Being a volunteer for a social responsibility project added a lot of experience to my life. This was especially important for my personal development when meeting the culture of a different country. SFERA International in North Macedonia, the partner of the Küçükçekmece District Governor, gave us this opportunity to improve ourselves.

During my stay in North Macedonia, SFERA supported me every time. The 2-month EVS project has benefited me in terms of social environment, organizational skills, and responsibility. As a student of political science and public administration, I can say that I have improved my management skills and paid more attention to my dialogue with people. Of course, in addition to these skills, I can say that I have improved my common language, English.

In addition to these skills I learned, it was also exciting to have the opportunity to travel and get to know the nearby Balkan countries to learn more about the region and those cultures. I went to Montenegro, Albania, and Serbia and was able to experience the lands, people, and cultures there.

During my stay in North Macedonia, I organized activities to promote Turkish culture. I had a workshop to show Turkish dishes, making some of my own favorites to share. I also organized a visit to the retirement home, not only for the young people of the country but also to get to know the elderly. I played various games with them. I laughed and had fun.

I organized an event for all ages to improve hand skills: a bracelet and necklace workshop. 25 people of all ages participated, and we made some beautiful jewelry together. Finally, I organized the Art Explosion activity before returning to Turkey. The event included graffiti, finger paint, face paint, and canvas painting. Over one hundred people participated in this event. Each event had value to me, and I learned so much from my experience here.

First of all, I would like to thank the District Governor of Küçükçekmece and then everyone who contributed to SFERA International and the European Union volunteers project.