Dedicated to Everyone who is Eager to Explore the World, Learn, and Give
Dedicated to Everyone who is Eager to Explore the World, Learn and Give
Imagine being in your 20s, fresh out of university, and with no idea of what is coming next (is this you?). In the best-case scenario, everyone is asking if you already know what to do for the future, while in the worst-case scenario, they are expecting you to have a detailed life plan. I certainly did not have one, and to this day I still do not.
However, I'm quite confident in saying that I no longer feel as lost as I did about one year ago, when I was spending way too many hours doomscrolling. Even my algorithm must have gotten tired of proposing the same stuff over and over again, as eventually I got blessed by this girl talking about "ESC". I had never heard of this before, but felt immediately captured by her story and had the urge to research deeply about this mysterious "ESC", which turned out to stand for European Solidarity Corps.
As someone who has been to Erasmus and started volunteering in a local Erasmus organisation soon after, this project sounded like another chance to experience something out of the ordinary again. It was everything I was hoping for in such a static period of my life. By getting informed, I started understanding the difference between these two European-funded projects. Going off the beaten track of my previous experiences felt like making a huge step forward, and I was thrilled.
I spent days reading descriptions of projects spread all over Europe, trying to find the perfect match to my ambitions and interests. A couple of applications and interviews later, as you can imagine from this article, I eventually landed in Prague at IYNF.
The first week was about clearing doubts I had all summer, and forming what would become part of my new Czech routine after settling down at home and the office, getting to know the team, exploring the city, and meeting my first new friends.
The welcome was warm and reassuring, making me feel immediately comfortable and grateful to be here. It was evident from the very first moment that I was considered a valuable member of the IYNF Secretariat, and not destined to dull work. It was only the second week of the project that I was given the opportunity to lead a creative workshop on a topic of my choosing during our 50 year anniversary.
After this strong start, I focused on what I planned to do from the moment I got asked what innovation I would have liked to bring to IYNF, which was a brand-new visual identity. When I was going through our social media and website, I saw a blank canvas with the potential to express its multitude of values and activities.
I thought of a new colour palette of red, green and blue, respectively representing our three main ideals, and proceeded to pick new fonts, giving shape to the different tones of our narrative.
After setting the basis, I delved into the process of building a library of graphic elements that would match the diversity of our content, while still keeping the same visual style. I went for a simple hand-drawn technique to embody the authenticity, warmth, and positivity of our message, which aims to speak directly to a young public.
This project had a strong positive impact not only for me, but on the whole workflow of the team, streamlining the creation of social media posts while consequently creating a new, consistent feed.
I also helped restyle our website where you are reading this article, which required a huge amount of effort from each member of the Secretariat. Through multiple long calls and in a piecemeal fashion, we brought our new website to life with a modernised design, new pictures and rewritten content.
Part of my task consisted of digging into our digital archive to trace back the main events which marked NFI first and IYNF later. I aimed to narrate our history not as a sequence of disconnected highlights, but as a natural evolution that started in 1895 and continues today.
From what I disclosed so far, it could look like my ESC experience was circumscribed to the digital world, but a huge part of the work at the office is essential to fulfill one of IYNF’s main purposes: planning and executing youth trainings.
My design is still integral in this phase, since a project couldn’t happen without proper promotion on the internet, an infopack providing all the essential details to participants, or all the flipcharts and posters that need to be prepared in advance for the sessions.
Once we pack all the materials and start travelling to the venue for our training, we enter another life for one week. As both a participant and a staff member, I feel completely absorbed by the project, experiencing two sides of the same coin.
All this intensity comes, of course, with the most unimaginable events and their consequent challenges, but that is also why these weeks were fundamental for my personal and professional development.
Another great opportunity that comes with trainings is the possibility to travel to countries you have never been to before and discover cool local realities that you would otherwise never experience in your lifetime.
The PLATZprojekt in Hannover (Germany) and the Naturefriends House in Wildalpen (Austria) have a special place in my heart.
Hidden treasures can also be found under your nose, though. With one of the trainings taking place here in Prague, I offered to prepare a tailored democracy themed walking tour for participants to enjoy this amazing city while also fulfilling our educational purpose.
People were enthusiastic about it and thanked me a lot, and this occasion contributed a nice group dynamic and new friendships, which was another essential part of my volunteering.
As it might be clear at this point, I had the time of my life at IYNF. For the cherry on top of the cake, I fell in love with Prague and lived countless adventures in its cobblestone streets.
Pushing myself to go into the unknown was thrilling, and I wish everyone to be a first-timer as many times as they can.
Berg frei,
Silvia
