Results of the Photo Contest - December 2019 (end of the year)
Aydan from Turkey
I volunteered at Basilicata Link, an organisation located in the amazing, small city of Matera, Italy. Matera was the European capital of culture in 2019, and I worked in activities within this context. That is why I have always considered myself lucky for volunteering there. In accordance with the programme, we prepared in a park on the outskirts of Matera, an exhibition for the children, which attracted quite a lot of attention from people around. That day was the opening day of the exhibition, and people began swarming the park, holding the hands of their children and grandchildren. The most beautiful part of the park, this installation, was a heaven of pleasure for children from dawn to dusk. Their happy screams were proof that they were having a lot of fun. While playing with the children, I wished that they vanished in the surrounding orange from the setting sun, and the magic of being a child was a magic moment I could experience not only that day, but always.
Benedikt from Germany
This picture was taken on the day I arrived back in Germany for the first time after three months of ESC in Poland. Before finally
going home, I was visiting the Christmas market in Nuremberg where I also met my family. This is to be considered one of the most beautiful Christmas markets because of its magical atmosphere with magnificently decorated stalls.
In fact, this picture pretty much sums up the Christmas time perfectly for me. Wasn't Christmas invented to give the people a warm feeling in the middle of the cold winter? We don't know when Jesus was born, we even change the date of Easter every year and Christmas stays the same, but that doesn't matter. We light up the darkest time of the year with kindness and charity to not only celebrate a religious event, but to sit back and celebrate a contemplative time. These candles were a reminder of the peaceful and thoughtful nature of Christmas in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the pre-Christmas time.
Gagan from Italy
"Aren't we all a part of everyone else?" I have been asking this question from a long time and honestly, the European Solidarity Corps
activity in Kabak Valley,Turkey with people from 10 different countries answered it perfectly for me. That day we had a friendly photography competition under the theme "harmony". I am obsessed with mirrors and I started asking the organisers in the camp if we can get two mirrors. It was a quick decision to run to the nearby beach with two of my friends from Germany and Spain. It was a beautiful sunset with 2 of my own people who became a part of me in last 3 days. I've been wanting to do something with mirror from sometime and this was my magic moment. It was our magic moment. Just imagine. Everything around there was connected together to be one collective piece and the good thing is that it is always there. We just need to open our eyes. It was magic. It is magic. It'll be magic. So, tell me: Aren't we all a part of everyone else?
Manon from France
I was a volunteer in Norwat, Vinstra, Norway in 2018-2019, which was an amazing experience! This picture shows how I felt at the
beginning, alone in a middle of the unknown. I ended up learning and worshiping this life. It was definitely a magical moment... It wasn't my first experience as a volunteer, but it was the first time for me to live surrounded by people who speak a foreign language, who have a different ways of leaving and with a new rhythm of life. I met wonderful people during 9 months, I discovered incredible landscapes and I learned a lot about myself. I was working every day with a lot of people, teenagers and students. When I had time, I would walk around the small city, breathe the pure Norwegian air, appreciate the silence and enjoy the crazy view I had in front of me. Being a volunteer is feeling useful and being helpful but it is also important to take time for yourself, and realise how lucky you are to be part of this amazing adventure."
Havva from Turkey
Last winter, while playing snowball with children in the small city of Kırıkkale (Turkey) a child made a heart from the snow.
The aim was to give a charming shape to the snow, which touched all around. While hugging the snow, the heart started melting and broke apart. Hopefully, everybody maintained the beautiful snow image in their minds while being reminded of the fragility of delicate things in life.