1. Experience in Ukraine
A life Changing Experience In Ukraine
GLOBAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAME
Project: Summer Camp
Place: Kiev, Ukraine
Duration: 1 month
Organization: AIESEC in Kiev, Ukraine
It all started when I saw a registration desk in my university in my first year for
this program by a wonderful organization AIESEC. The global community
development program was it but due to some reasons I was unable to opt. But I
joined that voluntary organization and worked in it.
In the second year of my university I took that chance and was matched to a
project “SUMMER CAMP” in Kiev, Ukraine.
Job Description:
(AS AN INTERN IN PROJECT)
Project was based on to work with children of 8-18 years old. Main task was
to diversify time of children in camps by organizing lessons and games,
showing variety of world cultures etc.
To organize lessons about world issues, current social and
ecological problems, to help children identify their goals and values.
To prepare interactive games, ice-breakers, dances, songs for children.
To attend introductory conference made by Organization committee,
before working in camps and to make video-report and article about
internship.
(AS A MEMBER IN AIESEC KIEV, UKRAINE)
Intern will work as international member of "Summer Camp" project. He
will
Organize presentations, feedback sessions and other activities for interns.
He also is in charge for outgoing exchange recruitment in local universities.
2. Experience in Ukraine
To take part in Local committee and Organization committee team
activities, integration events, be involved into Local committee work facilitation, education, Outgoing exchange activities, others.
I got my Invitation letter from The MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, UKRAINE.
And got the visa and all was set. As it was my first ever international trip so I
was very much excited but on the other hand was nervous too as I was going
in such a country where even in the capital less than one percent people can
understand English. The food and accommodation were provide by the host
organization.
I took my flight for New Delhi and reached Kiev i.e. the capital of Ukraine.
It was 3 pm the local time. I go cleared from the immigration desk and a
member from the organization committee was standing there in the arrival
section with my name on a poster. She welcomed me very well and we took a
taxi to the intern house in the city.
Everything was new to me, the Roads, people, cars, atmosphere it was the
same Europe we see in movies. It was something that you are eagerly waiting
for something. According to them it was summers but the temperature was
around 15-20 degrees. I reached the intern house where other interns were
staying. At a time we were around 30 people in that house. I was quickly given
the reception booklet and a session was set up for the newly joined interns
about the introduction to the project.
I had to wait about 10 days for my camp to be allotted. So I started visiting
places with the other interns. They were lovely people from different parts of
the world Egypt, turkey, china, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Russia, Mexico,
brazil, Portugal , Italy, France, Germany, Tunisia, morocco, Vietnam, Lebanon,
Serbia, Bosnia, Poland, Greece etc.
They were wonderful people and all students like me. I got to experience their
thinking about the world and other issues. How they live, their religions, status
about their countries etc. I traveled the cities of Ukraine, visited many
different museums and monuments. Night life of that city was the best in the
Eastern Europe. They had night carnivals, clubs, cafes, road side discos etc.
I tasted several different cuisines. But the thing that was bad was the food. The
food was without any spices, not even salt and was mostly boiled and smoked.
If lucky I could find some food similar to Indian food. And vegetarian food was
not at all available. We played different games in the intern house go to clubs
3. Experience in Ukraine
beaches and interacted to the local people. The language was a great barrier,
the local people could not understand not a single world of English but we
somehow managed. It was great experience for me to learn a lot and know the
mindset of the people of Ukraine and other interns belonging to different
nations and compare it to with our mind set i.e. Indians.
Finally I was given my camp where I had to work. I was accompanied by two
girls from Serbia and was intern like me. It was in a remote locations were very
few mobile companies and internet connectivity was very less. The people
from the camp came to pick us up.
It was a lovely summer camp with about 350 children from 8-19 years of age
and spread in a 150 acre of land. With all the facilities like football grounds,
beach, archery, horse riding, swimming pools, a very big mess, a lot of building
for the stay of children’s. We were staying with the teachers. But they also
could not understand English but some could. We very interacted to the
children on the second day. First we were asked to prepare sessions for the
children’s of 13-19 age groups as they could understand English to some
extent. They sessions were to give them a glimpse about our country i.e India.
In a interesting way. For few days we did that. In the mean time for smaller
children they asked us to organize games which we do for small children in our
countries.
After that we organized English speaking clubs for the students and the
teachers. And for small children we organized sessions for basic English
alphabets.
I also played outdoor games with them.
This was one of the turning point in my life which made a drastic change in me,
in the way of my thinking.
I was more grown. The boy who never did something without the help of his
parents had visited a country alone and stayed for a month.
I now have friend from all around the globe. Traveled to a place where you
can’t communicate with the local people, a place very different from India.
Now I was a global citizen, with a global mind set which surely will help in my
coming years.
