By Samet, 23 – Türkiye 🇹🇷
When I first received the message saying “You’ve been selected!”, I could hardly believe it.
Ten months in Poland 🇵🇱 through the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) — it felt like a dream! 🌍✨
At first, I was nervous. A new country, a new culture, a new language… but also a new version of me waiting to be discovered.
🍲 Cooking for Change – A Kitchen with a Purpose
My project took place in a local community center that provided daily meals for people in need.
Every day, our international volunteer team cooked, served, and shared food with the local community. 🥕🍛🍞
The atmosphere was full of warmth and laughter — despite the challenges, it always felt meaningful. 💬
I learned that solidarity isn’t just about big actions — it’s about small moments of care: serving a meal, listening to someone’s story, or making them smile. 💙
Working side by side with other volunteers from 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇫🇷 France, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇱🇹 Lithuania, 🇩🇪 Germany, and 🇹🇷 Türkiye was an incredible experience.
We became a family — cooking, learning, and growing together. 👨👩👧👦
🌱 Learning Beyond the Kitchen
My volunteer work didn’t stop at meal preparation.
I also helped with:
📦 Donation management and logistics
🎨 Creative workshops for children and young people
📸 Social media campaigns for the NGO
🌍 Community events about sustainability and inclusion
Through all this, I developed new skills — teamwork, leadership, communication, and problem-solving. 💪
I realized that volunteering helps you grow not just as a professional, but as a human being.
❄️ Living & Travelling in Poland
Polish winters are freezing cold ❄️ — but my heart was warm every day.
On weekends, I explored beautiful cities like Kraków, Gdańsk, and Wrocław 🚆.
I tried pierogi 🥟, learned basic Polish (still working on pronunciation 😅), and took hundreds of photos of snowy streets and cozy cafés. ☕📸
Each city had a story, and each journey made me feel more connected to Europe. 🌍💙
💬 Samet’s Message to Future Volunteers
If you’ve ever thought, “Maybe next year I’ll try volunteering…” — don’t wait.
Say YES now. ✨
You’ll gain new friends, new skills, and a new version of yourself you never knew existed.
Volunteering abroad doesn’t just change others’ lives — it changes yours. 💙
📎 Discover more ESC opportunities: https://youthworkshub.org
