Social Work Volunteering in Germany

Had a great trip to Italy. I met a ton of people from all over the world and we worked together educating about issues around refugees. We worked during the day and had fun at night and on the weekends. I am still in touch with many of the people I volunteered with. Thanks

I enjoyed some of the activites , but not others. The rivre walk and the walk to the koppies was 10/10. No intrenet was challenging , so 7/10. Jane , Precious , Patrick and Lucas were 10/10. I woul recommend this project to anyone who needs a detox from Social media.

New culture, new people, New Life. When we exchange our perspectives, ideas and plans to make a world better place for everyone. It's good to go different places it helps me view life in many directions

Hice 5 años en haiti, me se su idioma, se toda su cultura, me gustaría volver y apoyarlos en todas las dificultades que tienen, ya que ameritan mucha ayuda de todos nosotros, para ellos poder sobrevivir

I would really like to volunteer. I am passionate about charity and showing kindness to the world. Please, give me a chance. Kindly provide Certificate of sponsorship too since I'm not able to provide for myself at the moment. Kindly put my request into consideration.

This an increasingly popular way for individuals to make a meaningful impact in communities around the world. With numerous organizations offering volunteer programs, it's essential to review and research these opportunities to ensure a safe and rewarding experience. *Pros:* 1. *Cultural Immersion*: Living and working with local communities provides an immersive cultural experience. 2. *Skill Development*: Volunteers can develop new skills and gain experience in areas such as teaching, conservation, and community development. 3. *Networking Opportunities*: Volunteers can connect with like-minded individuals from around the world. 4. *Personal Growth*: Volunteering abroad can be a transformative experience, fostering personal growth and self-awareness. *Cons:* 1. *Cost*: Many volunteer programs come with a hefty price tag, which can be a barrier for some. 2. *Safety Concerns*: Volunteers may face safety risks, such as health concerns or political instability, depending on the destination. 3. *Cultural Differences*: Adapting to local customs and way of life can be challenging for some volunteers. 4. *Quality of Programs*: Some volunteer programs may lack structure, support, or meaningful work, leading to a disappointing experience. *Recommendations:* 1. *Research Thoroughly*: Investigate the organization, program, and destination to ensure a safe and rewarding experience. 2. *Read Reviews*: Look for reviews from past volunteers to gain insight into the program's quality and challenges. 3. *Choose a Reputable Organization*: Select an organization with a proven track record, transparent policies, and adequate support for volunteers. 4. *Prepare Yourself*: Culturally, emotionally, and physically prepare yourself for the experience to ensure a smooth transition. By being aware of the pros and cons, doing thorough research, and choosing a reputable organization, volunteers can have a safe, rewarding, and life-changing experience abroad.

As a Social worker i often meet with clients to assess their needs, provide counseling, and develop individualized plans to address their challenges. This could involve sessions with individuals, families, or groups.

I love helping the old people , and I love those who do this because it gives them a spirit of life and enhances their psychology for the better. I also love animals and playing with them gently and I hope that I will enjoy this volunteering because it will have a great impact on my psychological state

My experience with VFP way back in 2009 was remarkable. Living in Germany and building a labyrinth at a World Heritage Site as the only native English speaker in my group was a truly immersive experience. I didn't feel like I was coming into a place from the outside so much as I felt part of a community. Our group really bonded and while we had a primary task, many of the day to day decisions were made by the group, one of my first experiences with really being responsible for myself.

I spent two weeks teaching German and studying Arabic at the Excellence Center. (I would have taught English as well, but there were enough other volunteers at the time.) Everyone at the centre is really nice and friendly. Even though there was a significant age gap between the other short-term volunteers/students (all of them 19 or 20 years old) and me, everybody was happy to chat about this and that. Also Salma, Nargis and Ali, who work at the centre long term, were incredibly welcoming and created good vibes. I taught a lovely Syrian lady every day, an almost complete beginner, and it was very rewarding to see her use the simple words and sentences we covered. As all the regular Arabic teachers were busy or away, Nargis (herself an intern) became my Arabic teacher. She was extremely helpful and patient and I got a lot of speaking practice (always my main concern when I take lessons). My suggestion for the centre would be improved communication in organising stuff, like having a staff handbook with the basics about who is who and how the centre is run, and giving teachers more info about their prospective students before their first lesson. I liked the fact that everyone gives presentations once in a while (about teaching methods, about themselves, and Salma about the situation of refugees in Halle) and found it really interesting to listen to them. Halle itself is a nice, not overwhelmingly large city, which makes it easy to get around, with great cafés and beautiful architecture in the centre. Thanks, danke and shukran everyone!

I can’t emphasise enough how glad I am that I decided to come to the Excellence Center. It was a step out of my comfort zone, but definitely worth the experience. I stayed in Halle for 4 weeks, teaching English and studying Arabic, and I can honestly say it has been one of the most interesting, fulfilling, and educational experiences of my life. The atmosphere at the Center is really relaxed and friendly, with the lovely staff making an effort to ensure that your entire experience in Halle is enjoyable, as well as looking out for your well being and helping out if you have problems. They don’t feel like your employees, teachers or colleagues, but like your friends. We all made and ate breakfast together every morning. In my last week at the Center it was the beginning of Ramadan, and I was invited to eat Iftar with the other volunteers and staff. Halle probably isn’t the first city you’d think of visiting if you came to Germany, but there’s lots of friendly people here and it’s easy to visit bigger cities like Leipzig and Berlin on the train for a day trip. I found that the lack of tourists and English speakers made it a great place to practise speaking German, which is something you don’t get in most major German cities. It also has a large Arabic speaking community, so I ended up hearing lots of Arabic being spoken: at the Center, around the city, and when spending time with people I met at the Center, who often had Arabic as a first language. This was super useful for immersion and for practising what I’d learnt in classes. This immersion continued where I was living, as I stayed with a Syrian host family, who spoke the same dialect of Arabic which I was studying. They were also really lovely and I enjoyed talking to them. I don’t know if this is the case with all the host families, but I wasn’t offered food every evening, and often organised my own, which was fine, but is something that future volunteers might want to make sure they’re aware of. I taught 7 students English, mostly in one-to-one classes, and they ranged a lot in age and English ability. There’s no set course, so I decided with the students what to teach them and for how many hours per week. The students were all from countries other than Germany, and many were refugees, so it was really interesting talking to them about their experiences, and differences between their home countries, Germany and the UK. I think I probably learnt as much from them as they learnt from me. I also had one-to-one Arabic lessons with Muaz, who is both a brilliant teacher and a really friendly guy. We had traditional classroom-style lessons, but would also go into town to visit Arabic shops and restaurants, which was a good way of practising spoken Arabic in a real-life context. I spent lots of my free time with the other volunteers at the Center, as well as with other local young people from Halle, who I met through Center staff and students. We went out in Halle in the evenings, and also visited other cities in the area on the weekends. I met so many different people, from different countries and with different life stories to me, and formed friendships which I’m sure will continue into the future. Coming to the Excellence Center is not just studying at a language school, but a cultural and social experience, which you don’t come across often in your life. I really enjoyed my time here and would definitely recommend the program for anyone who wants to do something useful with their English skills, learn about new languages and cultures, meet some great people, or just do something a bit different for a few weeks. I can’t thank the Excellence Center enough for the great experiences I’ve had over the last month!

I am really glad I found out about this opportunity. There are not many places like this that allow people my age to teach English and learn a critical language like Arabic. I think the center is a great place for cultural exchange and to develop cultural competency. The staff was very helpful and if I had a problem, I felt comfortable discussing it with them. I taught around 7-10 hours and received 2-3 hours of Arabic lessons a week. My teacher, Muaz, introduced me to Arabic-speaking countries, the different dialects, and helped me learn the alphabet to be able to read some Arabic. I also learned some basic phrases and practiced them outside the center. He even took me to a falafel shop, and I learned about his experience as a refugee. It was a really moving story. As for my English students, they were a range of ages from 8 to 32, some regular German students, others refugees from Ukraine/Syria. I really enjoyed listening to their experiences and understanding how Halle is an ideal place for those who have been displaced. Another thing that was great was that I had a lot of creativity with my classes and how I taught them; a majority of them were English conversation classes, but with my oldest student I had him give me a tour of Halle in English to practice it outside the classroom, and with my younger students I taught them the names of countries on different continents in English (a fun activity). Most of the students come in with a good understanding of English grammar and vocabulary, but I wish I had been able to explain things about the English language that did not make sense to them (i.e. varied pronunciations). Here are some things I think would be helpful to know before you come: January is the quietest time of the year to come. I met two volunteers my first week, but was the only one left for the remainder of my time. There was nothing wrong with that, but sometimes I wish I could have done activities/traveled with other volunteers. I think summer is the most ideal time to come. Another thing is that you may have to get your own dinner when living with a host family. Breakfast is covered at the center and then lunch/dinner are on your own. I think this was the most surprising thing for me because it had not been like that with other host families I had stayed with. I was able to eat with them on weekends but not weekdays because my host mom was not able to prepare as much food. I can understand this, but it was a little lonely eating dinner by myself in my room. However, the family I stayed with was very nice and the younger sister gave me my own room. So, I think if you are going to stay with a host family, just know that it might only just be for accommodation purposes, and it is up to you to interact with the family and feel included. I wish I had practiced my Arabic with them more often and had been less shy, but towards the end I started to feel less isolated. It takes time to adjust to being in a new country, and just when you starting making friends and feeling settled, you have to leave. This was a positive experience and I hope to return to Halle in the summer. Thank you Rafat, Radwan, and Muaz for this unique experience. P.S. You get bonus points if you can make Radwan smile :)

I visited the Excellence Center with the aim of learning more about different cultures as well as some conversational Arabic. It was a truly unforgettable experience. I met amazing people, ate amazing food and came away feeling truly inspired. Rafat has a gift for bringing people together and the Excellence is a hub for a diverse range of lovely folks. At the time of my visit, the other volunteers were mostly American and we had a lot of fun talking even talking about our own cultural differences (I was trying to teach them proper British pronunciation…). I was incredibly lucky with my host family who were so friendly and of a similar age. They were very generous with sharing their traditions; including films, music and of course more food! Teaching English was also very rewarding and my students were always keen to learn - even if they had just worked a night shift at the hospital... My Arabic teacher was very informative and really tailored the lessons to my level. We had a book, provided by Rafat, which helped to structure the content too and has given me something to look back over. It was also good to be surrounded by German because you couldn’t help picking up little bits of that too. I would highly recommend the Excellence Center to anyone looking to explore Arabic and German cultures simultaneously and connect with wonderful people.

I probably had one of the best experiences of my life in Natuwa for a month, feeding the many animals that live there, taking care of them, discovering a different way of life than mine, more minimalist and peaceful. Rodolfo is an extremely understanding man who cares about the well-being of his voluntarios. We had the chance to do several extra activities outside the centre, such as snorkeling near to Isla Tortuga, or swimming at night with bioluminescent planktons, which were dazzling. The workteam is really friendly and allows you to feel integrated quickly and easily. However, you have to expect to work hard sometimes, for example planting trees, doing work to maintain the infrastructure, but this is only a part of the day. outside the centre

The time I spent in Dubai, Oman and Abdul Dhabi, I have a wonderful and experiential Joy with the people and I was able to showcased my skills and the people explore my knowledge to their satisfaction Little details of my experience Dubai Falcon Ballroom Hotel which was so great. Even more perfect was the fact that they had thought of everything in advance, I didn’t need to remind them I needed a fresh bed shread in the room (which I did have to do twice at the local hotel I stayed in my country, more on this later) as they had already taken care of that prior to our arrival. The bed, oh the bed! It was dreamy in every way, the most comfortable place I’ve ever laid in, and the most restful sleep I had had in years, and sometimes teary nighttime awakenings. some things can’t be helped…oh, the joys of travelling with flight Emirate is spectacular. A night between those bed-sheets really restores and rebalances you. I had excellent views directly facing the Mall of the Emirate and part of the pool below (if you stretched your neck). Everything in the room was spotlessly clean and looked brand new. The desk was comfortable for planning my daily routes on our my map.

August 8th, 2018, I went to Thailand for the highest skydiving constitution in Asian. At the time, when I put on heavy equipment, I was super nervous, so I paid hundreds percent concentration on training. All set down, I followed the coach to get on the helicopter and had a big swallow before taking off. On the way to five thousand inches high, my hand still stuck the edge of seat tightly. It's the real time when I hardly moved right to the open door, my foot suspended in the midair and smash wind make me hard to breathe. Without struggle, I was pushed to jump with closing eyes and opening mouth. Actually, I screamed loudly but heard nothing. The parachute opened in seconds successfully and everything went as well as training. When I stood steadily on the cloud, I touched the soft clouds, astonished by the beautiful view of Phuket Island---golden-green fields are surrounded by the sea blue, trail of the train intersect through the landscape, cars running on the roads are as tiny as ants moving foods. Swinging back to the ground, I was so proud of myself and at the same time, I was so excited about the astonishing views in the sky.

In my 30 years of experience as a professional nurse I have worked in comprehensive patient care and I know everything related to the area of ​​health. Now I am retired and my great desire is to help people in need.

I've been always active with many local associations . And i would love to experience something new abroad . France can be 1 grear chance for me to deal with the local community and to help in any kind of project

Volunteer World gave me the opportunity to find a project that suited me. They have plenty of projects and there is something for everyone! You meet amazing people. You get to know the country and the culture through te locals. You connect immedeatly with the other volunteers and experience this amazing trip together. I'm already looking for my next experience with them.

Hey , I'm Amine , I would love top inform you that I have had a good experience in voluntary work that's why I want to share it with you by helping people in need . In fact , I have made great relations when I was teaching either children or adults , it was really a good time when dealing and socializing , I really learnt many thing from such experience and thus could cope with many problems and situations . I also learnt many things when curing my father for about 16 years , he is in special need and I have learnt numerous things and even got more open with wide heart when dealing with sick people , indeed , I'm that kind person by nature who loves to offer something to others