Voluncheers!: Recent Episodes
ESC with SPW
Voluncheers is your weekly access to international volunteering, living abroad and everything that comes with it! Follow along with us, Laura and Alice, two ESC volunteers in Poland. We will share with you ours and other volunteers' experiences as well as insights into the Polish culture. Stay tuned for some international music reccomendation too :)
Exploring folklore is a nice and interesting way to discover how a country works. That's why we dedicated this episode to talking with Sara, who is volunteering in the Library of Pomiechówek and has always been interested in this topic. With her, we will discover some aspects of Polish folklore that can be very useful to you in order to understand a little bit more about the culture of this nation.
A part of hosting acting as a host organization, SPW is also responsible for sending polish volunteers abroad. That is the case of Michalina, a volunteer from Żyrardów who spended the last months in the French city of Amiens. In this episode we talked about her European Solidarity Corps project and about the things that she learned while being aborad.
We talk with Bartek and Paweł about their experience mentoring volunteers from all Europe and about the cultural activities that they are organizing in Pomiechówek.
If you want to know more, you can follow them on their Instagram profile: @chitchatpomie.
The recruitment for the summer workcamps season has just started and we think that the best way to recommend them is to talk with someone who can be defined as an expert in the field. Her name is Ola, she is from Szczecin, and she will be sharing with us her experiences in Naples and Berlin.
If you want to volunteer and you don’t know how to do it, this is the episode which will reveal to you all the things you need. We explained the main steps to follow in order to apply for an opportunity, but also some advice for your CV. The process could seem cumbersome, however, if you follow the whole podcast episode, you will be ready to go for volunteering through the European Solidarity Corps.
This third episode of the season is about three peculiarities of the European Solidarity Corps. On the one hand, the length of the programs which it is to choose between long-term and short-term volunteering. On the other hand, the money the volunteer will receive to go on the project, to live there and the accommodation. Finally, we explain the different topics and areas to volunteer.
In this episode we explain the differences between volunteering abroad and in your local community, but we also talk about the various projects we can choose depending on our disposition. Additionally, we answer some of your questions regarding requirements, affordability and availability of programs.
This new season is to talk about volunteering in general, how does it work and the different opportunities we have. Thus, in this first episode we discuss if our tasks are considered volunteering and how this action is perceived in our countries. Additionally, we demystify the most common stereotypes, and we found a correlation between volunteering and improving our mental health.
This is the last episode of the season and we wanted to talk about how is volunteering in a cultural center and at a library in Poland. Our volunteers told us which are their main tasks, why they chose these projects and the most shocking things they found here. Moreover, we introduced a very well-known Polish footballer and we ended with two songs that are very special for our guests.
In this episode, Ilona and Ángel tell us the biggest challenges that come from working with children in Poland. They work in two different kindergartens in Pułtusk, a town near Warsaw where the local community and the volunteers are learning from each other. Furthermore, we learn about the life of the Polish Pope, a figure recognized internationally, and we end with two Polish songs that we discovered during our experience here in Poland.
This episode is about volunteering with horses in Helenów, a center for rehabilitation, education and care in Warsaw. Our guests, Madeleine and Julia, will explain to us which are their main tasks and how they are doing with the horses so far. Moreover, the Polish figure we want to introduce today is Wisława Szymborska, a literature Nobel prize winner whose “ironic precision” allows to understand the human reality. Last but not least, we want to present two songs that remind us to stay grounded, to live in the present, but also to enjoy and realize the things we have.
This third episode of Season 2 is about volunteering and living in a small town in Poland. We will ask our guests Ester and Claire what that feels like, how their project is going in the library and what they would have liked to know before embarking on an adventure like this. We also want to present how Frédéric Chopin's life was, whose essence is still in Warsaw. We end with some music recommendations from our guests.
This special episode is about Christmas celebrations around Europe. Our guests for today are ten volunteers / mentors with whom we can explore the different traditions as regards Christmas. Listen until the end to hear our volunteers sing their favorite Christmas carols in their languages.
Traditions in Spain & Italy: (from 15’’) / France: (13’ 50’’) / Spain: (16’ 08’’) / Germany: (19’ 30’’) / Malta & France: (22’05’’) / Poland & Hungary: (25’ 10’’) / Christmas Carols: ( from 29’ 16’’)
This first episode of Season 2 is about the fears and the expectations regarding living abroad. Our guest for today are Araceli and Melina, two volunteers in a Polish primary school. We also tell some fun facts about Maria Skłodowska-Curie, a world recognized Polish figure and we end with some music recommendation that make us travel back in time.
This episode is about three weeks late, so sorry about that. We are both back in Austria an France now but have really enjoyed our time in Poland. In this last episode we are talking about a certain thing called Youthpass and reflect on our volunteering experience and what we've learned throughout the year. We've both enjoyed working on this podcast very much and now it's kind of sad that it's over but we hope that you enjoyed it as much as we have. Do zobaczenia!
Little language lesson:
- French: serrurerie = locksmith
- Austrian-German: Oachkatzlschwoaf = squirrel's tail
- Polish: czterdzieści sześć = 46
Everyone who participates in an ESC project is assigned a mentor who is supposed to help the volunteer navigate in their new environment and especially at the beginning of the project but certainly plays a big role throughout the whole volunteering experience.
In this episode we invited our two mentors, Sylwia and Bartek, to talk with us about how they became a mentor, what they like and don't like about it and much more!
Little Language Lesson:
- Darowanemu koniowi w zęby się nie zagląda. = Einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul. = You shouldn't criticise something that has been given to you.
- Dzielić skórę na niedźwiedziu. = Il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l'ours avant de l'avoir tué. = You shouldn't be happy about something that hasn't even happened yet.
Did you ever think: "One birthday a year is not enough?" Well, Poland's got you covered!
In this episode we'll also talk about why German is basically the same thing as Polish, how Napoleon became a national hero and why you should bring a raincoat with you if you'll ever find yourself in Poland the day after Easter.
Little Language Lesson:
szynka - Schinken = ham
strajk - Streik = strike
fryzjer - Friseur = hairdresser
szuflada - Schublade = drawer
Karolina was an EVS/ESC volunteer in France 5 years ago.
In this episode she tells us about her experience, what she liked the most and how it affected what she does now.
If you are still hesitating to do an ESC project, you will be convinced at the end of this interview!
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LITTLE LANGUAGE LESSON
"Verlan": the French art to inverse the words!
"Merci" (thank you) becomes "Cimer"
Enjoy!
Learning a new language, discovering a new culture, meeting new friends, flatsharing, etc. That all comes with different expectations that might or might not have been met in the end.
In this episode, you can listen to our own expectations and how they turned out!
LITTLE LANGUAGE LESSON
Potatoes (EN)
Pommes de terre (FR)
Erdäpfel (AT)
Enjoy!
If you have already travelled abroad, you might have experienced culture shock.
In this episode, we will share our tips to deal with it: how to stay in touch with your own culture and how to integrate into a new one.
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LITTLE LANGUAGE LESSON
EN: Hangover
DE: Einen Kater haben (to have a male cat)
FR: Gueule de bois (wooden face)
In an ESC project, you will have to share a flat with other people from other countries.
What can go wrong?
How to solve problems?
What can you take from living with other people?
We will discuss all of these questions with our first guest: Mathis, who is also an ESC volunteer in Poland!
LITTLE LANGUAGE LESSON
"Moulin à paroles" = A windmill of words
"Reden wie ein Wasserfall" = To talk like a waterfall
Why did we choose to do an ESC project and how did we apply for it?
TONGUE TWISTERS
GERMAN: Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid und Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut.
FRENCH: Ces six saucissons-secs-ci sont si secs qu'on ne sait si s'en sont.
Have fun!
In this episode we will answer all of these questions:
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What is the ESC?
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Why take part in an ESC project?
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How to apply?
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a little language lesson!
Here is the link for all the project opportunities on the Youth Portal: https://europa.eu/youth/volunteering/project_en