Ricardo in a priceless experience in Lithuania as EVS

I am Ricardo Quintana, I was EVS volunteer from Building Bridges-YesEuropa in Atviras Jaunimo Centras ¨Baze¨ (Vilnius Policijos Klubas) with Social Action as coordinating organisation.

I wrote you for one reason. I had the opportunity to speak and share some feedback about my EVS experience with members of your organisation (National Agency workers) during the ‘on arrival training’ and again during the ‘mid-term meeting’. But now that my project finished I miss the opportunity to do it again.

– First; Because the structure, organisation and situation of my project changed a lot (in a really good way) from the beginning to the end (before the mid-term). Notice on that point that it was the first year that Social Action was working with my hosting organisation.

– Second: Because I now have a wider and better perspective about everything (lithuania, organisations, evs programme and myself).

So for this reasons I want to ask you about the possibilty of any meeting, interview, fullfilling some protocols or whatever other way it would be good for you to receive this feedback.

If it is not possible then I will write here shortly my opinion.

As I said, from the beginning to the second part of my project the situation improved a lot, like 180º. Thanks to the work of Social Action workers Aurelija, Ausrine and Justina, and also and specially of the new AJC Baze youth worker Indre Marsantaite, who also took the role of my tutor.

In my opinion, Indre’s job during this months we were working together was priceless. She have the knowledge, the experience and the skills (professional and human) to guide anyone throw any kind of learning process. She helped me to understand and have a wider perspective about youth work methodologies and structure here in lithuania, in my organisation and in general; to understand my role and my tasks in the organisation, and to develope personally too. Not all, she also did really amazing work inside the organisation, both with the youngsters and her colleagues, sharing her experience and wisdom between all of them and planning and improving the structure and organisation of the center (schedules, working hours, space management, methodologies, activities, team-building meetings and reflections, and more). She do this and more while being the only one worker in the Open Youth Center, and having other responsabilities like mentorising other EVS or managing different projects from Youth Guaranty Department or something like that.

About Social Action I too can say only good words (I know that they were personal friends of Indre from the University and that they recommend to my host organisation to hire her as youth worker for their center). I will just say that they are full professionals, friendly but not friends, who really cares about the volunteers. And by caring I mean not only providing them support (emotional, psichological, economical and other kinds of) and helping them to make the adaptation and living in vilnius easier; but also caring that the volunteer is going to work everyday to their organisations, taking his/her responsabilities and duties and having an active participation in their projects.

In sum, I want to say that the less volunteers they will have for the next year the most opportunities is losing Lithuanian National Agency of doing a good job developing EVS programme, so the saddest will be for all the organisations and people involved, for lithuania and for europe, because this kind of people are the ones who are improving and developing the human being day by day.

Nothing else, just thanks for your time and repeat that I am totally available for anything you want if it’s necessary

Greetings,