As you may or may not know, the 9th of May is a big deal for the Schuman Volunteers. Every year, all of the volunteers plan an event to celebrate the “Schuman Declaration” and the beginning of the European Union. This is also the when the Day of Europe is celebrated.
This day is very important for us. This is our big event, the day that so many people will learn about the Schuman Volunteers, the European Solidarity Corps, and about volunteering in general. It is our chance to let our vision shine. Besides giving us some details about what resources we had available, the coordinators gave us free reign over what would take place on the day of the event. Everything was up to us. We had to discuss and debate over every aspect, from how the stands will look like, to how the activities would function, to how many chairs we needed. I have to admit, at times, I wished there would have been someone to just tell us what to do and how to do it. But that was the whole point of the event: work in a team and get things done.
In past years, the Schuman Volunteers would put on the Schuman Parade, or maybe the Schumanville. This year it was a bit different, mostly because the Foundation partnered with the representations of the European Parliament and the European Commission, and together organized an event in the Łazienki Park. We had been provided with a tent, had the option to order as many chairs and tables as we wanted, and we knew the rough area where the event will be set up.
So what did we get done? I think we managed to surpass even our expectations. On the day of the event, we were excited, motivated, and ready to entertain and educate the people that came to celebrate Europe Day in Łazienki. This is how everything was set up:
We had a main tent, decorated to look like a castle. This is where people would get instructions about our quest for them and also cold play “Guess the country by the facts”. During the quest, they had to visit all our other stands and collect some letters, for a small reward at the end.
We also had a “Colouring Corner”, in front of our tent, where people could come with their small kids and draw/colour and also get their face painted. The face painting turned out to be a great hit.
To the left of our tent was the area of our four kingdoms. These kingdoms were based on some aspects that are tied to the European values. We had the kingdoms of Solidarity, Diversity, Equality, and Ecology.
As you can see from the pictures, the event and activities were quite a hit, and, most importantly, everybody seemed to have fun!
