Last month I attended a seminar in Worcester, England,
on the topic of personal development, employability and non formal learning and
how it can improve and influence social welfare. Of course, there was a clear
division with the perspective and of the participants from Balkan countries and
EU people, but I discovered that a lot of EU countries face the same problems
and attitudes toward the topic.
TIMES ARE HARD FOR
DREAMERS. This quote comes from one of my favorite movies, Amelie and is a very true statement. I
am a dreamer with a lot of wishes, plans and ambitions not just for myself, but
also for my country and also for this world. I believe we should all give our contribution
to make this world a better place, and like a Miss Universe or something I want
peace in the world and many things to get better. We might not reach
perfection, but by gathering positive thinkers and starting some action we can
prove the hope in and for humanity should not be lost J
What I encountered in England was a great culture of
kind people, Beatles, beer, Harry Potter, royal baby, royal family, rainy days,
green countryside and dull food. London was brilliant and I think “Please mind
the gap between the train and the platform” got stuck in my head for 3-4 days. On
seminar and in practice I learned a bit about education, economy and social
state in the country and about community service standards. I was able to
compare and contrast it to my living in the Balkans and United States. In UK it’s
a standard to volunteer and help out in your community, in numerous ways. It is
not just as a addition to CV, or college application but it’s a culture, non
formal rule. All people do it, despite age and gender, when they have time – on
weekdays and weekends. They enjoy it. Talking to local people in Worcester I
saw how they see volunteering as a personal development and learning process,
not just charity – because they get new skills, knowledge and experiences. That’s
the point – not only do we enrich ourselves by volunteering , but we help our
community, society and the world.
Community service in the United States is also well developed – students do it a lot and so
do adults – they cherish non-profit world, build networks and strengthen their
CVs and application.
Community service also allows those participating to
reflect on the difference they are making in society. Some participants of a
community service project may find themselves gaining a greater understanding
of their roles in the community, as well as the impact of their contributions
towards those in need of service. Because community service outlets vary, those
who serve are exposed to many different kinds of people, environments, and
situations.
With each new community service project, some participants
may gain insightful experience in a variety of areas. Participants may also
internalize the information that they found personally insightful for future
use. While simply performing community service is valuable to the recipients,
those serving often find it beneficial to pause and reflect on how they are
changing society for the better. Schools often take students on community
service projects in order for them to gain a greater understanding of how their
individual actions affect the well being of the public. Participants may find
that the giving of themselves to the public good may result in a more
solidified view of self and purpose.
And then you come back to the Balkans, where often
you are unaware how to volunteer and made laugh by the others for doing free
work. ITS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY, MONEY, MONEY… And its not only Balkans
problem. I understand how different
socio economics conditions took away volunteering possibilities for many people
– working full time, trying to get by, support a family etc.. But I also
believe a big education should be done in this field, especially for all those
unemployed people, drinking coffee all day , every day in various coffee shops
around the Balkans and wider. Young and old folks should learn all the ways to
volunteer, why it is beneficial and how it helps, also how much do they gain
from it. During college, we are required to get some skills and experience. Today,
accent is often on the non formal learning and what we actually did as socially
responsible individuals or young leaders, not only do we have a degree and from
what school. People justify themselves how they don’t have time to do community
service in the Balkans, because there is no money/time/results. But you have
money, time and results in drinking coffee and playing gossip girls and boys
all day, every day ?! GIVE ME A BREAK. All it takes to do good is a smile,
positive energy, very little time and initiative and a lot of hope and courage.
All over Europe people will consider you a fool if you work for free. Well, I say
only those fools will be able to break 50 shades of grey economy and lead to
changes and progress. Just look at this – Big depression and First Big Global
economic crisis in the USA was beaten by volunteering. Also, Balkan people were
world example – THEY BUILT AN ENTIRE COUNTRY AFTER THE WAR , WORKING TOGETHER
AND VOLUNTEERING TOGETHER . So , if history repeats, why didn’t someone tried
to copy Roosevelt`s New Deal, adjust it and find a way out of this crisis we
live in ?
Main purpose of the story is confirmation of what I
learned in the USA and UK – it is not about how much money you make, what
school did you go to in CV or in real
life. It is about how much you are ready to give and work and to expect in
return, and what do you believe in and how much you can improve through non
formal seminars, trainings, community work, etc.. World did it several times,
it just takes another perspective and motivation to happen again.
I volunteered from elementary school- collected
donations, cleaned, collected garbage, tutored, protested and did so many
actions and will keep doing so, no matter what people say. Maybe I cannot
change the world, but I can affect progress in someone`s life, create an
example and make someone happy and smile. And then I think to myself, what a
wonderful world. J
This is just my perspective and I truly hope it will
inspire someone. As Mother Teresa said, “we ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in
the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
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