Voluntarism, Útilapu and the Photo Message
-what it means to be a volunteer
By Ami Kovács
2011 is the official European Year of Voluntary Activities which brings the process of making people aware of the importance of volunteering. We may wonder what it means and why it is necessary, but the reason is simple: being a volunteer is one of the coolest things on Earth! People just don’t know much about the world of voluntarism and non-profit organisations; actually they have false views about these ideas. So let’s see it clearly!
Who is a volunteer? If you offer yourself for a service without obligation, from your own choice, you just become one. In practice this does not only mean work without being paid. It’s more than that. It’s pure pleasure!
My activism started with a summer camp and by becoming a member of Útilapu Hálózat. The initial idea was to participate in a 3-week long international camp where I can practice my Spanish and meet new people, but I got more than I have ever imagined! I stuck in that amazing world and now I won’t get out for anything!
But why is it good for you? Firstly, if you are a member of an organisation of that kind, you can be active in a topic that you consider important. You can do something and not just talk; you can represent the values that you believe in. Secondly, you can go abroad to join camps, trainings or seminars, meet wonderful people from all over the world, share opinions and exchange cultures, practice languages. All in all, you can experience the world around you!
Now I want to share the best experience I had through Útilapu. I was still waiting for my summer camp to start when I heard about the upcoming training seminars held in late August and in autumn. I thought I might try that type of activity, too, so I applied. And I did not regret: thanks to The Photo Message training course in
The Photo Message project was a one-week long training seminar about the topic of poverty with the help of photography. It brought together activists, artists and volunteers who are involved in social issues from twelve different European countries. Sounds exciting, I know J The city of
So it meant a week of intensive and creative group work, when we were covering serious issues through workshops and discussions, then we put everything into practice by going out to shoot photos in the impressively beautiful and sad Bečej. Our message tried to raise awareness for the issue of poverty in
But it turned out that not just this issue and the methodology, but our trainers and group members made the whole thing complete, because it is people who fill a project with life and make it work! Ana Adamovic, a professional photographer visited us for a day to teach us the basics of photography and also gave advices how to approach our topic. Then we had the amazing Svetlana Kijevcanin as one of our trainers, who is a social activist, educator and university teacher. She and the artist Nikoleta Markovic helped us find our voice and develop the workshops; they are also experts of non-formal education. Then we had two youth workers: the fantastic Ksenija and Milica as program directors who made the whole week become a unique experience for all of Us: the great group. Forzaaa!
I hope now you all see that being a volunteer is a nice surprise; you can become more open, have new friends and get to know yourself better; it’s the most exciting way to learn. So what are your plans for next summer? J
