Everybody Counts! A Handbook on Inclusion and Participation of young people in EP countries

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We are excited to share with all of you our handbook ”Everybody Counts!” on inclusion and participation of young people in Eastern Partnership countries.

The project “Everybody Counts” is developed by Armenian Progressive Youth NGO in partnership with Foundation for Advancement of Moldova and Society Initiative Institute, Ukraine. The project fosters integration and participation of young people from rural and deprived urban areas through raising awareness on youth participation opportunities and providing job preparation, digital and mobility trainings.

Low level of youth participation in rural and deprived urban areas remains one of the key issues across the Eastern Partnership countries. Specifically in Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine there is a lack of youth participation structures in rural areas. At the same time, young people are not able to join the decision-making processes on youth issues at a local level. There are either no youth consultative bodies or youth councils in the municipalities or the existing ones are formal in their nature. In order to fill this gap of participation, together with our partners in Moldova and Ukraine we have implemented “Everybody Counts: Rural Youth Empowerment in Eastern Partnership Countries” project which aimed to empower young people and youth leaders in rural and deprived urban areas in Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine through series of workshops and awareness raising meeting.

In our handbook the main outlines of the training courses in Armenia, Moldova and the Ukraine are briefly represented.

The training courses in Armenia have demonstrated that it is of great significance to admit that when developing youth policy, projects or any activity in which young people are targeted, young people must not be dismissed as lacking capabilities or being deprived by circumstance, rather young people collectively can be an asset to development; at local, national, regional and international levels.

You can also familiarize yourselves with the results of the surveys carried out by our Moldovian colleagues where the young people share their opinion on their involvement in the socio-economic and political life of the country in many different respects i.e. employment, financial viability, supports by institutions etc. However, the results are far from being comforting and, unfortunately, it is today’s reality in Moldova.

The participants of the training course in the Ukraine have come to the following possible ways of solving the centralization of youth opportunities in one place. Some of the solutions to the problem according to the Ukranian youth workers can be adopting a system of preferential crediting of rural youth for the construction of housing, the purchase of durable goods; involving the mass media in the coverage of the social situation and development of youth, implementation of the state youth policy in the village and so on.

Some other interesting highlights of the project can be found in our handbook, which you can download by following the link bellow:

English version of the Handbook
Russian Version of the Handbook

This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union.

Lost and Found | Anahit’s EVS Story

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“If you want to find yourself, lose yourself in the service of others.” This was the idea that was in my head after realizing that I was done with the university life, not willing to start a career either. As a result, I decided to volunteer in order to clarify what I really want for my future. Believe me or not, it worked very well. OK… It’s always better to start from the beginning.
I started to look for an EVS project with no specific country in my mind. I just wanted it somehow to be related to either sports or arts. That’s when I came across with an announcement called “Gmina Dabrowa in Poland looks for a volunteer to conduct sports activities in the community”.

It was not until I reached Poland that I found out that it’s not Dabrowa, but Dąbrowa (“ą” read as a nasal “o”). Gmina Dąbrowa is a community of 14 small villages. The organization hosting my EVS project is called after it: “Gmina Dąbrowa”, and it works closely with all the institutions in gmina. We usually prefer big cities, because they give us bigger opportunities, but when you choose to volunteer, you are meant to create opportunities for the ones who need them. It has been a life changing decision for me when I moved to a small village after 20 years of ‘yerevaning’. However now, at the very end of my project, I recall that decision as the best way to serve my needs, wants and desires. I came here with “A1” level of Polish (I learnt my first phrase at the airport: *WARNING: just don’t try to read it, use Google* okulary przeciwsłoneczne, aka sunglasses) and I’m leaving with B1 level. During all my stay my co-volunteer/flatmate Daria and I have been blogging about our experience. Starting from January 12 my blog was only in Polish (I’m happy nobody sees this proud peacock face of mine now). However, EVS is not only about the language we talk, but also about the language of the activities. I came here to conduct sport activities, but the best part of EVS projects is that you adjust your project to the community needs. I am more than proud to say that I’m leaving my second home with a number achievements: a volleyball club, a gym club, assistance in a bunch of activities, excursions and events organized by the schools or kindergartens of the community, as well as by local municipality and even the library of the nearby town, Mogilno. From the first day our organization gave us the opportunity to fulfill the projects we wanted to. I can remark two most amazing projects I’m proud of to have conducted (peacock face again):

-“Treasure Hunt”. The project was designed for the 1-3rd grade students devoted to the knowledge of the surrounding world, starting from the creation of the universe to the environment of our own planet. The “Treasure Hunt” had two stages: preparation and a trip to the Planetarium in Torun.

-“Theatre club in Szczepanowo”. On the 21st of June the main stage of our gmina (it’s a moving one) hosted “The Little Prince”, with the Polish screenplay adopted by me and 13 actors, 9 of which were from my school theatre club in Szczepanowo.

Just in a couple of weeks I’m leaving a part of my heart in Dąbrowa and taking back to Armenia all the love, smiles, a bunch of memories, an amazing language (with some weird word forms) and most importantly a new Anahit. I hope that what I have left is as important for my big family in gmina Dąbrowa, as whatever I’m taking from them.

Now a secret for my dearest reader: you read about my experience, but “what is essential is invisible to the eye”, you’d better just ‘EVS’ yourself and see it in your heart.
P.S. Peacock face couldn’t farewell without informing: the video we created about our EVS project in Dąbrowa was among 10 winners on European Youth Card Video Awards 2018.

Human Library in Yerevan, Armenia

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There is a kind of library in the world where you can see the books breathe, you can watch them blink, cry, laugh, and think. You can ask them any sort of questions and get a real answer. That is what the books hope you will do.

On the 12th of April, Armenian Progressive Youth NGO organized Human Library, that gave an opportunity to the participants to share their thoughts regarding their experiences.

Human Library is an innovative “Book-Reader” space, which is designed to build understanding for diversity by providing a framework for real encounters about important issues. Open and honest conversations may lead to greater acceptance, tolerance and social cohesion in Armenia.

The event hosted eight people who volunteered to become “Books” by making their experiences open and available, usually on issues that people tend to have a difficult time discussing. The titles of the book represented stigmatized or stereotyped minority groups in Armenia. For example, people representing ethnic, religious minorities, LGBT community or any other community that is exposed to general misconceptions, stigma, stereotyping and or prejudice.

The Books were lent out to curious readers who asked them questions and challenge their own perceptions on different minority groups in Armenia. That is the objective of Human Library: to create a space that can challenge and break social stereotypes and prejudices through real face-to-face conversations.

During the event, we hosted more than 100 people. The attendees were not only Armenians but also youth workers from six different countries, who were in Yerevan in the frames of the long-term training course “Everyone Matters”.

The event was quite dynamic and interesting. “Readers” got the answers to their questions, talking to people with different outlooks. We can firmly say that “readers” learned to look at life from a different perspective. This was also a great opportunity for “books” to speak about their life stories and share their emotions, thoughts and fears. They also spoke about the experiences how they overcame the difficulties they faced in their lives.

Artak Arakelyan, the “Book” labeled as “Queer”, shared his experience with us, ‘This project had a great psychological influence on me because it was the first time when I had the chance to publicly speak about myself, my sexuality and sexual life, my feelings, fears and thoughts. I tried to present the negative sides of my experience in a more colorful way because I didn’t want anyone to face the difficulties that gave me a thick skin.’

Kristine’s Experience in Poland

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What is European Voluntary Service? The first time I asked this question was more than two years ago.

A friend of mine told me about various opportunities with ERASMUS+ program to volunteer in Europe. Consequently, I started doing more research and realized that it was something I really want to do. It sounded like a perfect opportunity to expand my horizons and figure out what to do in the future. The only thing I knew for sure was that I want to work with youth. This helped me choose from thousands of projects on European Youth Portal. Nevertheless, after some motivation letters, the whole process for a while seemed futile. Luckily for me, just when I was about to lose hope, my friend sent me a project where the partner organization was APY. I immediately applied and I got to the next stage! Several interviews and offers to participate in projects followed. The one that I set my heart on was in Rzeszow, Poland with an organisation called INPRO.

I am not going to lie, I was both excited and anxious the month before the project was supposed to start. I signed up for living in Poland for the whole year. I was going there alone, not knowing anyone, having no clue what to expect. There were so many things that could have gone wrong… From the first day I arrived though, I instantly felt that I made the right decision choosing Rzeszow. I could not have imagined a warmer welcome from INPRO! After this great start, everyone continued to be so helpful, kind and do everything in their power to make us, EVS volunteers, feel at home. INPRO did accept us as like new family members. People there are wonderful, I like them a lot. They are very open-minded and doing awesome job. People out of the organization are also nice. Not everybody speaks English, but this was a good for me to practice the local language.

INPRO is based in a small city Rzeszow in the southeastern Poland. Initiatives of the INPRO Association focus primarily on the personal development and education of young people from Rzeszów and the Podkarpackie Province. Through their projects and workshops, they seek to reach people not only from other cultural backgrounds, but also to represent diversity in origin, age, and beliefs. Activities are aimed at realization outside formal educational programs of the highest quality. They create an international environment and provide space for individual development. In INPRO I was in charge of many events and workshops dedicated to young people living in the city related to human rights, hate speech, discrimination and intercurtural education.  Apart of that I was doing administrative work, social media management, web editor and of course my personal project, I was teaching Russian language.

People that I am surrounded by are of the utmost importance for me. I am so glad to know that I have made friends that I can count on. Living far away from home, no matter how used to it you are, is never easy. Therefore, it is incredibly good to know that I found people to share my joy with and who will be there to support me when I need it.

Volunteering in INPRO is definitely one of the best decisions I have made so far. The experience is just invaluable! I couldn’t have anticipated in my wildest dreams how much I would grow to love people here, how much I wouldl learn and improve professionally. European Voluntary Service is an experience I will always be grateful for. I am very grateful for my sending and hosting organizations as well.

I would like to end this by encouraging you to give EVS a shot. If you’re thinking about it but you’re not completely convinced yet or it sounds too good to be true, I promise you it is not. It is true, the programme covers all your expenses (don’t expect any luxuries though) and the things you’ll learn and experiences you’ll have will likely change your view on life. You’ll feel so motivated to travel and meet more people and get to know other cultures.

Everyone Matters! Training Course on Diversity Management and Youth Inclusion

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Quite frequently young people in rural communities are deprived of their right to participate in the decision making processes concerning different issues of their local communities, environmental or educational problems and so on. This phenomenon has always existed in many countries, particularly in Eastern Partnership countries, because of social discrimination, unawareness, unfairness etc.

Inspired by the vision of creating a united society of young people, who celebrate and foster cultural and social diversity both on professional and personal levels, who are ready to develop the inclusion of rural and unprivileged young people in various types of social activities, we designed and implemented the training course “Everyone Matters!”. The training course gathered 35 young workers from 7 different countries to improve their skills of integrating young people from deprived urban areas into social activities and help them grow to be active citizens of their countries.

Throughout the training course the participants took part in different discussions on the following topics: Equality vs Equity, Diversity & Communication, Power and Privilege and so on. After being presented to several topics, our youth workers designed and conducted their own workshops, through which they practiced their newly acquired skills and knowledge.

In addition to the educational part, the training courses organized by Armenian Progressive Youth NGO also give the chance to discover the culture and history of Armenia. Hence, the participants also had the opportunity to visit some cultural and historical sights. The tour began with a visit to the Blue Mosque, located in Yerevan, Armenia. Afterwards, they headed towards the Temple of Garni, the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia. In the end, they visited the Geghard Monastery, which was carved out of cliffs. An inseparable part of Armenian culture is of course Armenian cuisine: during the trip, the participants got to taste the famous Armenian barbecue (or “khorovats”), baked and tried authentic Armenian bread, called “lavash”, they also made and tasted chuchkhela (or “sujukh” as the Armenians call it).

The participants were very impressed by the activities of the training course considering it to be a great experience, that will help them to pass their knowledge on to their friends, colleagues and other members of the organizations that they present.

PRIDE “Capacity Building and Evaluation Seminar”

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On his way human has created the standards that dictate how to live, how to act and even how to think. Human race always strives for perfection and excellence. Only by following those rules one can be considered as normal. We live in the world where being different is not appreciated and welcomed. Usually, being different means being in a cell full of limits, doubts and fears. Unfortunately, human continue to stand up for that “ideal”, be afraid of acceptance of new and unknown. Realization of this issue led to the implementation of the idea called PRIDE “Promoting Diversity and Inclusive Youth Work Practices”. That’s where the paths of Armenian Progressive Youth NGO (Armenia) and More Mosaic NGO (Sweden) crossed.

May 2018, 3rd stage of PRIDE. In the framework of the project, it was the second time that APY hosted youth workers, trainers and educators from all over the world. The objective of the TC was to develop diversity orientation in their work with young people and build their competence in diversity management.

Little reminder: During the second stage of PRIDE, the participants organized local events and activities to share the knowledge that they had gained during the first stage of PRIDE. Therefore, the 3rd stage has been the perfect time to publicly present the results and achievements of their local events and activities. “Presenting learning achievements and local activities” was the public event during which the participants had the opportunity to present the activities that they had implemented back in their counties. The participants’ speeches and little presentations were contrasting and really inspiring.

Irina Novac, a 18 years old student from Romania, told us about her experience, “I went to the 5th graders of my school, and played a game about privileges. I gave each one a situation. Some kids had to play a role of someone extremely privileged and others conversely of unprivileged. I asked them 10 simple questions, that made the existence of privilege really obvious (yes-a step forward, no-a step backward, neutral-do not move). After the exercise, we had a discussion, in which all the kids shared their feelings. Then, they had 5 minutes of self-reflection and analysis of what they had learned from the activity. At the end, we tried to find solutions in order to involve everyone and treat everybody equally”.

PRIDE was not all about learning but also about having fun and getting to know Armenia and its history. Visits to Armenian Genocide Memorial, Blue Mosque, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and Khor Virap Monastery helped the participants to learn more about the religious diversity and to explore historical monuments of Armenia.

Later Korcan Yakşi told us about his cultural experience, “Armenia was a closed box from my perspective as a Turkish. There are significant social, cultural and physical isolations between two countries and it was a very precious journey for me. I had a chance to be in our neighboring country, to be able to explore Armenia by myself and have my own opinion and not to stick to things that I was constantly taught. I feel so lucky to be able to say that I was in Armenia, have my own experience leaving out the prejudices and “one-sided texts”. Moreover, I am happy I made new friends”.

Հայ կամավորների փորձառությունները Բուլղարիայում

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Մայիսի 15-ից Հունիսի 15-ը Բուլղարիայում տեղի ունեցավ “Alternativi International” կազմակերպության կողմից իրականացվող է «Ոչ ատելության խոսքին» (No hate speech) մեկ ամսյա կամավորական ծրագիրը։ Ծրագիրը համախմբեց 17-30 տարեկան երիտասարդների՝ 6 տարբեր երկրներից ժամանած։ 5 հայ երիտասարդներ նույնպես հնարավորություն ունեցան մասնակցելու ծրագրին։

Ծրագրի նպատակններն էին՝

• տարբեր երկրների երիտասարդների շրջանում հանդուրժողականության մթնոլորտի ձևավորումը;
• ոչ ֆորմալ կրթական ծրագրերի միջոցով ատելության խոսքի տարածման հնարավորությունների նվազեցումը;
• ատելության խոսքի դեմ արդյունավետ պայքարի ու հակազդման կարողություններով զինումը։

Ծրագրի մասնակիցները բավականին արդյունավետ են համարում թե՛ ծրագրի բովանդակությունը, թե՛ ֆորմատը։ Մասնակիցներից Ռազմիկ Մարտիրոսյանը այն հարցին, թե ինչպիսին էին ծրագրի վերաբերյալ նրա պատկերացումները, պատասխանեց հետևյալ կերպ․

– Նախորդ տարի ընկերներիցս մեկը մասնակցել էր “Alternativi International”-ի նույնանման նախագծերից մեկին, և երբ վերադարձավ, բավականին տպավորված էր, նշում էր, որ անմոռաց օրեր է ունեցել, ձեռք է բերել նոր ընկերներ, կատարելագործել է անգլերենը, ճամփորդել է․․․ Այսքանից հետո ինձ այլ բան չէր մնում, քան առաջին իսկ հնարավորության դեպքում մասնակցել ծրագրին։ Նախապես պլանավորել էի, թե մեկ ամսվա ընթացքում Բուլղարիայի որ քաղաքներն եմ այցելելու, ինչպես եմ կազմակերպելու աշխատանքս։ Եվ գրեթե ամեն ինչ պլանավորածիս համաձայն անցավ։

Ռազմիկը նաև մի քանի մանրամասներ նշեց իր մշակութային փորձառության վերաբերյալ․

-Բուլղարիայում կյանքումս առաջին անգամ որոշեցի օգտվել ավտոստոպից, և հենց առաջին փորձս բավականին հաջող էր։ Մի քանի հայերով էինք, նաև մեր դրացի վրացիներն էին մեզ հետ։ Բլագոևգրադից Բանսկո մեկնեցինք, հրաշալի ժամանակ անցկացրինք, նույն եղանակով էլ վերադարձանք։ Ինչպես ասում են՝ բոլոր գոհ էին և երջանիկ, դե, ես էլ բավականին հպարտ էի, որ չձախողվեցի։ Այդ եղանակով բազմաթիվ քաղաքաներ ու գյուղաքաղաքներ եմ այցելել, և էլ ավելի մոտիկից ծանոթացել Բուլղարիայի մշակույթին, շփվել տարբեր մարդկանց հետ, որոնք ամբողջ ճանապարհին խորհուրդ էին տալիս այս կամ այն վայրն այցելել, փորձել այս կամ այն ուտեստը։

Մինչդեռ, Մադլեն Չախալյանը պատմեց ծրագրում իր ներգրավածության մասին․

-Ծրագրի ընթացքում բազմաթիվ առաջադրանքներ և խաղեր էին կազմակերպվում, ինչը բավականին օգնեց լինել ավելի ազատ թիմային աշխատանքում, կարծում եմ բավականին ակտիվ ներգրավված եմ եղել բոլոր թիմային աշխատանքներում:

Մասնակիցներից մեկ ուրիշը՝ Սրբուհի Պետրոսյանը, պատմեց օտարերկյա մասնակիցների հետ իր փորձառության մասին՝ նշելով իրենց ընդհանուր հետաքրքրությունները․

-Բոլորս էլ ունեինք ընդհանուր հետաքրքրություններ կապված լեզուների ուսումնասիրության հետ, նախասիրությունների, ազգային առանձնահատկությունների, ինչու ոչ նաև սիրելի ուտեստների, նախընտրած երաժշտության և այլնի հետ։

Ծրագրի ընթացում մասնակիցները ձեռք բերեցին նոր գիտելիքներ, ինչպես նաև զարգացրին մի շարք հմտություններ։ Ծրագիրը նրանց օգնեց զարգացնել իրենց համակարգչային հմտությունները, ինչպես նաև գաղափարներն արագ արտահայտելու կարողությունները։ Ծրագրի շնորհիվ մանսակիցները հետաքրքրություն ձեռք բերեցին դեպի գրաֆիտի արվեստը և խորացրին ատելության խոսքի մասին իրենց գիտելիքները։ Թերևս նրանց ամենից նշանակալից փորձառությունը մեկ ամիս շարունակ միայնակ ապրելն էր։

Մասնակիցներից Անի Թորոսյանը պատմեց ծրագրի ընթացքում իրեն բազմաթիվ անգամներ ուղղված հարցի մասին․

-«Ո՞նց, իրանց լավ ե՞ն պահում, հո բան-ման չե՞ն ասում, լա՞վն են»։ Մոտավորապես էսպիսի հարցեր էին տալիս ընկերներս և բարեկամներն՝ իմանալով, որ Թուրքիայից էլ ներկայացուցիչներ կան։ Բոլոր հետաքրքրասերներին ասեմ․ լավը չէին, շաաաատ լավն էին։

Հետաքրքրե՞ց այս ծրագրով։ Ցանկանո՞ւմ ես մասնակցել։ Ուշ չէ, քանի որ Alternativi International-ը և Հայ առաջադեմ երիտասարդություն ՀԿ-ն նոր հնարավորություն են ընձեռում այն երիտասարդներին, որվքեր դեռևս չեն հասցրել մասնակցել ծրագրին։ Մանրամասն տեղեկությունների համար գրի՛ր մեր ֆեյսբուքյան էջին։ Սպասում ենք հենց քո հայտադիմումին։

PRIDE “Promoting Diversity and Inclusive Youth Work Practices”

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Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.

 –    Stephen Covey

The training course PRIDE “Promoting Diversity and Inclusive Youth Work Practices” provided a solid background for many youth workers, trainers and facilitators to gain a good deal of knowledge regarding the topic and further work in the fields of inclusion, diversity and anti-discrimination in order to spread awareness, empower, activate the potential of diversity in trainings and work with young people both at National and at the European levels.

The training course was organized by Armenian Progressive Youth NGO (Armenia) and More Mosaic NGO (Sweden) and funded by the European Union – EU. PRIDE was a multi-layer project that consisted of 3 parts. The main objective of the project is to empower workers, trainers and educators to develop diversity orientation in their work with young people and build their competence in diversity management. The training course has gathered 30 youth workers and educators from 14 different organizations based in EU and non-EU countries.

The issue of diversity and inclusion has been a hot topic of conversation nowadays. The huge role and significance of the latter is not to be denied.  Accepting and promoting diversity is not only the ultimate goal, but also a tool to a more inclusive, more just, and more effective society as diverse groups are a sign of a healthy and inclusive culture. Hence, a high purpose should be to create a world where everyone will get equal opportunities to succeed. The stereotypes and prejudices about members of groups that are different from ourselves should be abandoned and a recognition that all of us deserve to be considered unique individuals should take over.

Throughout the training course the participants gained valuable skills and knowledge that will stand them a good stead in applying the practical tools, methods and instruments in the cooperation with the youth workers who seek to implement the concept of diversity in their work. The Received experience will also serve as a background to establish discrimination-free and diversity-oriented attitudes within the European programs in the fields of Education, Training and Youth.

My 10-month EVS journey!

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I always have a strong belief that everything happens in time and brings growth and essential changes in our lives. One of the biggest and essential events that have ever happened to me was this one-year EVS (2017-2018) in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Back then in 2017, in summer, I finished my 2-year teaching program with Teach for Armenia. My striving for new impressions and skills brought me closer to EVS. Having some information about European Volunteer Service as a participant in a number of Erasmus+ projects, I decided to continue my journey with EVS. While my teaching in Armenia I encountered different issues that our educational system had. One of them was the vulnerable issue of Special Education, people living with special needs and immature attitude of our society towards them. So my first decision was to take part in EVS project. The most crucial question should have been “Why I want to be an EVS volunteer?” My experience and lessons learned in my home country assisted me a lot to find the answer. So I started to look for an EVS project which would be connected with Special Education and School at the same time. It took me a while to dig up the EVS database on the internet when I finally came across the announcement on the FB page of APY about 10-month volunteering opportunity in Vilnius in an inclusive “Blessed Teofilius Matulionis High School” (Palaimintojo Teofiliaus Matulionio gimnazija). So I told myself, “Go for it! This is it!” I applied with love and got accepted. While these 10 months I never had a moment of regret about my choice of project and the hosting organization. In “Palaimintojo Teofiliaus Matulionio gimnazija”, the school that I was working in, I was the Special Education Assistant in English classes for kids with special needs. I was also assisting the staff members to organize outdoor activities, excursions and summer camps. I will try to do my best to fit you in my mood and tell about my 10-month journey.

While choosing the project I didn’t think of the country much. The volunteering project mattered most because I wanted to make any assistance to the everyday life of people with special needs and learn their psychology. But when the country was already clear, I was ready to live 10 months of my life in the new environment of astonishing Vilnius and Lithuania in general that I have heard of only in my geography classes. I had an opportunity to meet up locals from Baltic States before, on an international training course. They were Estonians. They made a good impression on me, so I thought the same or similar traits I would see in Lithuania. But life is full of surprises and I was lucky my surprises were enjoyable most of the time. I didn’t really have a cultural shock from the local lifestyle because as a Post-Soviet country we have some similarities as rebel soul and revolutionary movements, strong sense of patriotism etc. And, also speaking both English and Russian helped me out a lot before learning Lithuanian common words. For example, when English didn’t help in communication with teachers at my school, with shop assistants or locals, I could easily switch to Russian or use my beginner level Lithuanian. Cultural shock came while living with people from different cultures (Spanish and German) and spending time with people with different nationalities. This was a chance to rethink my habits, priorities, way of thinking, breaking stereotypes. And at the end I am thankful for this tough but useful period.

I lived all 10 months in Vilnius. It’s an incredible city full of mixed culture, crazy artists, conservative and open-minded people, international people, festivals, churches, green lakes, forests and parks, cold and long winters, blossoming springs and summers, the Republic of Užupis and many other amazing things. I got all this impressions by interacting with locals both in my hosting and other social organizations, by taking part in different cultural and social events, by travelling on the territory of Lithuania. My tutor used to say, “Lithuanians are lifetime friends, but it takes a lifetime to become friends with them.” Indeed it was worth waiting to find people you can rely on and kindly welcome whenever and wherever in the world. I can say that Lithuania as a country is underestimated and can possibly compete with famous tourist destinations. Lithuania is a country of lakes and forests. It possesses so much beauties known mostly to locals or interested foreigners. It is a place where you feel in harmony with nature and yourself. And I wish it to be known to a wider range of people as the energy and beauty it has is important and interesting enough to share with the world.

Sadly, this is only the theoretical description of the volunteering I performed in Vilnius. What impressions I got from Lithuania and abroad in general, what love I gave and received from kids and adults with special needs, what strong people I met, what great friends I made, how I felt travelling to different countries can’t simply be put in words. In the end, I can say that life is indeed a journey and the bravest have the most exciting parts. So be brave and you will get best of your journey!

I am sure only people who went through the similar situation can understand the joy of volunteering abroad. But I also share my experience to inspire bright young minds to break their stone shells and embrace the world, embrace the unity.