The Turkish Ayşenur Bayram came for a year to volunteer in the Be Active Be Green ESC program of the Green Sun Association of Kézdivásárhely. The conversation below reveals what activities she does, what experiences she has gained and whether it is worth it to be a volunteer.

• Tell me a few words about yourself.

I am Ayşenur. I am Turkish. I am someone who loves to travel, explore and get to know new cultures.

• What motivated you to join the Green Sun Association as a volunteer?

I can’t limit it just to Green Sun Association. My criteria for applying to ESC were to do activities with children, especially sports. I applied to projects that met my criteria and contacted associations. Actually, my association in Turkey directed me to this project and that is how I got to know the Green Sun Association.

• What activities do you participate in as a volunteer at the Green Sun Association?

Every Monday, I meet with people who want to learn Turkish and we have a club where we teach them Turkish. I play pingpong, volleyball and basketball with local children twice a week. During school holidays, we organize a 5-day daily camp where we play various games and do activities with the children.

• What experiences have you had so far with volunteer work?

I was also a volunteer in my own country. The term volunteering is not foreign to me. But this is a different country, I empathize a lot. I can tell you about the best experience I’ve ever had. I go to schools and tell the children about myself and my country. Children ask me questions they are curious about. It makes me very happy that they are curious about me and my culture. This experience is of course mutual. Living in and exploring another country, learning about other cultures or making new friends has become an inevitable part of my volunteering experience. Volunteering helped me be more understanding, empathize more and think in versalite ways.

• Why is environmental protection and sustainability important to you?

Recycling is necessary for sustainability and a livable future. In order to leave a clean world to future generations and to obtain sustainable resources, attention should be paid to recycling. The process of reducing consumption and making materials reusable should be ensured. Recycling is necessary for this. Recycling is the key to a sustainable world.

• What differences do you notice between Turkey and Romania in terms of volunteer work?

There may be administrative and management differences, but I do not know the paperwork part. Conditions such as accommodation, pocket money, and project subject matter vary. In my opinion, volunteering is the same everywhere, only the conditions I mentioned vary depending on the project.

• What lessons have you learned from your past volunteer activities?

I love being with children very much. Children are our future and they have a very clean and fun world. Me and my other volunteer friends prepare games that support children’s social, emotional, mental and physical development. This gave me the ability to communicate with children and understand their needs.

• What would you say to those who are considering embarking on a year-long volunteer program? Is it worth it?

This is an issue that needs to be thought through very carefully. I would definitely recommend the people who will participate to try a short-term project first. Participating in a short-term project allows them to see what they want and what they don’t want. After that, it would make more sense to do a long-term project. It’s not just about participating in the project. What kind of house you stay in in the destination country, pocket money, duties and responsibilities in the project, all of these need to be thoroughly researched. It’s definitely worth joining an ESC project. But it is very important that the conditions suit the person.