As part of her ESC experience, Ilaria from Italy, joined the IKS team and fellow volunteers at the Eurodesk information stand during Lovrenčevo, one of Petrinja’s most important local celebrations. For her, the day was not only an opportunity to promote European and local volunteering opportunities, but also her first real experience of directly engaging with a larger local audience in Croatia.
Stepping outside her comfort zone, communicating mostly in a language other than her own and meeting many new people turned the day into an unexpected opportunity for personal growth. In her reflection below, Ilaria shares how a busy day at an information stand helped her build confidence, connect with the local community and approach future challenges with a new perspective.
Read more below in her reflection on the experience;
”On Monday, August 10th, one of the most important events in the town of Petrinja, the Lovrenčevo event, took place in the city park in front of the Church of St. Lawrence. Together with the Udruga IKS project, the other volunteers and I took the opportunity to attend the Eurodesk and Local Volunteer Center (CVL) information stand. We began the day by setting up the stand, where we placed all the information materials: flyers and brochures about the European Solidarity Corps and the various opportunities it offers (local volunteering, Erasmus+), gadgets (pens, t-shirts, measuring tapes, notepads, etc.), business cards, QR codes for social media pages, and a few games (memory cards, general knowledge quizzes, and a can-throw game). Once everything was ready, we got down to business: our task was to interact with as many people as possible to ensure they learned about the opportunities and goals of the volunteer project we’re involved in. The festive atmosphere, thanks to the background music, the cheerfulness of the vendors, and the large turnout of participants, positively enhanced the atmosphere.
The Lovrenčevo event turned out to be my first experience interacting with the public, and the entire day far exceeded my expectations. Simply put, the games offered were crucial to the success of the information exchange, as they engaged more than fifty people. Personally, the idea of exposing myself (mostly in a language other than my own) didn’t immediately make me feel comfortable, but as time went by, I gained more confidence, becoming more in character and able to perform my role more naturally. Ultimately, I found this event to be a learning experience, both because it allowed me to gain more self-confidence and because it allowed me to make friends and meet many people. I thank the project and the volunteers for accompanying me on this journey, which encouraged me to face future challenges with a different approach.”
- Ilaria
This Eurodesk activity was implemented by Association IKS as a Eurodesk multiplier with the support of Eurodesk Croatia. The participation of international volunteers in the activity was supported through the European Solidarity Corps programme, under the volunteering project implemented by Association IKS which is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.