The circumstances under which we get the most valuable things in our lives, are always, according to an unwritten rule, strange and indescribable. Anyway, after some time, we start calling them luck. The moment you find yourself surrounded by intelligent, ready to act, skilled people, people who “change things,” you should indeed thank God for the circumstances you have stumbled upon. This is what I have experienced. I do not even know how but I have simply found myself in a small community of truly great people, those for whom you know are dedicated to work by simply looking at their faces, those whose words can be trusted and whose hard work can be seen in the results. After I became a volunteer, my perception of life and the future has completely changed. Once you become familiar with the topics which are important to you and your community, as I have within the project BEEHIVE – Strengthening Women Youth Leaders in BiH, after you realise the truth and gain certain skills, you will certainly not be the same person any more. Volunteering has changed me a lot. I have learned how to be creative, intrusive, ask for what belongs to me, read the fine print in policies and contracts, live with enthusiasm, with the desire for all those things which are new and improved, with the desire to change and improve things.. I have learned so many things: how to speak, not to be embarrassed of my opinions, how to get people to listen to me, where to get help, where to look for knowledge. In the course of volunteering on certain projects, you learn something that you could never learn within our formal education system. Volunteering is, in my opinion, the best practice and experience for the future that young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina can have.
One thing that I can tell you from my own experience is that if you are a young person and you are reading my words: YOU ARE MISSING THE ABUNDANCE OF OPPORTUNITIES if you are not a volunteer. There is a whole world of new opportunities and possibilities, a world of undiscovered knowledge waiting to be recognised. Now, if I have some free time, I try to be part of a project, because I know, that after volunteering on daily basis, I get back home one experience richer and more skilled for doing the job. I will further pursue hopping that I will be able to offer even more to my community, change things and improve both my own and the living conditions of the people I am surrounded with.
Due to all ways that volunteering can enrich a young person’s experience, I think it’s very important to work on promoting volunteering in our country. First of all, I like the fact that the new Law says that volunteering in one’s profession is recognised as work experience, because that’s what it really is. It is necessary to create more opportunities for young people and, above all, educate young people about their involvement in social life, as stated in the new Law on volunteering of FBiH.
Azra Cucak,
A Volunteer from the Institute for Youth Development KULT
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