I am Büşra Er, a volunteer in the project “Inclusive volunteering for green and digital active youth society” (2024-1-BG01-ESC51-VTJ-000230488) implemented by the Bulgarian Youth Forum under the European Solidarity Corps programme and co-funded by the European Union.
During my time here, I have learned and experienced many new things. Although I had worked with children before, the ones I interacted with during this project belonged to an older age group. Despite the language barrier, I was still able to feel each child’s affection and excitement.
We organized many activities together, such as the Ester workshop, Martenitsa workshop, and events about the Bulgarian alphabet and culture. These kinds of activities were very effective in spending enjoyable and educational time with the children. I felt most connected with Bulgarian culture during those moments. This experience has deepened my perspective on volunteering in a different culture. It has especially helped me improve my communication skills and interact effectively with different age groups. At the same time, having the opportunity to get to know Bulgarian culture closely has significantly contributed to my personal development and cultural awareness. As a psychologist, the observations I made during this time were extremely valuable to me.
In addition to these activities, we also gave presentations on important topics such as anti-vaping/anti-smoking, cyber security, and the ecosystem for older age groups. These presentations were highly valuable for the youth. That’s why we put effort into making the content more engaging and relatable for them. Throughout the process, seeing the children’s and young people’s interest in these topics was both encouraging and meaningful.
As part of my personal project, we created crafts using recycled materials. The project took place in another city with children living in a rural area. Talking with the children, teaching them new skills, and watching their creativity unfold was truly enjoyable and fun.
We also provided separate Canva training sessions for both the teachers and students at the same school, and we organized a photography workshop. That school—the coordinator, the teachers, and the loving students—became unforgettable to me. They welcomed us with great hospitality and showed interest and support throughout all our activities.
Of course, my experiences weren’t limited to working with children. We also took part in university events. For example, visiting the city of Veliko Tarnovo and giving a presentation to university students about Erasmus+ and ESC was a first-time experience for me.
In total, I was involved in four different Erasmus+ projects as part of BYF team. Being there and actively supporting the organization by contributing in various ways was a truly meaningful experience. It was a great feeling to be part of the team behind the scenes, helping with the flow of the events and engaging with participants from different countries. Each project offered me new insights, connections, and unforgettable memories.
Moreover, throughout the project we received Bulgarian language classes and other educational trainings. This helped me to understand the culture more deeply. And of course, I made sure to share all of these experiences in a blog post. This project not only allowed me to discover new cultures, but also helped me to better understand myself and contributed greatly to my personal growth.
