By Anna Sach Being an European Solidarity Corps Volunteer at the office of SCI Catalunya for seven months, the time just flew by because it was filled with so many different learnings, feelings, experiences and people I met. I realise how big the change is from the first time when I entered our office in January, nervous and unsure what would expect me, – to nowaday when I am laughing and talking during lunch break with my colleagues, trying some conversations in Catalan and feeling way more at home. Barcelona is a quite big and crowded city, but I learnt...
Experiències de voluntariat
Des del 1982 milers de persones han passat per l’SCI Catalunya: joves i no tan joves que han trobat en l’SCI un espai on contribuir a la construcció de pau i la transformació social. Algunes han fet camps, d’altres voluntariats de llarga durada, altres han format part dels grups locals. Escolta i llegeix les seves experiències!
My experience in the Youth Act International Forum
By Athar Shtiwe After participating in the International Forum Youth Act I, luckily, I was invited to participate in the International Forum Youth Act II. We were a group of young people from different parts of the Mediterranean and on the 13th of June, we arrived and started our journey in the beautiful city of Barcelona. The International Forum Youth Act II was a fabulous place and space to share, talk and discuss our realities. I shared my experience as a Palestinian youth, and I talked about the struggle of the Palestinians in general. Moreover, I listened and learned about...
Discussing Democracy in Strasbourg’s Youth Action Week
By Àneu Muns For one week in June 400 young activists, youth workers, civil society and representatives of student organizations gathered in Strasbourg, France, for the campaign of the Council of Europe Youth Here: Democracy Now! and was organized under the patronage of the Irish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and in partnership with the City of Strasbourg. Moreover, this year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the youth sector of the Council of Europe in order to make proposals be translated into policy and programmes at Council of Europe level in the future....
Fighting Global Challenges in the Peaceweek
By Marzia and Hannah For one week in March, we – activists, youth workers and educators – came together in Barcelona for the Peaceweek, a training seminar on the linkages between the climate crisis, (forced) migration and displacement. Our group consisted of 21 people from the Euro-Mediterranean region. All focusing on different issues – the climate crisis, economy, migration and feminisms. But we did not just talk about them in isolation, but connected them in our discussions. We lived together for one week, and to maintain a peaceful and safe environment we established a group agreement, defining rules, limits, boundaries...
Pausing for breath after the first half of my ESC at SCI Catalunya’s office
By Anna Sach I wake up on the night train at the French-Spanish border. The sun is rising over the Pyrenees. I have three weeks “out of office” behind me: a week of online Mid-Term Evaluation Seminar; a week of training in Rome on queer feminism and dealing with gender-based discrimination; a week of visiting friends, a concert and a big demonstration in Germany. I look at the landscape and am grateful for this distance with which I can now look back on my European Solidarity Corps (ESC) voluntary service. Since January, I have been living in Barcelona and...
My ESC in SCI Catalunya
By VIOLETTA SFOUNTOURI Taking the decision to come to SCI Catalunya as a volunteer was pretty easy, as a very good friend of mine, who I trust a lot, advised me to take a look at the ESC placement in the organization last year. I did not know anything about SCI up until then, so I knew it was going to be something really new for me and I felt ready for a challenge. Having been here for four months now, I feel really proud of having made the decision to come. I feel like I have already done so...
The Art of Upcycling
By Gemma Solans Rodríguez We took part in a Youth Exchange Erasmus+ project, ‘The Art of Upcycling’, amid the Latvian coast in a city named Liepaja. From the 21st to the 28th of March, we reflected on recycling and the topic of waste management. Taking our cultural backgrounds into account, we introduced to the group the present situation in our respective countries, in order to develop concrete strategies to reduce our green footprint impact and engage with others in a greener world. There were special occasions within the program schedule in which we shared food, traditional music and games in...
Coordinating the african regional training in Zimbabwe
By Kerry Hargadon, trainer The 8-day Camp Coordinator Training took place from 23-30 January 2022 at Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre near Harare, Zimbabwe. Participants were 27 current and future camp coordinators and group leaders from 7 African countries, who were able to explore and deepen their understandings of their roles. Sessions covered topics including conflict resolution, understanding group dynamics, using nonviolent communication, and creating a safe space for participants. Participants engaged meaningfully in the learning process and embraced non formal education methods such as role play, dynamic activities, group presentations, and individual reflection. Participants felt that In addition, the training went...
Sembrant aprenentatges amb Gaia Kosovo
Per Marta Carol A mitjans de setembre i en plena lluna creixent, ens reuníem al petit poble de Humilsâni, a la regió d’Hercegovina, per iniciar el training en permacultura social, com a continuació del projecte “Permaculture as a Path to Peace” impulsat per Gaia Kosovo SCI.
“Si voles per Can Pipirimosca…”
Article de Magí Ribot, participant del camp de treball de Can Pipirimosca 2021 En funció de la manera en com abracis l’experiència propiciarà un canvi més o menys significatiu en el teu cercle relacional amb el món. Una profunda petja en tu i ressaca emocional al final.
Un dia en la vida d’un voluntari ESC a Alemanya
By Ionut-Cosmin Popescu A fresh and shy warm-humid breeze moves the polaroids we took at yesterday’s party. The sun is strong but it barely burns my skin as I sit on the desk where I get light all morning.
“The amount of knowledge I gained can’t even be put into a few words”
By Cristina Debu Being a volunteer is not only investing in yourself but also in the environment you would like to live in. It means constantly challenging yourself, your comfort zone and what you thought you knew about the world that surrounds you.