Puppet theater in Croatia

In February 2021 I started my 6 months European Solidarity Corps in Petrinja, Croatia. My topic, was Education through Puppetry.

The main focus of my voluntary activity was to create puppets with items that you could find at home, publish puppet making tutorials on the YouTube channel of my HOSTING NGO, UDRIGA IKS and perform a theater play with Muppets puppets in front of an audience of kids.

Other tasks were, for example, writing various articles about the life in Petrinja, and the life as a volunteer in Croatia, organize and hold arts and crafts ateliers for kids in container villages, do activities, like cooking and swimming, with blind elderly people, and anything that could help my association and their partners.

Before applying for an ESC didn't know which association was going to pick me or what country I was going to go but I'm grateful I was a volunteer for UDRuGA IKS, in Petrinja, Croatia.

Those 6 months were a wonderful experience. Mainly because of my supervisors at IKS, my Croatian roommate who was also a long term volunteer at IKS, the other long term and short term volunteers I met and became friends with.

My advice, to anyone who wants to do an EVS, is, you should. In my opinion its a great way to step out of your comfort zone but still learn and grow as a person. Especially because you will have people on your side who will take their time to get to know you and work with you.

I will never forget this experience and I'm thankful to anyone I met during this journey.

Updated on Teisipäev, 17/02/2026