Volunteer Stories: On bridges – by Sofya

My name is Sofya, I`m from Ukraine, an international relations and public communications student and a volunteer in T4UTH. My experience has been so diverse and full as with volunteering, so with exploring rich Romanian culture so far. Throughout my time staying in Romania a lot of different things have already happened and it is extremely hard to highlight just one!

For the past two months I have been volunteering in the Romanian-Ukrainian Community center, the objectives are to make the adaptation and development of Ukrainian kids easier and faster, provide them with academic support and non-formal education.

I see myself there as one of the bridges between Ukraine and Romania, as I have as Ukrainian, so Romanian co-facilitators. It’s the most rewarding thing, when I see the impact of my work on kids and the feedback from those, who I work with.

Apart from that, I’m actively exploring Romania as a country, its geography and cultural landmarks by visiting different places in my spare time, visiting local cultural events and talking to natives. I`m meeting new people, other international volunteers, and communicating about our cultural differences and similarities, sharing our experience.

For now, I would say that I find my current volunteering experience as highly valuable as for my personal growth, so for gaining professional competences and irreplaceable practical skills!

The ”ESCpert” project is funded by the European Commission through the European Solidarity Corps program and lasts 28 months.
Read more about Sofia’s experience here: https://www.facebook.com/t4uth/photos/a.191011080922103/5513354792021012/