My work at the Club for YouthEmpowerment 018 was composed of different activities. I was in charge of weeklyEnglish and Spanish classes open to all the volunteers. I was also involved inthe writing and implementation of a variety of projects. For the weekanti-racism, for example, I acquired the material, coordinated the volunteers,held a lecture at the local American corner, and wrote a follow up evaluation.Other duties included office work, team building activities, and the productionof a commercial for a local contest. Together with one of the members of theorganization, I made a comprehensive list of networks that the Club could joinand that it could benefit from. I held meetings with the volunteers,contributed with ideas for future project proposals, filled out applicationsfor trainings, and communicated with members of partner organizations. As amember of 018, I was part of two trainings. One of them was held in Nis andcovered entrepreneurship, leadership and advocacy, culminating with a businessplan for local change. The second one was an international effort held inSinaia, Romania that treated street culture and its impact on social issues,especially youth inclusion.

Throughmy work at 018, I acquired many useful and interesting skills. My understandingof the process of writing a project proposal was maximized. Now I canappreciate the amount of work and thought that goes into putting all the piecesof a project proposal together. Not only did I learn how to create budgets andstructure activities for the proposals, but I also developed a deeperappreciation for networking, meeting deadlines, forming partnerships, anddocumenting the success of the projects. Communication was also a big part ofmy service placement. I had to constantly set up meetings with the volunteers,give lectures, interact with partner organizations, and discuss theorganization’s activities with my supervisor. A big skill that I was able towork on while being a volunteer at 018 was teaching. My weekly classes allowedme to nurture my capacity to explain concepts and to strengthen importantqualities like patience and organization. From my constant interaction withpeople from other countries through trainings and partnerships I became moreculturally aware. The learning that took place will definitely play animportant part in my future college education and in the development of myprofessional career.

Eventhough since the beginning my work at 018 was very structured, it also allowedfor a significant amount of freedom and creativity. My supervisor guided me andanswered my questions without crippling my ability to make decisions. Sheencouraged me to come up with my own ideas for the Club and enabled me to be aleader. The role of my supervisor was crucial in my service work. The tasks sheassigned me were always relevant to the organization’s mission. I was includedin the decision-making process, making my perspective relevant to thedevelopment of the activities that took place during my stay at 018. Not asingle moment went by in which I did not feel an important part of theorganization. Similarly, not a single working day went by in which I didn’thave some assignment that would benefit 018 and the volunteers involved.

Duringmy stay at the Club for Youth Empowerment I worked an average of four and ahalf hours a day, five days per week. Both trainings of which I was partrequired a commitment of two continuous weeks. Since that was the case, I wasallowed a couple of free days after both trainings. Such work was mostly at theoffice. When for some reason the office was not open, I could work on myassignments from home and discuss them with my supervisor over the phone.

Overall,the only negative aspect of my work at 018 was the duration of the program.While in four months I was able to make a sizeable contribution to theorganization, it felt like a very short amount of time. My work was sofulfilling and interesting that a few extra months would have made mycontribution all the more meaningful. By a similar token, I would have enjoyedbeing part of the upcoming projects and activities organized by the club. I amsure that my continuous presence would have impacted in a positive way theseactivities and would have enhanced the already important work that I was doingfor the Club.

Description of the Organization

The Club for Youth Empowerment 018 isa very interesting place in which to work. There are constant trainings andactions that required the volunteer to develop many different skills. Frompaperwork including project proposals and evaluation forms to frequent meetingswith the supervisor, the organization has always something new in store tooffer. The volunteer is constantly interacting with young people and worksclosely with the supervisor to come up with activities and projects. While thesupervisor is always there to help, it is expected that the volunteer bereasonably independent in structuring and developing his tasks. There is plentyof room for creativity, especially as it relates to writing project proposalsand coming up with activities for the volunteers. No single skill set is leftwithout use in the organization. While the organization may count with definedprojects in which the volunteer can participate, the nature of the work teststhe volunteer’s capacity to take the initiative. Although a lot of time isspent at the office, there are a number of opportunities to meet people fromother countries, to be part of many in-the-field activities, and potentially totravel to other countries. The organization does not focus on a single thing,which makes for a diverse environment full of possibilities for learning,personal growth, and of course fun.