What does a project at the CVJM in Göttingen mean for a volunteer?

Hi! My name is Viacheslav Kosterin. I made my volunteer project in 2020-2021.

I write on the side of the project where it ends. I write to those on the other side where it begins. Even though the project is called a volunteer project, each of us has many tasks and responsibilities. Despite the small size of the building in which the organisation is located - there are always many activities going on inside, your participation in the preparation for which is very, very necessary.

The main project at CVJM is the homework group. Throughout the week, Monday through Friday, children come to CVJM after school from 1-5 p.m. to eat lunch, do their homework, and have fun with their peers and volunteers. The volunteer must arrive at 10:00 a.m. to work and have until 1:00 p.m. to prepare for the children's arrival, as well as do some administrative and organisational work.

What is included in the morning?

• Cleaning the inside of the facilities: No, that doesn't mean mopping the floors or cleaning the walls. Most of the time you need to clean up what the kids sometimes leave behind. Games lying in the wrong places, some papers, books not on the shelves. Often after a meal, the table needs to be washed, dishes need to be put in their places. In general, bring several rooms to their original appearance, if it was not done yesterday. The building should always be in order.
• Preparing for the day in progress: Not every day, but often enough, there will need to be some kind of entertainment with the children. It can be some kind of cooking workshop or competitions, games, quests, theater. Each of the workers has complete freedom in this! You are only limited by your imagination! Our goal is that kids have fun and dream of coming back to CJM every time after school. The most important thing is to remember to give the children free time, as it is very important for them to spend it with their friends in their own important, independently invented games. Days without an entertainment program have their place, too - but I can tell you from experience that kids with only free time often get over-played and become harder to manage! It will be easier for you!
• House and garden chores: We have a house, we have a garden, they need to be taken care of. Painting, mowing the lawn, removing leaves, sweeping up, bringing in and taking out benches or tables are all part of a volunteer's job. Of course, all of this can and should be shared amongst your team. By no means should you take it all on yourself. In my experience, after a month on the project, we were already aware of what needed to be done and where - so everyone did the task to their liking. For some reason I liked to clean up the leaves. Of course, I can't list everything - the main thing is to understand that work is different, be prepared for unusual tasks.
• Prepare for lunch: Lunch is included in the children's day, you need to set up plates, spoons, forks and other things on the table before the children come. The exact number of children is usually not known until the morning, so it is always important to update Roland (your supervisor) or your other co-workers each day if they know.
• Book Fair: This is where you are needed more than ever. A lot of books are donated for CVJM. Once a month, usually near your home, or sometimes in the city center, there is a fair from the CVJM where everyone in Göttingen can buy any book for two euros. It's the volunteer's job to organise the place, set up the counter tables, get the boxes of books out of the basement, and set them up on the counters. If the event is held near the house, then the fair works in automatic mode - you do not need to guard the books, people choose and pay for themselves in a special box. If the event is in the city, then of course you need to be with your favourite books, but for this you always need one or two people. At the end of the day, after the children all need to be collected again and put away in their places.
• Any other activities from CVJM: Besides the daily routine, CVJM is involved in many projects. For example, one of them is going to schools to do playtime with the kids or doing some kind of activity. This allows you to promote the homework group as well as help the schools play with the kids. It's always fun and interesting!

So be prepared to participate in other mini projects in the mornings, too.

At 12:50 you need to pick the kids up from school, usually all the kids come from Albani Schule, it is a 5 minute walk from the school.

All the details of the daily routine, of course, you will be told upon arrival. My task is to tell you about the important subtleties before the project, so you understand what you are agreeing to. After the children leave, you need to clean up everything, you can, what is possible to clean up during the day. I think you'll figure it out as you go along as you get the hang of it. Usually you have to put away what the kids haven't put away, order in the garden, order in the house, and dishes in the dishwasher. Oh, yes! These days you shouldn't forget about disinfecting. They will tell you everything and show you everything.

Don't ever be afraid to ask. Always talk about what's bothering you, about any problem, you'll always be heard and supported here. If suddenly you feel that you were not heard - always ask and ask again. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable.

About working hours.

It is counted here in a special way. The normal work week is from 10:00 to 17:00, Monday through Friday. There are often weekend events in which your participation is required. So it's important to understand that weekends can sometimes be disadvantageous. Naturally, they will then be individually compensated by some other days, but I advise you to keep track of that yourself. Also keep an eye on your schedule for the month. Talk to Roland about your schedule. He usually has everything already scheduled for you two months in advance, so I strongly suggest that once a month and any time you have questions, you check your nearest month's schedule. It's been very common for me and co-workers, I plan a weekend trip somewhere and it turns out that the day was originally scheduled as a work day. Be careful! Also, if you are going to have a German course or some other project activity - don't forget to negotiate about it, so that your schedule can be adjusted. Otherwise, you'll have to cancel your extra classes or work. But I can definitely say that your schedule is a very flexible thing. It's always possible to reach an agreement and compromise, but the best way to do it is in advance. Vacations are counted differently too, often they are already included in your work schedule when the organisation is not working. I can draw an analogy with teacher vacations, they also go on vacation when the school is not working. So I ask you to find out in advance exactly when and what counts as your vacation so that it doesn't come as a surprise later. But if you have an important reason to leave, you will always be accommodated if there are resources for that period of time.

Other projects

There are a lot of them. Each of them is interesting in its own way. Each project requires your help, but of course, everyone understands that your resource is not limitless either. Always tell me when this or that load is a burden on you or vice versa you want to increase the load.

I can't list all the projects, but some of the more memorable ones are Jesus House - a three-day seminar with teens, where you have a lively discussion of issues related to religion.

Balu&Du - a project where a volunteer becomes a mentor for a child from the city and you spend one night a week doing whatever you want. Play, build a fire, storm a mountain or a park, or maybe just eat ice cream.

Haven is a project like the homework group at CJM, but for teenagers. Held twice a week in the evenings, where kids play games, sing songs, and spend time together.

Apartment

Yes, there is a place to live! Volunteers usually live as a family in a spacious apartment 10 minutes by bike from their place of work. You don't have to pay for it. Your job is just to keep it clean and live in friendship and understanding with the other volunteers, but you can definitely do it! For me the apartment became a real home, where I made friends for life.

How to become a volunteer?

For application, please write a personal e-mail. More information about becoming a volunteer can be also found on the website of the European Union (Solidarity Corps).