When I first got accepted as a volunteer to come to Cyprus so to work at Hope for Children I was emotionally overwhelmed. After so many years looking for an opportunity in this sector, finally someone was giving me a chance to grow professionally and of course personally.
As soon as I arrived at the Head Quarter I tried to get familiar with the projects I would have collaborate on, and to understand how I could contribute to the organization with my small previous experience. All the R&D staff helped me in getting comfortable with the new tasks and responsibilities, but also from the very begging they did many efforts to make me feel part of their working family.
I became very passionate about what I was doing, even if sometimes I got lost due to the lack of experience on the field. But I never gave up. I always tried to do my best, asking for clarifications and explanations to my colleagues whenever I needed them.
And after 8 months I can affirm that this volunteer opportunity enriched me in many different ways. First I developed my language skills, since I had to work and communicate with the local community in English; I also learned some words and phrases in Greek, really helpful when it comes to create a friendly relation with the locals! Thanks to the many proposals we worked on, I got familiar with the process that is behind drafting proposals for EU funds, but also I participate to different kind of events, such as workshops and seminars, that showed me how to implement such kind of activities. For all these tasks it has been fundamental the team work, so I developed my ability in collaborating with others, improving at the same time the adaptability and flexibility skills.
I had also the opportunity to foster my creative skills through the implementation of my personal project, the drafting of online campaigns for social media, the preparation of promotional materials for specific projects (videos, posters, social media posts).
Thanks to the research tasks I deepen my knowledge on many topics, from Hate Speech issue to Cypriot situation on Sexual abuse. Moreover, since many of these projects adapts non-formal education methodologies I got familiar with many different educational strategies that could be implemented with both children and adults.
Of course some days had been harder than others, and to me the months of lockdown had been quite challenging. I was really looking forward to go back to the office, and after two months we were allowed to go back to our ordinary lives.
I would definitely suggest the experience at Hope for Children to all of those who, as me, wants to have a first-hand experience concerned with the idealization, realization and implementation of projects, in a multicultural environment. And you know what? Cyprus it is just amazing!