June 28, 2019

No-drama volunteering at GoCamp in Ukraine

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Nick Zavilinskyi

The volunteers’ oath during the GoCamp program’s grand opening in the city center of Kyiv on June 7.

The Revolution of Dignity was the driving force for many public organizations and volunteer initiatives to take action, and this is the reason that nowadays many spheres of life in Ukraine are supported by Ukrainians who care deeply about their country. 

All these organizations and programs had to deal with strong stereotypes about volunteering in Ukraine. The majority of foreigners think that Ukraine is a poor, unpleasant place; and the majority of Ukrainians think that there is no way to restore Ukraine’s great stature. So the path forward was not easy. 

The biggest volunteering mechanism in Eastern Europe – GoCamp – also wasn’t an easy path. Four years ago, GoCamp organized its first language camp to motivate Ukrainian children to think globally. The main aim of this program is to give more opportunities to Ukrainian children, to let them rethink their role in modern Ukraine, and to give them the chance to become creators, not observers. 

To bring this idea to life, GoCamp’s big team used all possible instruments, including cooperation with ministries, embassies and businesses, crowdfunding platforms, fund-raising ideas and powerful social media activities. 

As a result, 144,000 schoolchildren, whose schools were carefully selected, have experienced a new method of studying foreign languages. Through unique GoCamp programs, they improve their English, French or German, while discussing interesting topics, playing games and producing creative projects. 

This year’s programs are: “Animal Planet” for the youngest; “Art and Creativity” for secondary school pupils; “Innovation and Entrepreneurial Culture” for high school students; and “School as the Heart of the Community” for children who live in villages and towns. 

Participants write down the reasons they came to volunteer in Ukraine.

Volunteers become not only teachers, but also mentors for schoolchildren all over Ukraine, including the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. They explain to them that language is an instrument of communication; they share with the children their culture and help them to acquire leadership skills. 

The program has become not only a platform for kids to study foreign languages, but also a great international community of 940 volunteers from all over the world who treat Ukraine as an independent, beautiful and, what is more important, positive-thinking country. 

 “No-drama volunteering” is all about the positive vibe of the volunteer experience, with no disappointments, but with great hope in future improvements and a strong belief in the power of a common desire to effect positive change. That is what GoCamp promotes through various media channels, trying to convey this information to Ukrainians and foreign volunteers. Coming to Ukraine, foreigners erase stereotypes and realize that they came not to a third world country, but to a modern society with Internet banking, creative restaurants and cheap mobile Internet. 

“If you want to change the world, start with children. This message really resonated with my mission, and I am sure that it will change the future of Ukraine,” says a volunteer from the United States, Amanda Sawyer, who spoke of the reason she had chosen Ukraine as her volunteering destination. Having studied at Oxford, she knows about the leadership skills that are essential for every recruiter in the 21st century: negotiation, mediation, critical thinking and delegation. 

Nick Zavilinskyi

A volunteer from India tries Ukrainian food.

This young lady admitted that she had only one stereotype about Ukraine – one that actually was confirmed: “A stereotype about Ukraine was really warm, loving, hospitable people, and when I came here that was exactly what I found. …Never once have I felt unsafe, never once have I felt unwelcome, never once have I felt anything other than being a part of a community.” 

That is what the no-drama volunteering experience is all about.

For more information, readers may visit the website gocamps.com.ua.

Kateryna Rohozhnykova is PR manager for the GoCamp program. She is from Kyiv.

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