Youth Club – Hosting Volunteers

07.2024 - 08.2024 Jessica Guerreiro (Portugal)

Hello, my name is Jéssica, and I did volunteer work in Estonia at the Izum organization for a short period of two months, which turned out to be the most beautiful and enriching months of my life.

Starting with the fact that Izum provided me with a lot of love and incredible opportunities: from working with children aged 4 to 15 years, participating in and learning through games and activities, theater performances, storytelling, and much more, to organizing and presenting cultural workshops based on our personal interests or studies. I also had the chance to work with a big team with various new and amazing people; And of course, to learn a new language and culture.

This project brought me satisfaction because being a volunteer goes beyond dedicating time and effort without expecting financial compensation. Volunteering contributes strongly to personal development in many ways, and I can truly feel that.

It was all a challenge; every day I felt challenged, not just by the language barrier, which was very difficult at the beginning. The shock of not understanding anyone and struggling to be understood was a bit scary, but then I began to let go and embrace the spirit of the situation and the new city.

It's all a matter of time, whether long or short.

But it's also about knowing how to deal with our own emotions, because it is in these moments that we truly understand the meaning of "saudade" (a Portuguese word meaning the act of missing someone or something) and what it means to step out of our comfort zone.

With this, I want to deeply thank you for this experience—it brought more color to my life.

Needless to say, everyone should have an experience like this, volunteering in such a beautiful and welcoming place as Estonia, at Izum, and with all the people involved.

I will miss this, I’m already missing a little bit…

Um grande OBRIGADO (A big thank you)!