This European Voluntary Service project, run under the Erasmus+ programme, supported sending two Slovak volunteers to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The volunteer service took place at the Maryam Merkezi centre, which focuses on educating disadvantaged children and young people. Education, however, does not end with the classroom, and so the centre also strives to create suitable conditions for children and young people to spend their free time. The project brought two Slovak volunteers into the leisure activities at the Maryam Merkezi centre, where they helped organize and run those activities and, at the same time, strengthened their own capacities in an inspiring environment.

Project goals:

• to offer the pupils of Maryam Merkezi a varied choice of leisure activities in the interest of the personal development of the children and young people in Baku
• to support the personal development of the volunteers, who — thanks to their activity at Maryam Merkezi — strengthen and acquire a wide range of competences

As part of the project the volunteers took part in the following activities: studying Russian and Azerbaijani, sports activities, handicraft and art clubs, working with local volunteers, tutoring, summer camps, trips and cultural events

Thanks to the project, the volunteers strengthened or acquired the following competences/skills: knowledge of English, Russian and Azerbaijani, working with the Linux operating system, time management, creativity, presentation skills, teaching skills, organizational skills, responsibility, self-confidence, flexibility, handling conflict situations, empathy and solidarity, the ability to cooperate with people from a different cultural background

The project was financially supported from European Union funds under the Erasmus+ programme and the European Voluntary Service instrument with a grant of EUR 9,105.00. Thank you for the support.