Volontiranje - Sara Blažeković

 Zadnjih osam mjeseci provela sam volontirajući u Gornjoj Austriji, u malom mjestu, Gallneukirchenu, u blizini Linza.Radila sam s ljudima s posebnim potrebama u radionici medija i kazalištu. Organizacija u kojoj sam volontirala ima svoju bazu u gradu u kojem sam živjela, ali centre ima i u ostatku Austrije, Njemačkoj te nekoliko jedinica u još ponekim državama. Primjerice dva dječja vrtića nalaze se u Bosni i Hercegovini. Dobila sam priliku komunicirati i sa zaposlenicama tih vrtića, pri jednoj njihovoj posjeti. Organizacija Diakoniewerk radi s ljudima s posebnim potrebama, djecom i starijim osobama. Dijelom njihove organizacije su dječji vrtići, škole, domovi za starije osobe, kao i dnevni boravci za njih ili ljude s posebnim potrebama. Također su uključene i radionice, u kakvima sam ja radila, odnosno to su radna mjesta za ljude s potrebama. Moj radni dan bio je podijeljen na dva dijela – ujutro u kazalištu, a poslijepodne u radionici medija. U kazalištu smo radili na različitim projektima. Kada sam tek došla, počeli smo pripremati predstavu, koja je imala premijeru nedavno, početkom lipnja. Kazališna skupina svake godine priprema jednu manju te svake dvije godine, jednu veću predstavu. Trenutno (moji zadnji dani projekta) radimo na stvaranju performansa, koji će biti dio festivala u Gallneukirchenu. U kazalištu svi djelujemo, razmišljamo i stvaramo zajedno. Kroz kreativan rad, nastaju nove ideje za predstave. U drugoj radionici, medijima, izdajemo novine, za koje je potrebno fotografiranje, pisanje i uređivanje članaka, za čije sam potrebe imala priliku naučiti raditi u programima koji su mi dosada bili nepoznati. Osim novina, u „medijima“ izrađujemo bilježnice, omote, kreiramo simbole za potpomognutu komunikaciju… Tu su još uključeni i ostali uredski poslovi, primjerice klamanje, laminiranje i slično. Dio mog projekta bila je i edukacija, koju smo imali jednom tjedno. U školi smo imali priliku teorijski, ali i praktično dobiti bolji uvid u rad sa starijim osobama i ljudima s teškoćama. Diakoniewerkgodinama radi s volonterima te je ove godine u Gallneukirchenu bilo nas osmero. Iskustvo je bilo intenzivno i proteklo je brzo. Naučila sam puno toga, kako na poslu, tako i privatno, u suživotu s ostalim volonterima. Bila sam smještena u stanu s dvije djevojke. Svaka je imala zasebnu sobu, a prostorije su bile velike, u potpunosti opremljene. Stan nas je dočekao očuvan i uredan. Imale smo sve potrebito i više, a u slučaju bilo kakve nužde, vezano za stan (ali i sve ostalo), kontaktirali smo našu mentoricu, koja nam je bila dostupna. S mentoricom smo svaki tjedan imali sastanke, na kojima bi ukratko prokomentirali aktualna događanja, raspravljali ukoliko je netko imao neki problem i slično. Nisam očekivala da ću toliko toga proživjeti, toliko se zbližiti s ljudima i osjećati se ugodno kao u vlastitom domu. Razmatrala sam mogućnost ostanka, no zasada sam ipak odlučila razmotriti ostale opcije. Upoznala sam i razmjenjivala iskustva s ljudima različitih kultura, nacionalnosti, religija, dobi… To mi je pomoglo sagledati stvari iz različitih perspektiva i proširiti vlastite vidike. Kulturalni šok kao takav nisam doživjela, najveća prepreka bio je jezik. Iako sam njemački godinama učila u školi, bilo je teško savladati austrijski dijalekt. Također, s nekima od volontera komunikacija je u početku bila teška jer neki od njih nisu govorili niti engleski, niti njemački. Ipak, vremenom i trudom, shvatila sam da za komunikaciju nije potrebno puno te da je  moguće sporazumjeti se i povezati s nekim čak i bez zajedničkog jezika. U cijelosti, iskustvo je bilo jedinstveno, neočekivano i neponovljivo. Stekla sam čvrsta prijateljstva (to je najvrjednije što nosim sa sobom) i odnose te stvorila uspomene koje ću uvijek pamtiti. Putovali smo skoro svaki vikend, posvuda po Europi, s minimalnim džeparcem. Kada razmišljam o povratku nazad, teško mi je zamisliti se u Hrvatskoj, u svojoj obitelji, s prijateljima, u starim navikama i dinamikama. Smatram da sam puno toga na sebi promijenila i naučila te se nadam da ću barem dio ovog iskustva uspjeti ponijeti, podijeliti, a ono naučeno prakticirati kada se vratim. Svakome bih preporučila ovakav tip volontiranja, razmjene i sličnih projekata. Mislim da bi se svatko barem jednom tijekom života trebao odvojiti od vlastite kulture, domovine, kako bi se razvio, dao doprinos drugima, koji nisu dio naše svakodnevne zajednice te također dobio nešto zauzvrat. Ovakvo iskustvo može samo obogatiti pojedinca, dati priliku da radeći i upoznajući sve što nam je strano, naučimo nešto o sebi. Smatram da izlaskom iz komfortzone i preuzimanjem rizika, možemo puno napredovati. Moji planovi za budućnost su razmotriti sve mogućnosti i zaposliti se, bilo u Hrvatskoj ili negdje drugdje (idealno u svojoj struci). Prije toga planiram još jedno putovanje. Sada kada sam 8 mjeseci provela u inozemstvu, zaista je neobično zamisliti povratak i svoj prijašnji život. Vjerojatno zbog toga razmišljam o pronalasku posla izvan Hrvatske, ali kao jednu od opcija, vidim i povratak.

For the past eight months, I have spent volunteering in Upper Austria, in a small town, Gallneukirchen, near Linz. I worked with people with special needs in the media workshop and the theater. The organization I volunteered has a base in the city where I lived, but centers also have the rest of Austria, Germany, and several units in other countries. For example, two nursery schools are in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I was given the opportunity to communicate with the employees of these nuns on one of their visits. The Diaconiewerk organisation works with people with special needs, children and older people. Part of their organisation is kindergarten, schools, homes for the elderly, as well as daily stays for them or people with special needs. There were also workshops, which I used to work, namely, jobs for people with needs. My working day was divided into two parts - in the morning at the theater, and in the afternoon in the press workshop. We worked on different projects at the theater. When I first arrived, we began preparing a play, which was recently opened by the Prime Minister, early June. Each year the theater group prepares one smaller and every two years, one bigger play. Right now, my last days of the project are working to create the performance, which will be part of the festival in Gallneukirchena. In the theater we all act, think, and create together. Through creative work, new ideas are created for the plays. In another workshop, the media, we publish a newspaper that requires photographing, writing and editing articles, for whose needs I have had the opportunity to learn to work in programs that have been unknown to me by now. In addition to the newspaper, in the "media," we make notebooks, wrappers, create assisted communication symbols... there are still other office functions, such as betting, laminating, and so forth. Part of my project was education, which we had once a week. At school, we had the opportunity of theoretical, but it is practical to get better insight into working with older people and people with difficulty. Diakoniewerk has been working with volunteers for years and has been eight of us this year in Gallneukirchene. The experience was intense, and it went fast. I've learned a lot, both at work and in private, in cohabitation with other volunteers. I was stationed at the apartment with two girls. Each had a separate room, and the rooms were large, fully equipped. Stan was just waiting for us to be preserved and tidy. We had everything in need and more, and in the event of any emergency, about the apartment (but everything else), we contacted our mentor, who was available to us. We had meetings with the menus each week, briefly discussing current events, discussing if someone had a problem or something. I didn't expect to have so much to live through, so close to people and feel as comfortable as in my own home. I was considering the possibility of staying, but for the time being, I decided to consider other options. I met and shared experiences with people of different cultures, nationalities, religions, ages... it helped me see things from different perspectives and broaden my horizons. As a cultural shock, as such, I have not experienced, the biggest obstacle was the tongue. Although I had learned German in school for years, it was difficult to overcome the Austrian dialect. Also, with some of the volunteers, communication initially was difficult because some of them did not speak English or German. However, in time and effort, I realized that communication is not necessary and that it is possible to communicate with someone even without a common language. In its entirety, the experience was unique, unexpected and unrepeatable. I have made firm friendships (this is the most valuable possession I carry) and relationships and create memories that I will always remember. We traveled almost every weekend, all over Europe, with a minimum allowance. When I think about going back, it's hard for me to imagine myself in Croatia, in my family, with friends, in old habits and dynamics. I think I've changed a lot on myself and learned, and I hope at least some of this experience will be able to carry, share, and what I learn to practice when I get back. I would recommend this type of volunteering, exchange and similar projects. I think that at least once in the course of life, everyone should separate themselves from their own culture, their homeland, to develop, to make a contribution to others, which are not part of our daily community and also get something in return. Such an experience can only enrich an individual, give a chance to work and meet all that is foreign to us, let us learn about ourselves. I find that going out of comfort zone and taking risks, we can make a lot of progress. My plans for the future are to consider all possibilities and employment, whether in Croatia or elsewhere (ideally in their profession). Before that, I'm planning another trip. Now that I have spent eight months abroad, it is indeed unusual to imagine a return and a former life. That 's probably why I' m thinking about finding a job from outside of Croatia, as well as returning to Croatia as an option too.