Volunteers for Europe

Greetings from the beautiful city of Görlitz right at Germany’s eastern border with Poland where I am attending the 2012 VfE seminar with 17 YMCA staff and volunteers from 12 European countries. In case you’ve not heard of Görlitz before, it is a historical city that has a population of 50,000 people and is famous for its rich cultural heritage dating back to the 17th Century. Once called the Via Regia (street of the King) Görlitz was a very important trading route that linked Germany to many Eastern European cities. YMCA presence in Görlitz was suspended during the Separation of Germany till the 1990s and this beautiful city now houses the YMCA regional offices for Upper Schlesische Oberlansitz. Special thanks go to YMCA Germany, the seminar sponsors for leading on putting this interesting event together. It has been a time of reflection as we each talked about the different opportunities we offer or are looking at offering to out volunteers. Our discussions have definitely highlighted ways YMCAs in Europe can contribute to the development of volunteers’ programmes under the European Voluntary Service. It is not a one size fits all but through creativity, passion and commitment to impacting lives of young people, YMCAs can help give their young people a chance to participate in these life changing experiences! Partner finding is now the buzz word…. Watch this space for more. From Joy Namayanja YMCA England