May worked as a volunteer through the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) in France from October 2021 to August 2022. In the small community of Saint-Caprais-de-Bordeaux in the south of the country, she was able to share her enthusiasm for computers and technology with children and teach them how to program robots and websites in workshops she designed herself.
"Hey! My name is May and I am 20 years old. I started my European Solidarity Corps service in Saint-Caprais-de-Bordeaux in October 2021.
I spent exactly 10 months in France, which was an unforgettable time. Together with Maria, I worked over the winter with the children in the institutions, the Communauté de Communes. Together we played, made crafts and did sports. Even with my still basic knowledge of French, this worked out well. During the time when there were no children in
the facility, we were able to plan our projects for the following months. In doing so, I was guided by my interest in computers.
For the children in the surrounding institutions I wanted to plan technology workshops in which they learn how to operate and program a computer. In February we were able to present our projects. Thereby Maria and I could convince with our exciting projects.
Finally we started with our projects in March. In the first weeks I experimented on the robots with the children.
The children could then play with them and try their hand at their first programs. It was always very nice to see what the children made with and from the robots. We often built routes for the robots out of Legos and wooden blocks, which was always a lot of fun. The creativity of the children was always very inspiring. Therefore, in April, I was inspired to create a portal for the kids, where they can see their achievements, but also you can see their achievements. That month I also set up three more computers to teach the children how to program websites. This was a great success! The children were able to create about 60 beautiful websites during the year. You can see them on atelier.jeffsky.de.
During the vacations in April I was able to organize a one-week workshop with the kids at Club Ados.
There we built and programmed robots. Finally, I continued with my workshops until the middle of June. After that we were prepared for the workcamps in July. In the FDA (Formation des Animateurs) we learned which tasks and duties a group leader has to fulfill. There we met many nice people. In July we continued with the work camp in Fargues-
Saint-Hilaire. In it, Maria, Mads and I set up and organized a festival with eight other volunteers.On the three festival days, we helped to sell food and drinks and had to set up the festival and take it down again. This was a nice time, but also quite exhausting.
In summary, I am very happy to have done my ESC volunteer year.
I was received very friendly and met many nice people, some of whom have become good friends. This year has shaped me very much and I will look back on this year with beautiful memories. Special thanks to Melanie, Emanuel, Guilaume, Laurant, Lucie, Martina, Marzia, Mads, Maria, Michela, Elena, Jérémy, Pière, Mathilda, Audrey, Elodie and Concordia, who made it possible for me to participate in this project."
Volunteer with the European Solidarity Corps
You can apply for Volunteering Teams or longer voluntary service projects in other European countries via the European Solidarity Corps (ESC). There is a strict age limit of 18 to 30 years and there are a few important steps to take before and after the project in addition to registering with us or another organization. You can find more information about the ESC here.