Armenia ESC
ESC11 Individual Volunteering – “SOS – A home for every child”
General Information
In the context of the “SOS – A Home for Every Child” project our Volunteer, Vasili, was hosted by the Armenian Volunteer Service “HUJ” in the city of Yerevan, Armenia, and became part of their multicultural team. As is the case for every ESC project, our Volunteer had a designated coordinator (tutor), who was his key reference point for task-related support, and a mentor who helped his smooth integration into the social and cultural life in Yerevan and facilitated his self-reflection and personal growth through this learning experience!
Activities
During the first days of the project, the volunteer went to meet and get familiarized with the working environment and his colleagues. He was responsible for the children’s exercise segment as there was never a trainer available at the center to engage the children accordingly. However since it was a trial period, he discovered that due to the language gap, it was difficult for the children to discipline themselves and to follow instructions or understand complex activities and sequences. Therefore, he continued with gymnastics-related activities only with small groups of children.
As he gained more experience, he started English and mathematics classes using non-formal activities. As he noticed that the children lacked basic concepts and struggled to locate their own country on the map he suggested to add also geography lessons, which children embraced with great joy. Fortunately, the geography lesson was a great opportunity for the children to learn new words and concepts in English.
One of the volunteer’s responsibilities was the organization of several thematic events. Dance Day, Asia Day, Christmas Cookie Baking Day, and various arts and crafts days, such as composing and decorating letters to Santa Claus, were some of them.
As the months went by, the volunteer was increasingly adapting to the program. He tailored the activities according to the number of children hosted by the foundation each month, as well as the prevailing weather conditions. When they wanted to approach more complex topics such as geography lessons, environmental education, and basic principles of biology like evolutionary theory, due to the language barrier, they used audiovisual aids found on the internet to make them more understandable to the children. Then, they would engage in discussions about these topics.
As part of the program, the volunteer also didn’t miss the opportunity for personal exploration of Armenia. Taking advantage of his days off, he organized small excursions to nearby areas to learn more about and immerse himself in the culture and heritage of the Armenians. Naturally, he also participated in the mid term training, where he had the opportunity to learn more about the ESC programs, meet other volunteers, and visit a new country, Georgia.
End of the Placement
Upon his arrival back home, EKO had a “post-project” evaluation meeting, in which Vasilis, could make an overarching evaluation of their volunteering experience and reflect on how they could utilize their experiences in their future pursuits for further education, employment or civil society engagement.
“Volunteering in Armenia is a very fullfilling experience that rewards every young person with joyfull emotions, memories and skills. Experiencing the Armenian hospitalitty and making armenian friends is trully a privillege for anyone that gets the opportunity to visit this country.”
Together we explored available possibilities in the context of different programs under the ESC or other contexts:
Vasilis stayed in Armenia one more month after his program ended, as he covered the empty spot that Angeliki left. After his return to Greece, he continued his studies. The experience he gained working with the kids of the ZATIK organization, really motivated him. He also continued to work with EKO in a solidarity project related to theater and not only did he participate, but he helped with the whole process till the end of the project.
