After finishing high school, I worked with children with disabilities during school hours. I supported them in class and helped them understand the instructions. I realized that I needed to feel useful, and helping those children progress at school gave me that feeling.
Later on, I worked as a home-care assistant for people with reduced mobility. I helped them with meals, cleaning, taking medication, and going to bed. Through that, I discovered that I have a lot of patience with people in general.
After that, I joined a youth employment support organization, which introduced me to the association Hors Pistes. Hors Pistes encourages young people to take part in international exchanges and volunteering. Thanks to them, I took part in a 10-day exchange in Italy on non-verbal communication. Then I joined a second exchange in France, this time on non-violent communication, followed by two more exchanges on eco-friendly agriculture in Guillestre, in the Gorges du Verdon.
Each time, I met young people from different countries — these were very enriching experiences. I felt comfortable, met new people, discovered other ways of living, and really enjoyed community life, sharing daily tasks, learning, and building things together.
In October 2024, I started a 7-month civic service in France, working in youth and senior activities. My tasks were varied: I helped with homework, ran activities in youth centers, and gave digital training sessions for elderly people. I really liked the team I worked with, gained a lot of self-confidence, and felt great working with children — so I continued working at the youth center afterward.
I also really wanted to do another exchange, so I joined a one-week group volunteering project in the Alps. I loved it, and that’s what made me decide to commit to a two-month volunteering experience — and here I am in Croatia, in Petrinja!
After just a week, I already really like the international volunteer team and the staff at the association, with whom we’ve already done several activities. I can’t wait to find a piano, because it’s my favorite hobby — and I’d love to share it with others!
Bok, moje ime je Lisa, imam 22 godine i dolazim iz Francuske.
Nakon završetka srednje škole radila sam s djecom s invaliditetom tijekom nastave. Pomagala sam im u razredu i objašnjavala upute. Tada sam shvatila koliko mi je važno osjećati se korisno, a pomaganje toj djeci da napreduju u školi davalo mi je upravo taj osjećaj.
Kasnije sam radila kao asistentica u kućnoj njezi za osobe s otežanim kretanjem. Pomagala sam im pri obrocima, čišćenju, uzimanju lijekova i odlasku na spavanje. Kroz to iskustvo otkrila sam da imam mnogo strpljenja — općenito prema ljudima.
Nakon toga pridružila sam se organizaciji za podršku zapošljavanju mladih, koja me upoznala s udrugom Hors Pistes. Hors Pistes potiče mlade na sudjelovanje u međunarodnim razmjenama i volonterskim projektima. Zahvaljujući njima, sudjelovala sam u desetodnevnoj razmjeni u Italiji na temu neverbalne komunikacije. Zatim sam sudjelovala u drugoj razmjeni u Francuskoj, ovaj put o nenasilnoj komunikaciji, a potom i u još dvije razmjene o ekološkoj poljoprivredi u Guillestreu, u Gorges du Verdonu.
Svaki put sam upoznala mlade iz različitih zemalja — to su bila vrlo obogaćujuća iskustva. Osjećala sam se ugodno, upoznavala nove ljude, otkrivala različite načine života i jako uživala u zajedničkom životu, dijeljenju svakodnevnih zadataka, učenju i zajedničkom stvaranju.
U listopadu 2024. započela sam sedmomjesečnu građansku službu u Francuskoj, radeći s mladima i starijima.
Moji su zadaci bili raznoliki: pomagala sam pri učenju, vodila aktivnosti u centrima za mlade i držala digitalne radionice za starije osobe. Jako sam voljela tim s kojim sam radila, stekla sam puno samopouzdanja i uživala u radu s djecom — zato sam nastavila raditi u centru za mlade i nakon toga.
Također sam jako željela ponovno sudjelovati u razmjeni, pa sam se priključila jednotjednom volonterskom projektu u Alpama. Bilo mi je prekrasno, i upravo me to potaknulo da se odlučim na dvomjesečno volontersko iskustvo — i evo me sada u Hrvatskoj, u Petrinji!
Prošao je tek tjedan dana, a već mi se jako sviđa međunarodni volonterski tim i osoblje udruge, s kojima smo već proveli nekoliko aktivnosti.
Jedva čekam pronaći klavir, jer mi je to najdraži hobi — i voljela bih ga podijeliti s drugima!
