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When creating a plan, put the 6 hats on!
From June 28 to July 6, 2025, Filip and I were representing VCS and Macedonia at the “Leadership Goes Green” training course in Arrouquelas, Rio Maior, Portugal. The project was hosted by H2O Associação de Jovens de Arrouquelas, with one eco goal in mind – to gather young people from across Europe who are willing…
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Hundreds of moments I will carry in my mind
Being a volunteer has been a goal of mine for a very long time. I’ve heard some stories that make the idea intriguing. So I thought, what kind of experiences will I bring home? This project took me to Gdańsk, Poland, a city I’ve wanted to visit for years. However, as I had no experience…
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Postcards from a life I didn’t know I needed
If you told me a few months ago I’d be here – teaching English in a Turkish coastal town, sipping tea stronger than my willpower, laughing with students and teachers around campfires – I probably would’ve laughed. But here I am. And it’s the best decision I’ve made all summer. The gig? Volunteering in a…
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How one YES changed everything
Picture this: you’re sitting at home, staring at an opportunity, thinking: Should I go for it? Is this a crazy idea or the start of something amazing? If only we had a crystal ball back then! Knowing what we know now, we wouldn’t have wasted a second doubting ourselves. We would’ve jumped in headfirst. And…
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How 50 Strangers Became a Family Through Music
Last April, I had the incredible opportunity to participate in an Erasmus+ project called “Make Music Not War 4” in Bremen, Germany. The project was organised by NaturKultur in Garlstedt, a peaceful and inspiring location surrounded by nature, the perfect setting for creativity, collaboration, and connection. This unique initiative brought together 50 young people from…
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Exploring Macedonia, discovering myself
Exactly one year ago, I gave all the documents to the Macedonian embassy in Poland and was waiting to receive temporary residence to go to Macedonia. I felt contradictory emotions about moving abroad for one year and volunteering at Volunteers Centre Skopje (VCS). On one hand, I felt excited to change my life, meet new…
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The first home I chose
If you told me five years ago that I’ll live in the Balkans for a year, I would probably assume you’re joking. Not only Balkans, but Macedonia out of all places – a country I never really heard much about, maybe apart from the characteristic red flag with yellow sun and location on the map…
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Surviving the Dark Winter
Three years ago, I arrived in Bremen for the first time. The sun was shining, a beautiful flower market filled the streets, and I instantly fell in love with the city. During my Erasmus+ exchange, we had time to explore. On our last day, while clearly lost and trying to find something, a kind lady…
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Mental health journey to mystical Ohrid lake
Volunteers Centre Skopje hosted Erasmus+ training course “Mental Health Matters” from the 4th to the 12th of April 2025, co-organized with Stowarzyszenie Europa Iuvenis. There is a stereotype that Balkan people are more relaxed, live slower, and enjoy life more. Our daily life is usually a rush, we don’t have time to pause, find out…
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Four walls with tomorrow inside
Let me take you on a journey across the Mediterranean sea, on the coast side of the Iberian Peninsula, arriving at a colorful school in the beautiful barrio of Cabanyal, in the city of Valencia. It is not just any school, it is a Learning Community. At this school, students and parents are closely intertwined…
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Between cultures, between words, between people…
“When you step away from the familiar, you often return closer to yourself.” Sometimes, a journey gives you more than just a new destination. It gives you space – to ask the questions you’ve been carrying for months, to hear voices different from your own, yet somehow so familiar. And that’s exactly what the Erasmus+…
