Volunteer programme: Off to the south ...
... is the motto for the participants of the ELM's international volunteer programme
Sunshine is definitely not their main motivation. But the rainy summer this year might make their departure a little easier. And so they are now packing their bags and boarding the plane.
What motivates young people - mostly school leavers - to make bold plans to spend a year in the Global South with the volunteer programme of the Ev.-luth. Mission in Lower Saxony (ELM)? After all, many of them are venturing out of Europe for the first time. There is certainly a bit of fear, but also a sense of adventure:
I have a lot of fear, but I have even more anticipation. I can hardly wait to get there, see everything, get to know the people and maybe move one or two people and hopefully or maybe even leave a lasting impact.
And what else motivates young people to leave their well-trodden paths? Perhaps digital detox as digital natives? In other words, simply being offline when mobile phone reception is poor and the power supply fluctuates so that they can focus on their own lives? That could happen, even if it probably doesn't play a role as a motivation. Especially as mobile phone reception in Germany is often much worse than in the Global South.
Most of the young people want to learn and gain experience. They want to meet new people, broaden their horizons, develop their personalities, get to know other cultures, experience energy, share their faith and come back changed.
And the experience of the ELM shows that this works. The young people who are no longer quite so young come back different than when they started: Interculturally competent, sometimes they have learnt a new language or improved a foreign language. Spanish, Portuguese or English, for example. They have got to know people with completely different realities of life and so on. This often influences their professional orientation, which is often not yet finalised. A year abroad - and we hear this again and again - is also an experience for life.
Did you know that motivation comes from the Latin verb movere, which means"to move" or"to move"? The young people's motivation has set them in motion. Everything else remains to be seen.
Incidentally, the work centres are located in countries on the continents of South America, Africa and Asia.
You can support these young people on their journey. Simply register here. Perhaps you also know young people who would like to gain experience: Anyone is welcome to contact the volunteers programme team without obligation.
