Volunteering in the Time of Corona

Volunteering in the time of Corona

What is it like to be on an European Solidarity Corps project during the coronavirus?

Hi! 🙂 For those who don't know me yet, I'd like to introduce myself briefly. My name is Zuzana and I come from the town of Poprad, situated below the Tatras. I am 25 years old, and I have completed my master's degree in international relations. Since November 2019, I have been working in Menorca (Spain) as a volunteer for the European Solidarity Corps, where I am participating in a project focused on teaching English to children and teenagers aged 3-15 in a non-formal way.

What happened and what didn't. A global pandemic occurred, and suddenly the daily life full of interaction with children changed to a life where the walls of my room in the house are my best friends. You might be asking how the activities we used to do in person, face to face, are working now. The pandemic changed everything. Overnight, we had to switch to online teaching, which, from my point of view, is an unfavorable situation for non-formal education, as a large part of non-formal education is interaction, which is, of course, better achieved face-to-face. On the blog I created during my time here, we add materials that can make the time children spend at home more pleasant, plus certain activities and challenges in which the whole family can participate. With the older ones, we try to have lessons via Skype to ensure perfect continuity and give them space for conversation.

And how have my days as such changed? Of course, I currently work from home, dedicating a lot of my time to finding new and interesting activities that would help us keep children creatively and educationally engaged. Among other things, I have more free time, which means I have finally finished reading the books I had put aside for a long time, and I am continuing with my must-read list. In addition, I am trying to improve my Spanish, I have brushed up on my almost forgotten French skills, and I have started studying Arabic. Understandably, mental health should not be neglected either, so I try to exercise daily and run around on the terrace if the weather permits. I think now is the time to do what we often didn't have time for when we were overwhelmed with other duties.

And what about my family? I am in regular contact with them, and we keep each other informed about the situation in Slovakia, Spain, and Germany – because one of my sisters lives and works there. More than ever before, during this madness, the importance of relationships in our lives has become apparent. It has taught us to slow down and start taking an interest in the world around us, not just by passing by and glancing, but by truly perceiving and absorbing.

I wish us all much strength, humanity, and respect. THAT is what we need most right now.

Besitos, Zuzana

The project is financially supported by the European Solidarity Corps program.