On-arrival training – post by Tasha
The middle of October, and my second week in the Czech Republic was pretty amazing as I took a part in On-arrival training in Bohuslavice, near Telč. Together with 22 other volunteers who came from different European countries I spent five days at the farmstead located in the middle of this small but picturesque village.
One of the main aims of this training was creating a network of people who would later help each other, travel together and make this volunteering experience the best possible. It wasn’t a difficult thing to do at all, cause among my co-volunteers I could feel good vibes from the very beginning.
Of course, we were not just there to hang out, but to learn more about all volunteering practicalities and the beautiful host country. Thanks to a super dedicated team of trainers, we gained basic knowledge about Czech history, culture, politics and social issues in the country. Anything that would help us better adapt to a new culture.
The session about art and culture was of particular interest to me, and thanks to Filip and Ado I found out the best of Czech cinematography and music. I couldn’t wait to explore further on my own.
Throughout the program, we felt free to talk about ourselves and our cultures, the reasons why we are here. We showcased our talents and shared skills, and everyone had enough space to express themselves creatively.
The weather was perfect and we had enough free time to visit Telč, a beautiful small town that is well known for its town square that is UNESCO World Heritage Site and had a nice walk.
I am looking forward to the mid-term meeting, but also to other journeys we planned till then!
“My experience with on-arrival was actually much better than I expected. I met wonderful people from all over Europe and got useful advice from coordinators. I spent unforgettable moments there!”
“At the beginning I didn’t feel comfortable because I didn’t connect with anyone, also I didn’t have many expectations in that. But step by step I went to feel more comfortable and I discovered really beautiful people like Adam, Wojtek and Taša. It was amazing spending time together (especially in the night). For me, my best moment there was the last night when Wojtek and I were alone on the boat in the middle of the lake, we saw each other and we said: “worth it”.”
“Raising Hands
Being helpful is so much fun.
You have a certain finish, where you need to run,
And some lovely people to enjoy life,
And you will explore more beauties deep inside,
To learn that we all must fight together,
Sometimes you have some troubles but it doesn’t matter,
Because you can open your mind and sacrifice your heart,
So the song will remain the same and will never fall apart,
And, at the end of the journey, when you look around from the hill,
You will definitely say that working as a volunteer was such a great deal!”
“For me, the on-arrival training was a very rewarding experience. Moments of information on the event have been well presented and help a good understanding. The activities we did were many and original (very different from what I expected). And this event is useful to meet other volunteers and build relationships with them.”
“Until now I have attended many workshops or training and based on my experience I think I was very lucky to participate in this training. I found it useful and needed. From the beginning, I was impressed by the fact it was leading by so professional and experienced team. The presented content was exactly the one I needed as a volunteer to be aware of my responsibilities and rights. As a participant, I had a space to express myself, ask about everything that was important or essential to me, identify my problems and what is most important to discover many things about myself.”
“I spent such a nice week at Bohuslavice. It wasn’t so easy to reach the place, we actually had to take one train and four busses from Merboltice. I liked to meet other volunteers from all over the country, chat and spend time with them. We made this very funny group game, the goal was to finish ten missions in thirty minutes of time. It was a good way to know each other better and collaborate as a team. The last evening we closed our work camp with a wonderful fire under the sky. I would like to have more time with these guys and hopefully meet us again.”
YEE aims to unite environmental youth non-profit organisations in Europe in order to enhance international cooperation, increase knowledge about the climate crisis, raise awareness of environmental problems and to strengthen participation of youth in environmental decision-making.
