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Discover new cultures and make friends for life
As part of the European Solidarity Corps, I had the opportunity to do a short-term volunteer service (2 months) in the organization "Genc Girisim" in Ankara in the summer of 2023. The aim of "Genc Girisim" is to encourage young people to take a more active role in our society - mainly through sports and cultural workshops. In this way, "Genc Girisim" creates a space for dialog, learning and cultural integration.
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As a volunteer in "Genc Girisim", I had several tasks: in addition to supporting sports training (mainly tennis, but also swimming) in various sports clubs in Ankara, I organized language courses and film evenings for local young Turks. Every week, a different volunteer organized a language course and film evening about their home country. This was a great opportunity for me to teach other young people a bit of German and tell them about Germany. I also got to know many new customs and cultures, as "Genc Girisim" is a team made up of people from many different countries and cultures and regularly hosts many volunteers. For example, the other volunteers during my time in the project came from Poland, Hungary, France, Spain, Italy, Romania, Morocco, Tunisia and Russia.
I felt very comfortable in the organization "Genc Girisim" and in Ankara in general. I found the organization's staff and the locals very warm and hospitable. Ankara is a big city and has a lot to offer: in addition to museums and sights, there are also great parks and even a lake in the south of the city. I can also recommend a visit to a Turkish hammam! During the volunteer service, you live together with the other volunteers from the organization in a shared flat, which is why we did a lot of things together. Ankara's location in the middle of the country is also very convenient for visiting other cities and places in Turkey. For example, I was able to travel to Samsun (on the Black Sea), Antalya, Cappadocia and Eskişehir and thus learn more about the culture and history of my host country. The weekly Turkish courses, where we learned the basic vocabulary, proved to be very helpful!
In conclusion, I would say that I learned a lot during my volunteer project and leave Ankara with valuable experiences and memories. In addition to improving my foreign language skills and discovering new cultures, the project was a place where I made meaningful friendships. I would recommend this experience to anyone who wants to make a positive difference through volunteering and immerse themselves in another culture at the same time!
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