The experience in the project made me see things in a much more positive way. It helped me to improve my teamwork skills, communication, creativity and mutual trust. We made lasting friends with amazing people and had the opportunity to discover cultures from several continents. Sometimes it’s not the destination that matters, it’s the trip.

“Last November 27-December 2, 2017, I attended a Cross Culture Exchange – Mini Camp in Taichung City, Taiwan. It was a new experience for me as it was my first time in Taiwan. There are volunteers from different countries such as Vietnam and South Korea. I taught students English, handicraft and others. I lived with the host family there to understand Taiwanese culture more deeply.

Their hospitality and friendliness is beyond compare! Overall, I had a great time with the other volunteers while knowing their culture and introducing my culture to them.

Last January 29-February 2, 2018, I attended a glocal citizen boot camp in Hong Kong. There were people from around 20 different countries participating in that boot camp. So it was a great opportunity to meet lot of people from different nationalities. I was motivated to join these bootcamps because I saw it as a great opportunity to develop my skills and knowledge to improve myself—as a son, as a student, and a better student leader.

I am thankful to UST UNESCO CLUB for giving me this great opportunity and for believing and supporting me every step of the way. I just wanted to say thank you to all the members of the club and the president of IGEEI and co-founder of UST UNESCO— Mr. Rior Santos— because without all of their support, this camp wouldn’t be possible. It was an experience I will never forget!”

“Although a teacher by profession nothing had really prepared me for what I’d actually come across. The first lesson was an amazing experience followed by an amazing week of teaching kids the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene. After the first shock of a white, blond teacher speaking an unknown language and using new technological items, the positive energy, the dance and the songs filled the space.

All the people, kids, teachers and parents were very cooperative and did their best to complete the WASH project the best way possible. I feel that I gained from this experience much more than I gave. So much love, laughter, hugs and care.

There’s nothing I would change. No matter the difficulties, the lack of facilities or the language barrier, at the end of the day I feel happy and complete.”

“At this time, i work in the ​​volunteering area, with interns from all over the world. Mainly in their formation, management, supervision and non-formal educational guide.

Being a volunteer is a privilege for me, because I feel like I using my life and my time in the best way. Helping many people and helping myself to grow up, to be more human.

For this reason, if I have the opportunity to give more young people the opportunity to experience a volunteer program, I certainly will.

This world needs people with more empathy with the reality of other people, this will teach them to value what they have and to respect other people with different opportunities.

Being a volunteer changed my life, and I hope I can always practice it or at least sow a seed of interest in other young people, to have such a wonderful experience.”

“My name is Eleni, I am from Greece and 4 month ago I took the decision to travel abroad for a volunteering opportunity with the ESC (European Solidarity Corps) programme in Sardinia.

Till today I had plenty of time to enjoy the perks of being a volunteer. I have learnt a lot of things about Project Management, what you have to do once a project is approved, what are the usual implementative tasks for each different project, the difference between a Key Action 1 project and a Key Action 2, what a trainer should do during a Training Course or a facilitator during a Youth Exchange.

I had the chance to take part in an online meeting with 2 of the trainers that MVI works with. I had the misfortune to volunteer in the organization during the Corona virus times, with the lockdown and all, but even during the lockdown I felt like I was helping the organization with their needs and if I had any issue they were there and ready to solve it.

Also with one of my leaders I joined an online Kick-off meeting for a project and I saw how the organizations communicate with each other in order to get started on tasks. Before the lockdown faze, I joined a transnational project meeting in Sofia with a co-worker and worked in the friendly environment of MVI offices.

I am glad that I decided to seize the opportunity to move to another place in order to volunteer and help others.”

“I have enjoyed volunteering in MV International very much. It has been a great experience to me and it has benefited both my personal and professional growth. I appreciate the fact that I have had a chance to work in an international surroundings and practice my English and Italian.

Leading workshops for young people and organizing different games in schools or parks were very empowering to me and they helped me to boost my confidence, leadership and public speaking skills.

I could also develop my digital abilities and improve the use of social media tools. Then, experimenting with various NFE and ETS methods has been a great and inspiring adventure! I must admit that I hadn’t known much about Education Through Sport before and I hadn’t been the biggest fan of sport in general. However, implementing activities based on the ETS methodology was an amazing experience to me and now I understand more about how it can influence a growing process of an individual.

Thanks to the volunteering in MVI, I know a lot more about the world of Erasmus Plus and I can say that I am capable and willing to lead more Erasmus activities in the future. I am happy that I’ve had a chance to be the part of the MV International team as it has made me grow in many ways.”