Associazione Scambieuropei

“What does it mean to volunteering in Gaziantep?”. Annamaria Ricci is our volunteer in the volunteering project “GIVE – Gaziantep Integration by Volunteers from EU”, co-funded by the European Solidarity Corps Program of the European Union.

The project includes 40 volunteers in community-oriented activities promoting social inclusion among different local groups, among which Syrians and Turkish people.

Being a volunteer in Gaziantep means leaving and not knowing what will be waiting for you on the other side.
It means being catapulted into a parallel reality, where your family expands every day.
It is a wonder, a surprise, an always new discovery.
Being a volunteer at GEGED is joy.
It means laughing, dancing, singing, making some comparisons, finding a compromise. Discovering your limits and how far your abilities go.

It means constant learning.
It is a life school.
A soap bubble, made up of languages, cultures, smiles, eyes, faces, different souls that meet and intertwine in a whirlwind of emotions and experiences.
It is a spirit of initiative, adaptation, flexibility. Desire to get involved and questioned in front of appearances and cultural prejudices.

It is to read reality with a critical thinking.
It’s a big question mark.
Questions that crowd and jostle among themselves in search of answers.
Different answers depending on the interlocutor.
It is to build extraordinary relationships.
And rebuild on the ruins of indifference.
It is the privilege of working side by side with similar souls.
And make a child’s world less unhappy.
It is relieveling the sense of helplessness that torments the body and spirit.
Being part of the change.
It is the magic of interpersonal interactions.
The unexpected and surprising meeting of resilient souls.

It is rediscovering pieces of yourself that you believed buried under the rubble of limits and responsibilities.
It’s leaving a piece of yourself.
Collecting pieces of other worlds and always carrying them with you.

It is clarity.
Sharing, gratitude, hope.
Confusion and questioning.
It is a journey of personal rediscovery.
It’s what you decide it should be.
It is celebrating life and love.
Strong feelings.
Stories of Resilience.

Names, voices, lives that rekindle hope even in the darkest places.
It is you, you with your dreams, your strength, your desire to do, your fears, your uncertainties and the stubbornness in overcoming them.
It is the beginning of something bigger, whatever path your life takes.