The on-arrival training provided by the National Agency for João and Arnold, our EVS volunteers, took place near Trakai. During this three-days training, nine volunteers from different projects got together in a secluded villa, 15 kilometres away from Trakai’s centre. With an age range from 19 to 28, coming from Italy, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Romania and Hungary, working on Youth centres, LGBTI+ associations, Animal Shelters and Kindergartens, the group was diverse and with different insights to offer.
The group dynamic started straight-off the bus from Vilnius, where some of the volunteers figured out they were headed in the same direction, and so decided to get introductions out of the way. The volunteers were welcomed to the La Villa Royale by Jonas, the trainer and host for the session. The first day was mainly about getting to know each other. With some fun activities like a step-by-step drawing of each other’s faces or a speed-dating circuit, the volunteers get more comfortable with one another. The day ended with a team-building exercise, where two teams were given the same set of tools and an egg. The mission was to use all the tools so that when the egg was thrown from the second floor, it would float on air for the longest time possible, and it would survive the fall. With a tight schedule to come up with ideas and execute them, it was amusing to see the two different outcomes and how the volunteers time-managed and interacted with each other.
During the second day, the activities focused on the volunteers’ experiences with the EVS programme and the Lithuanian culture so far. The participants were given the task to present themselves – where they came from and their story, what were they doing in the present, and what goals and expectations they envisioned for the future. After getting to know more about each other’s personal stories, projects and associations, it was time to delve deeper into EVS. Before starting the second session, the group got to walk on a frozen lake, and truly appreciate the chilly and snowy weather Lithuania has to offer. During the afternoon session, the different phases of volunteering were discussed, and Jonas provided information on the Youthpass. This was followed by a short introduction about Lithuania and Lithuanian culture. After dinner, we ended the day with some time together in the sauna, and with a snow ball fight in-between rounds.Throughout the third and last day, the volunteers started the morning with a visit from Kristina Gruodyte and Aistė Natkevičiūtė from the National Agency, who provided more information about the Youth Pass and clarified doubts about the European Voluntary Service. To end the training, we reflected as a group on the importance of each of the activities in the programme, and discussed if the expectation we shared during the first day were met. It was time to say goodbye to Jonas, but the volunteers decided they were still up to visit Trakai’s castle together, just before heading back to Vilnius.
Arnold
The On-Arrival Training was an excellent opportunity to meet new international volunteers and find out more about the European Voluntary Service. I especially enjoyed the second day of our training. It was a real eye-opener to listen to the other volunteers’ experiences in Lithuania. Their stories also helped me reflect on my current volunteering and life in Vilnius. The Lithuanian cultural evening was also a great opportunity to find out more about my host country and bombard our trainer with our Lithuania-related questions. On the next day, our tiny team had the chance to visit Trakai. I’ve never seen such a charming and colourful little town. The enchanting bright-coloured houses made me fall in love with Trakai in a heartbeat. I later found out about the Karaim history of Trakai which made me decide to go back there someday and dive deeper into this culture.
João
It was a great experience! I did not go into it with many expectations, and I was surprised with how much fun I had. Even though we are all living in Lithuania as volunteers, it was very interesting to see how our upbringing and personal history shape the way we live this similar experience, and even how we set up expectations for the future. During the first day, everyone was on-board with the presented activities and we shared personal details with each other in a very effortless dynamic. We made it an enjoyable experience, and I guess that would be the main lesson to learn from the training – all the same, the EVS experience will be what we make out of it. Looking forward to meet with the other volunteers in Vilnius, and outside of it too.
LGL is carrying out the 10-month project “Disappearing Borders: Empowering LGBT Community and Allies In Lithuania” under the Erasmus+ program EVS (European Voluntary Service).
