Young people are hope for change
The Yablunytsia Children's Village hosted a camp for volunteer leaders of Caritas-Spes Ukraine.
During the camp, teams from Lutsk, Zhytomyr, Kamianets-Podilskyi, Kharkiv, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi, and Bilohiria had the opportunity to learn about different types of volunteering, develop projects using specific examples, master the basics of SMM and copywriting, and learn the basics of communication. In total, almost 100 young volunteers took part in the Youth Hope for Change event.
It is important that the camp participants were able to successfully unite in teams at the start and developed a trusting attitude towards each other.
There were plenty of opportunities to show their initiative, activity, creativity and innovative approach to solving important issues. The young volunteers learned how to provide first aid, tested their "hiking skills" while climbing Mount Khomyak, and thanks to the unique beauty of the Carpathians, they were enriched with inspiration for new endeavors.
On one of the days of the camp, it was visited by the project team and the Executive Director of Caritas-Spes Ukraine, Father Viacheslav Hrynevych SAC. Speaking with the participants, Father Viacheslav wished the young volunteers a good rest and effective work in developing ideas aimed at jointly solving social, humanitarian and environmental problems. Olena Kava, program manager of Caritas-Spes Ukraine, noted that she was pleasantly surprised by the energy, concern, interest and readiness of young people to take responsibility for changes in society. It really inspires and gives hope!
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Sofia, 15 years old, Lutsk: «If you have interesting ideas, you will be able to realize them, despite all possible difficulties. And the days spent in the camp convinced me of this even more. I learned how to easily talk to anyone on various topics, and I understood how to popularize my own project. From now on, I will be able to use the possibilities of communication between people more effectively».
Yulia, 18, Khmelnytskyi:
"We had a very rich, powerful program. I'm glad that there were not only lectures and trainings, but also a bonfire, competitions, and quests. It was very fun and cool!
We will continue to work on our project. Young people today are very dependent on phones and the Internet. And the most important thing between people is communication. The new knowledge we gained here is very useful».
Ilya, 15, Khmelnytskyi:
«The camp is incredible! New acquaintances, new impressions, a lot of new experience in the field of volunteering.
All this will come in handy when we create new projects and events with our friends.
I'll try to unite volunteers in my organization to be able to help those in need».
Yan, 15, Lutsk: «I haven't even managed to get home yet, and I've already started to miss the days we spent here together. In this camp I met people who really needed me».
Stefania, 18, Vinnytsia: «It's my first time in such a camp, it's something very new for me. At first I thought it would be difficult: so many people in the house, from different cities... we are all very different. But everything turned out incredibly well. The organizers, lecturers, people who took care of us... It was a wonderful, unforgettable time spent together!»
Oleksiy Khomenko, volunteer coordinator, Caritas-Spes Ukraine:
«The Youth Hope for Change volunteer camp, in my opinion, is the foundation for future cooperation of the younger generation of volunteers in joint projects. The knowledge and competencies that young people have gained during the camp will become the basis for the future development of youth volunteering in Caritas-Spes Ukraine. Teamwork, distribution of roles, organization of events and presentation of joint work are the main skills for creating a quality volunteer project. I hope that the youth will apply the new knowledge in their organizations.
The camp showed that our youth are very proactive, creative, and motivated in terms of volunteering. They are ready for new interesting projects and cooperation with Caritas-Spes Ukraine. And we, for our part, are ready to give them support and guidance in the initial stages of creating their own initiatives.
We are ready to support them in their efforts to bring about change in society!»
We thank our partners, the Renovabis and Kindermissionswerk 'Die Stensinger foundations, for supporting these events.
