Rosana Fernández Fábrega, Spain For me, the best part of my experience was that I discovered that I can do things that I never imagined. Being out of your comfort zone is a great way to get to know yourself and from there you can begin to achieve your objectives. Everything is possible, just take the initiative to try it. I encourage everyone who meets the requirements to come and live the experience of European Voluntary Service!

Szondi Denis, Romania Each and every open-minded person who claims that has a healthy lifestyle should take the `EVS pill` at least once during their lifetime as a testimony of their willingness to help. The phrase “There is no such thing as a free meal” needs to be scrapped. Remember not to talk the talk if you cannot walk the walk.

Sara Santos, Portugal With so many different cultures you have to learn to be tolerant, patient and open minded. You have to be outside of your comfort zone. These experiences will enrich you personally and professionally.

Mónica Almeida, Portugal Overall, I can say that I wouldn’t change the 6 months I spent working for EFM for anything. I honestly hope more people will enrol on programmes like VET because it really helps your growth both on a personal and professional level, preparing you to face the challenges of the labour market and the world of work.

Daniela, Italy There are many indelible memories and feelings from the most positive to the most sad, a whirlwind of emotions that could emanate everything or situation surrounding: a child on the street, a chance meeting with a guru, a journey to discover even more emotions in the desert of Rajasthan. Every place was magical, every situation from more banal unrepeatable. Sure, there were moments of despair, loneliness, but never the desire to give up, that place became my home, my refuge. Five months full of color, life, love, love for all those children, those faces that I shall never forget in my mind.

Solvita, Latvia People are scared of unknown and unpredictable. I was one of them, but fears weren’t only feeling what I experienced. High level of excitement and happiness was running truth my body. I knew these months will reshape me. And they certainly did. EVS for me surely isn’t vacation. It’s a time when I have been pushed outside of my comfort zone countless times, faced various difficulties and emotionally got knocked down on my knees. It brought to light and made me aware of my worst personality traits. I learned a lot about myself and world which is totally contrasting from my previous one. My perspective of life has become wider and more objective.

Dima, Lebanon I was totally ignorant about the migration crisis in Europe until I became part of it through my 9-months EVS project in Palermo, Italy. My EVS project granted me the opportunity to hear the migrants’ stories from the primary source…nothing motivated me more than their words, their strengths and their weaknesses to work harder. I was realistic enough to know that I will not be able to change the system all alone. But I promised myself to be part of this change.

Gianluca, Italy I was looking for a way to escape the reality in which I lived, and I thought that this opportunity may work to change my life, and it did…it helped me change my perspectives, try new experiences, live. The world is like a book: there are countless pages and the only way to discover them all, is to live. Have the opportunity to know the beauty of the world, that can be a great opportunity to grow in a psychological and cultural way, and to enter in contact with a situation that will teach you to prepare to the hardest and most complex thing that exists for us humans, which is life.

Tiziana, France Living in a place means to confront with another way of life, another culture, another language, but also to be part of a local community. With my EVS, I have met local people as well as young people from so many other countries and cultures and, in this way, share and discover a lot of diverse points of view and ways of live. This is really an opening experience.

Maria, Spain What I like the most is that small acts and daily actions such as drawing, eating, listening music… become a great experience full of learning and fun. Now, thanks to this experience I am able to see the beauty and delight of every small act that before I couldn’t experience in such a strong way. For me, being a volunteer means sharing pieces of my life with other people, it’s a moment of personal growth…

Dune, Belgium I lived alongside disabled people, essentially in the role of a specialised educator; I supervised and helped them in their day-to-day lives. I mainly worked alongside educators (who were all really great) when I was at L’Arche (the organisation where I carried out my civic service). My biggest difficulty at first was by myself, in unfamiliar surroundings and without the people I am used to around me…But I was patient and I found that the solitude made me more open to what was around me. Without that, I could never have gained as much from my project! I have never taken on so much as during these last 6 months, but I have never laughed as much or enjoyed myself as much either.

Emelyne, Italy The main thing that I will take from this experience is all of the people I met and spoke with; it was rewarding and enlightening and broadened my horizons. Also my life alongside my housemates, all of the little moments and habits of daily life which you may sometimes become jaded with but which you end up missing, such as the shopping street which we went down so many times or the bars which ended up becoming stale for us, so well did we know the music which they continually played.

Elena, UK My mobility experience took me to a training centre where I was in charge of Erasmus Programme development, mobility projects and general development of international partnerships. I also provided the centre’s personnel with support for administrative tasks and other projects which were underway or in development. I am very proud of how I managed to improve my language skills, of gaining two certifications for the company I worked for, of having displayed a high level of professionalism and commitment which led to my being offered a contract at the end of my mobility period. Additionally, given that my host family are of Asian origin, I also learned how to eat with chopsticks and got used to eating spicy food!

Weronika Ancerowicz, Poland I spent in CCW 2 months and that was fruitful time. Team is great, very friendly and helpful. Wonderful experience! I improved my skills and behaviour. I wish I could have stayed longer. Thank you for everything!

Burak Akdoğan, Turkey CCW is a great place to learn new skills adequately. There are several courses covers both IT courses, ilm courses, HR courses etc. It’s been a pleasure to attend different courses by different tutors. Entire building is very comfortable and suitable for learning environment. Last but not least, frankly all team from manager to employees are really friendly and helpful. I recommend to people who is trying to find this kind of professional training provider to attend and learn new skills or develop themselves. This was a satisfying time for me improve myself thanks a lot CCW.

Mateusz Klose, Poland I had a pleasure to attend several trainings at CCW. I’ve found every single one very informative, professional and interesting. Tutors were very professional and experienced in the topic they were teaching. I highly recommend CCW if you need to improve your skills or learn something new.

Andrezj Kaleta, Poland CCW Academy is a great place to get experience. The whole team is very professional and friendly. The courses are top notch and they give you the feeling that you really learned something. I recommend for anyone who needs to have this kind of training that will be done quickly and efficiently. Thank you very much for everything.

Cristobal Rodriguez Coca, Spain My Graduate Internship at CCW has been one of the most enriching experiences in my life. Thanks to the advice and support of Mike I have learnt key skills about personal development, CV Writing, Interview Skills and Psychology of Leadership, that have helped me to find an excellent job in the Civil Engineering field. Mike and the rest of the staff in CCW have been always helpful and understanding with me and have guided me to my career success.

Chiara Toma, Italy I worked at CCW for three months and it was for me a precious experience for my personal and professional development. I had the possibility to learn something new every day, thanks for the support of the friendly team that gave me the possibility to get involved in all the projects they carried out. Also Mike, the managing director, kindly afforded me to attend three courses: Train the Trainer, The Psychology of Leadership and Personal Development. I really appreciated to follow the courses because they have been very informative and useful for me. I will be able to use for my future job what I learned here. Many thanks to the whole CCW team, they are professional in what they do supporting people in their enhancement and taking care of them as well. I’m really going to miss working with you.