Workcamp "Na Przedwiośniu"

     The hardest and the best experience during my EVS and may be whole life I've got as a leader of workcamp in Warsaw. Only one week before the girl who was responsible for translation changed her plans because of some personal reasons and I was invited to this place. Actually I didn't have any experience in the field of working with disable people and my Polish (as English :-)) are not the best, but I agreed, because it seemed like a beginning of something new, of new adventure.

     On 1-st of July my coordinator  Sylwia organized a short preparatory meeting for future camp leaders in Pultusk and Warsaw, where we've known about workcamps in general, about different typical problems and ways of solution, methods of cohesion people and so on. We even had a task to build a tower from long spaghetti, 1 metr of duct tape and thread and one peace of marshmallow on the top. The main aim of this exercise was to see how we will work in a team and evaluate the results.

     On 3-rd of July me and my friend and another camp leader Giorgia (our EVS volunteer in Warsaw, who work with disable people in Odrebno) visited social care center "Na Przedwiośniu".
This center is situated near forest and consists from one big rehabilitation building fo laying and sitting wards, two hostels for more independent people and one workshop building. The staff take care of  wards from their childhood and provide them different workshops where they can improve their professional skills as sewing, working with wood, plastic things, ceramic. Exept this they have a music, computer and cooking classes.
     On 5-th of June  we tried to organize our living place while we were waiting for our volunteers. We made a colorful peace of paper with our working timetable, with Polish (most important) words, with examples how to spend good our free time and big poster with word "Welcome" in many languages.
   

  
     Our workcamp consisted from volunteers from 7 countries: me from Russia, Giorgia and Francesco from Italy, Encarna, Rafa and Ruben from Spain, Maria from Belarus, Heesoo from South Korea, Beste and Ezgi from Turkey and Claudia from Honduras. During two weeks we were building a good team and friendly relation with the staff and wards of this center. The main part of our work was to spend time with patients during different workshops and to help them. But, as you know, you can't do anything without initiative. So every day after lunch we were organizing typical dances from Spain, Italy, Turkey and Russia.

 

     On Friday, 3-th of July, the staff with wards were showing us Polish dances - Polonez and kaczuszki, the band "Będzie głośno" was singing some songs of their own, also we were playing some traditional Polish games all together. To make this day intercultural volunteers were singing songs in Spanish, Italian, Turkish and English.

     Except that we hold two cooking workshops: our Spanish team were cooking tortilla and Turkish - rice pudding.

     During that two weeks we were walking a lot in the forest, visiting cinema together, singing and talking about life. This workcamp gave a lot of things not only to us, but to our wards too. They needed our company, our energy, our friendship I can say that we made a good job in this direction, we are good friends. 
     In the end of our workcamp was very hard to say good buy. Our wards have gave us the address of social care center to send each other letters and postcards. We organized one big party with games and dances. For example, game with water balloons. Our wards had to take one flag and to throw water balloon to the volunteer from the country which this flag is representing. 

     
     During that two weeks we were walking a lot in the forest, visiting cinema together, singing and talking about life. This workcamp gave a lot of things not only to us, but to our wards too. They needed our company, our energy, our friendship. I can say that we made a good job in this direction, we are good friends. 

 

Take care,

Elena.