.·:*¨¨* Quizz and informational stand with Coraline Azalee *¨¨*:·.
I first discovered volunteering when I saw a video about it on Instagram. I thought, “Why not?” The project felt reassuring because of the support it offers. Before that, I had never really considered becoming a volunteer. I want more people to know about this opportunity because it’s a valuable experience for thinking about future choices and understanding what you really want. That’s why I created a quizz about volunteering: myths & realities of European volunteering. The goal was to help students understand what European volunteering is and to debunk common myths. It was a fun, round-by-round game around a table were participants can join or leave at any time and every topic can be discussed. All questions were welcomed and we disccus a lot about they futur. The stand also provided plenty of information, and I’ll share parts of my own experience to give insight and inspiration. It was a chance to explore volunteering and reflect on what it could mean for them. Now I know every detail about this program, haha! ✅
.·:*¨¨* Hey, Guilherme here! *¨¨*:·.
Unlike the other activities, mine didn’t have a fixed stand — actually, I was the activity. I was wearing a white T-shirt, and with markers the students could leave their mark on it. The initial idea was for them to write things related to volunteering, values etc, but it ended up being signatures and random drawings, including references I don’t even know. Still, in the end it turned out pretty cool because it became a mix of ideas and little pieces of the students that stayed recorded on the T-shirt from that day.
.·:*¨¨* Community mural with Mikkel! *¨¨*:·.
As for me, I let the students partake in creating a community mural! It’s a simple concept, where everyone adds a single detail to the whole. Then you can step back and see how the mural, through dozens of separate additions, grows into something of its own. What I liked the most was when they started collaborating – one person adding to another’s drawing, creating something larger than the sum of its parts.
.·:*¨¨* Map of Europe with Gloria and Sara *¨¨*:·.
For Volunteer Day, Sara and I wanted to create activities that felt light, fun, and meaningful. We started with a big map of Europe and invited students to write down a memory from a country they had visited, then place their note on the map. By the end, the board was overflowing with stories, small moments, funny adventures, unexpected feelings. It was beautiful to see how many experiences can connect us.
Our second activity was a multilingual word hunt. We hid small cards all around the school, each showing four volunteering-related words translated into six languages (Polish, Italian, Spanish, Basque, Portuguese, and French). Each group had one word to find in all its translations, snapping photos as they discovered them. When they returned to us they earned a small candy reward.
Both activities brought out curiosity, teamwork, and the joy of discovering something new together, exactly the spirit we hoped to share on Volunteer Day!
.·:*¨¨* International karaoke with Aroa *¨¨*:·.
For International Volunteer Day, I prepared a karaoke workshop for the high school students. Throughout the morning, they could choose from a selection of songs from our home countries: “Despacito” (Spanish), “Sarà perché ti amo” (Italy), “Balada” (Portuguese), “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” (Sweden) and “Ella elle l’a” (France).
Students picked their favourites, received printed lyrics, and we also projected the text so more people could join in. As the workshop went on, they started requesting additional songs, and the room quickly turned into a really fun, energetic space where everyone was singing together, sometimes loudly, sometimes shyly, but always with enthusiasm.
It was a great way to share a bit of our cultures through music and to create a relaxed, joyful moment during the celebration of Volunteer Day.
