OUR VOLUNTEERING AT SVITAC (FIREFLY IN BOSNIA) – volunteers’ blog
Hello everyone,
My name is Jonathan. I am 19 years old and come from Dresden, Germany. I finished High School last year and decided pretty early on that I wanted to do a gap year. My original idea was to go to South Africa (partly because I am a big Rugby fan), but because that was not possible I searched for other countries I would be interested in. I am very interested in politics, society, and history, and read a lot and watch documentaries. Through those mediums, I discovered Bosnia and Herzegovina and its complicated past and present. Searching for organizations sending volunteers to Bosnia and Herzegovina on the weltwärts website I found Friedenskreis Halle. After applying there they gave me multiple options for where to go. Svitac was one of the organizations I was most interested in and after I had a very nice online meeting with my current mentor Dina, I decided it was the right place to go. Almost 12 months after first setting foot in Brčko I do not regret this decision.
And my name is Simon. I am now 19 years old. I am from a small city close to Augsburg, Germany. I had the idea to participate in a voluntary year through my bigger brother. After High school, he volunteered for a year in China and had good experiences. As a kid, I envied him for that, because I thought he was really moving and helping something in the world. When I finished High School I was sure that I also wanted to participate in a voluntary year. On the internet, I found out about “Friedenskreis Halle”, our sending organization. I could choose between different hosting organizations. After an interview with our coordinator, I chose to go to Svitac. After a short application process, I was allowed in.
After arriving we got to know our tasks. From 11-1 o’clock there is a workshop with children. We help to prepare the workshop beginning from 10am and support the local volunteers for the duration of the workshop. In the afternoons we had the possibility to offer different workshops for older participants, like English Club, German Communication Workshop, and Movie Night. Throughout the year we also helped out wherever we were needed, for example with Dina’s German Communication Workshop for kids or English for kids, etc. Since we are from Germany, it was offered to us to prepare some workshops for the German lessons in the nearby Gimnazija.
Brčko District as a multicultural, practically autonomous part of Bosnia and Herzegovina is sometimes described as being Bosnia in a miniature format. That makes the city very interesting for everyone who wants to engage in the Bosnian culture and everyday life. Being also located close to the border to Croatia and Serbia it is also an amazing starting point for exploring the wider Balkan region even though traveling takes its time.
Svitac is an amazing hosting organization for international volunteers. We could really feel the years of experience they have in hosting. We were greeted very friendly and quickly became part of the team, making friendships along the way. Svitac rewards creative and open-minded people with a lot of joy and a great learning experience for those unsure which way to choose in life. Intercultural exchange, language and cultural learning, international friendships, and personal growth are just a few aspects of our voluntary service.
Finally, we want to thank everyone at Svitac for the wonderful year. The memories and friendships made will not be forgotten. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again in the future and are sure that we will not have to wait too long for that. Even after one year in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is still a lot left to explore.
facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/omladinska.svitac
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Svitac_BiH
Instagram: omladinska.svitac
YouTube: Svitac Firefly Bosnia
See you around,
Jonathan Ludwig and Simon Müller, Svitac’s (Firefly in Bosnia’s) weltwärts volunteers September 2023-August 2024
