Cancellation of departure
Our 2020/21 volunteer cohort did not get the chance to start their voluntary service on the other side of the world due to the global Corona pandemic. However, this does not mean that the experiences each and every one of them has had in Germany over the past six months are any less valuable!
Valuable experiences
At the follow-up seminar, which took place over five days from 20.03 to 07.04, we talked about different topics, exchanged ideas and reviewed the last six months. It was about hopes and fears, defeats and experiences of success, patience and resilience. There was space to express criticism and the volunteers were given the opportunity to share with each other how they personally dealt with this particular situation.
At the same time, we talked a lot about the positive experiences each of them had and the different learning experiences that resulted. Different possibilities of volunteering in SAGE Net and in external organisations were presented, but also scholarships that make it possible to go abroad for a while during or after the studies.
Educational opportunities
On the last day, we invited a speaker who led a workshop on “Structural and Institutional Racism”. The workshop covered different aspects and dealt in particular with structural racism in the education system. The latter was interesting for many volunteers as a large part of them had spent the last months in schools.