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Volunteer
I want to tell you my story about how I became a youth worker and volunteer. After more than 20 years of working in the office, I decided to leave my job and change something in my life. I have always been attracted by helping people who have found themselves in an unfavorable situation and…
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First day of school – COVID-19 edition
In Bulgaria, the first day of school starts on the 15th of September. I was told during my first few days in Blagoevgrad that this day is like no other because the whole city becomes very vibrant and active. While reminiscing my days in primary school and high school, I was excited to see the…
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Training course in Durres – Albania. Youth and volunteering
Between 2nd and 11th October 2020, a training course on structured volunteerism, conducted by the Beyond Barriers Association, was held in Durres, Albania, as a fourth activity of the Erasmus+ supported project “Volunteering connecting communities (VCC)”. The main goal of the TC was to support the professional development of youth workers and youth leaders working…
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Environmental Literacy Network Project
Koza is a network among the NGOs which work about nature. Yuva association in Turkey is heading the project and Kyoto Club in Italy is the partner organization. There are 32 NGOs in the KOZA now and we started with capacity enhancing workshops. This is 3 years-long project. During this time, there will be many…
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From Turkey to Macedonia
Gülay from Turkey did her EVS volunteering project in Skopje, Macedonia from February 2019 to February 2020. She volunteered in a center for disabled children, Lastovica. Her year in another country was full of new challenges, adaption to a new culture and language, but an overall amazing experience. I am a landscape architect. Before EVS,…
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VCS – TEHV – EU AID VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers Centre Skopje is part of the EU project “Towards Effective Humanitarian Volunteering”. The main objective of the project is training for certification of organizations for the EU Aid Volunteers program, which is aimed at providing practical support to the humanitarian aid efforts, and at contributing towards strengthening the local capacities in countries affected by…
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The last EVS-volunteer
From May 2019 to February 2020 I did my nine-month EVS at Volunteers Centre Skopje in the Macedonian capital Skopje – being the last of this kind, since the EVS program is now being replaced by the ESC (European Solidarity Corps). Already after a study-visit with the Young European Federalists (JEF) in 2017, I decided…
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Expanding cross-border cooperation across Europe and beyond
European territorial cooperation, also known as Interreg, is a fascinating field. It builds on solidarity and shows real European integration on the ground. Opportunities for a dynamic dialogue between people across borders are part of the solution to movements fostering dissension. Populist rhetoric seeking to turn populations of neighboring countries on one another are less…
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Diary of an EVS Volunteer in Spain – UPDATE
If someone had told us our world would be confronted with a pandemic at the beginning of 2020, we would probably have replied with a shrug and disbelief. No one would have ever guessed that within a short period communities from everywhere would be forced to adjust to major changes caused by the coronavirus outbreak…
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P.R.O.U.D.
On this training course, which took place in a charming small village of Laguepie, France, participants from different countries went deeper into the topics of gender equality. Promoting Rights and Opportunities to Understand Diversity – The training started with introduction and “getting to know to each other”- games and team building activities to create the…
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The dawn of a new Erasmus+ adventure February 12th to 19th, downtown Skopje
A new Erasmus+ project uniting organizations from Skopje, Barcelona, Bucharest, Århus, and Nicosia has recently been approved. To start implementing this idea, a six days kick-off event was held in Skopje. Here is an insight into the early stages of this cross-border working group committed to empowering youth in the long run. Partners from five…
VOICES 