Results of the Photo Contest - March 2019 (working with children / young people)
Elpida from Greece: This past summer, I volunteered at a green recreational organisation in Flanders, Belgium. Being myself a sustainability and environmental expert, I felt immediately at home. I undertook multiple roles, became a project manager for an outdoor residential space utilising principles of circular economy as well as a visual content creator. Most of our visitors were young children. Even though I have worked as a visual artist before, working with kids was a new challenge for me. At first, I stood there observing the kids quietly. Then I knelt down to their world and became part of it. It only occurred to me after the photo was taken, that I witnessed a truly symbolic moment, the depiction of fractal reality. A child half my size, proudly presenting me with the “human” he created. I realised it was a quest assigned to all of us as a collective network of individuals inhabiting this planet and to me individually reminding me of my duties as an environmental scientist.
Serhii from Ukraine:When volunteering in Cospicua, Malta, in 2018 I got experience working with children. To imagine myself as big as a dinosaur.
Or a dinosaur as small as me. What is a magic moment? Maybe it is something what we can feel when making magic to children.
Working with children, we find magic in the most ordinary things. Children see magic where we no longer see it. If we listen to children, they will show us the magic of how to rejoice of what we have at present time.
Paloma from Spain: This picture shows feelings about how the first time can be magical.
We went with the klub to the zoo in Aalborg, Denmark. For
the majority of the kids it was the first time that they had seen those types of animals. In this photo Peter, the child, is looking at the baby tigers playing with their parents and having fun.
But this picture doesn’t show just that feeling, it is also about the relationship that you can create with the kids when you are working and sharing experiences with them.
It is about friendship, trust and admiration. It is about life, experiences and about what it means to be a European Volunteer. @pampicpictures
Marta from Spain: I am volunteering in Centru Tbexbix, a small organisation located in the region of Cottonera, Malta. This organisation provides
education and social service based in the city of Cospicua and it hosts a variety of projects and activities aimed at the all-round development of children, youth and women. That particular day, we were preparing everything for our Halloween party, so kids could contribute to decorate the centre with their own creations. During this activity, we were decorating some candles with recycled glass jars and silk papers. While all the kids were sitting in the table, Adriana decided to find another place to work since sometimes she needs her own space. When I went into the room, I saw her sitting on the floor, with her flowered headband and so concentrated that I decided to take the picture. It really defines her personality, she is not like the other kids; her mind is extremely creative and unique.
Begoña from Spain: During my volunteering in Athens, Greece, the favourite day of our kids was Friday. We would go to the park
and spent 4 hours playing football, basketball, playing the guitar, eating … but the thing the kids always enjoyed the most was to climb to the big rock next to the park. One day a few kids were up in the rock, they saw me from above and they started yelling: “Teacher, teacher, hello, picture, picture” and so I did. Being able to spent time outside with the kids was the best way for me to connect with them. We were less worried about the activities, everyone could be playing a different game and that was fun, everybody would have a good time. Personally, my favourite moment was when we would eat our afternoon snack before we would leave. I would love to explain to them that in order to enjoy their snack they should sit, be calm and relax. Once they all sat down, I would give them the food; we would enjoy the food while we would listen to some music.