my own and try to involve other persons in the same mission. I think that the project team and trainers were well prepared and very available to our request. The information received is applicable including also about how to organize a Youth in Action project and it was very useful for a project that I would try to make. I have a degree in sociology and I have studied a lot the thematic of unemployment and different way on combating it and this is the first the time I hear of the possibility of being involved in volunteering as way to develop our skills and be more appreciated on the labour market. Now, first I want to share with my organisation what I have learnt and I think that I can use these skills in every kind of group which I can be part because lot of the competence we learnt are generally applicable in any social context. I feel myself involved and I feel the responsibility of being active.

Mende Sekulovski, Macedonia

How do you appreciate the usefulness of this project?

Yes it was very useful. I gained more experience, I had the possibility to improve my skills, I become more self confident. For example I liked the debate on unemployment because unemployment is a very big problem in my country. I was put in decision position such as mayor and that is my vision in my life and I think I will achieve this to be a great politician one day. I like that it was developing, the organisation was good, the trainers and facilitators were the best and we had a lot of fun, it wasn’t boring, I never met trainers like them before and I liked the participants also. I made new friends and learnt about the culture of other countries.

Flavio Rino, Portugal

What do you think of the way of organizing this project?

It was very methodically and it was very probably the best organized project I have seen, it was very well structured, it was flawless. I particularly liked the guests, the trainers, that they told of their experience which was particularly valuable.

How will you use the competences in your future activities?

I have developed in several areas: networking, I was very inspired and motivated by Mr. Morel Bolea, he was very eye opening and motivating on a personal as well a volunteering way. Also I have been thinking about a follow up because in Portugal is not a big issue regarding volunteering. I got the motivation and I have the means. It was also very interesting to observe this new approach and I gained new tools.

How do you see Romania?

It is nice to see that you see your patrimony, it is nice to see that you have a very strong cultural identity you and also it is a very transparent place.

Irina Khasanova, Russia

How do you appreciate the development of the project?

I find it useful, I got a lot of info which I will use in future, useful links and I understood how it works to develop new projects. The schedule was really organized as order, I really like the practical exercises, the information is clear and generally speaking I am satisfied with everything. I liked also the participants, our team was very friendly, the people are active and ambitious and you can learn from each other. It gave me fresh air and inspiration, in Russia we have a phrase: now I have meal for thoughts, I have something to think of.

What can you say about Romania?

I really like Iasi, I feel it more European. I like also the Romanian people and generally the country and architecture in Iasi, it has rich history. People are very helpful and friendly.

Vanja Rakic, Serbia

Why did you choose to come to Iasi?

Within our organisation we promote volunteerism and we do lots of youth related campaigns as well as seminars. Also I wanted to get to know the Romanian culture and to see the beautiful city of Iasi as well as to organise similar trainings in my organization.

What can you say about the project impact on you?

Intercultural learning had a great impact on me. The methods are applicative in real life and really good and I will use in the training that I will make in my country. I will promote volunteerism and values of volunteerism further on as well as organizing similar trainings for my municipality. Romanian people are incredible friendly and I was impressed by the whole region of Moldova because of the monasteries and churches as well as the really rich history the region has. I fell richer for more experiences that I could have imagined as well as for making new friends.

Simona Adriana Anca, Spain

What did you liked most at the training?

It is known the critical current situation of Spain with the big number of unemployed people and it is foreseen an increase of this number. I liked the project approach. The possibility to fight against unemployment through volunteering actions among youth I think it can be an efficient solution for youth who face this problem. This project comes in the help of youth leaders who are searching possibilities of youth vocational training. The methods used were practical and adapted for each thematics. I wish to express my thanks for the seriosity that the organisers showed from the project beginning till the end in all the details. We are enthusiastic, very motivated and we wish to put in practice the knowledge and contacts acquired during the training and continue our formation through the organisation activites as well as other domains of activity.

Ali Cetin, Turkey

What are the thoughts you are leaving with from the training?

We can apply what we learnt here according to our own needs, for example we need contributions to our people for our educational system and students especially poor students.  I think the activities and structure of organizing were good to develop follow up projects. The organisers and trainers are hard working, serious and dedicated people, I gained lots of things and it was good for me. I saw here that the topic of volunteering have differences and similarities from country to country because of our and our countries needs. We can begin a new project related to volunteering. I am happy because the training was well done, I think that I have not spent my time useless and I think this was good and I am happy.