New volunteer joins European Solidarity Corps project in “Čiauškutis”

Last week, a new face has joined the team of volunteers at Vilnius’ special kindergarten “Čiauškutis”. Pascal Strum from Germany came to Lithuania for six and a half months. The volunteer will be joining the daycare center, where he will have the opportunity to observe therapeutic activities, assist daycare staff, and contribute to the development of new visual aids for children.

“When I first heard about the project, I was immediately interested because of the country and the work itself. It is a good opportunity for me to learn something new. I always wanted to try social work, for the last 3 years I was working in a job with very little social interactions, and I was feeling that this part was missing in my life. I decided that my next job would be a social one.’– Pascal explains.

“Why did I choose Lithuania? I wanted to get a different perceptive of life. I wanted to live in a city, not the countryside, and the most important part for me was to choose a country with a different life standard. Now it’s been one week after my arrival and I feel very comfortable with the situation, looking forward to having a great time in Vilnius.” – the volunteer adds.

The European Solidarity Corps is a new program of the European Union designed to empower young people to contribute to local and global challenges. It is an opportunity to learn a foreign language, gain experience of independent living, make new acquaintances and friends, and develop communication skills with people from other cultures. Volunteering can last from 2 weeks to 12 months, and it can take place in a variety of projects: social, cultural, sports, environmental, human rights, etc.

European Solidarity Corps projects are voluntary, but the program covers all the costs associated with participating in the selected project: travel, accommodation, local transport, language courses, training and health insurance. It also provides pocket money and food money. In addition, those volunteering for more than 3 months in the European Solidarity Corps project may gain additional 0.25 points when enrolling to Lithuanian higher education undergraduate programs. More information here.