International Meeting of Volunteers

The 19th of November saw a group of volunteers from a range of different backgrounds come together in Munich for a seminar organised by Don Bosco Youth Net; ‘From experience... to action’. There were ex-volunteers from Slovakia, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Ireland who had gone to India, Africa and Mexico, as well as different places in Europe.

Everyone had their own experiences to share with the rest of the group and all were eager to see how their experiences could be used to help them become more of an active citizen. The overall aim of the conference was to discuss the possibilities of creating our own projects, with funding from the EU (‘Youth in Action’ programme) which encourages people aged 18 to 30 (or 15-17 if coached) to set up projects in their local communities to target groups of young people, allowing them to become more involved in their society. During the weekend session, we were asked to create our own project example in small groups and then fill out the formal application. There were a range of ideas and it was really encouraging to see how much input we can have in our local communities.

The conference began with our expectations of what was to come, and ended with a very positive evaluation of the weekend. There was also an international evening where the group members brought food and drinks from their home countries to share, where deep and meaningful discussions were had about our experiences. It was a great weekend, with lots of music, times for reflection, ‘Good Night’ prayers, constructive discussions about our voluntary work and also a taste of Munich with some traditional Bavarian food and an exciting City tour. I would like to thank everybody who organised and supported the seminar as I thoroughly enjoyed it and came away feeling motivated to do as much work as possible, whether at home or abroad.