Yes. Pack your bags, your ideas, your willingness to help, and get on that plane.
Volunteering will probably be one of the most rewarding experiences a person can have. At first, there may be some fear, some uncertainty, and plenty of questions. But it won’t take long for the positive to outweigh the doubts. It is a rollercoaster, yes. Intense, sometimes frightening, sometimes completely unexpected, but above all, fruitful. Fruitful in every possible way.
Fruitful because volunteering means learning. Learning to face fears that once seemed impossible to overcome. Learning to step outside your comfort zone, discover new strengths, and realise that something that once frightened you can eventually become something you genuinely enjoy.
Fruitful because every part of the daily work, wherever the volunteering takes place – whether in a school, during a workshop, or through a simple conversation with a teacher, student or educator – becomes an opportunity to understand the world a little better. And somehow, education starts to be seen from a different perspective. No longer simply as something that happens inside a classroom, but as one of the great driving forces of life and of the world.
Sometimes, it is the smallest moments that stay with you the longest. A student saying they would come back the following year just to listen to your workshop. A teacher sharing a personal experience that makes you see reality through different eyes. A child showing passion for something in a way nobody expected. These are the moments that make a volunteer realise how meaningful it can be to share knowledge, ideas and experiences with others. Because learning is never a one-way process.
No matter how different people’s backgrounds, cultures or experiences may be, there is always something that brings us together: the desire to know, to discover, to learn, and to live.
Then, there are the people.
Volunteering also means creating friendships along the way, the kind that cross borders and remain long after the experience itself has ended. A little piece of the heart can end up scattered across different countries, cities and cultures. In my case, Portugal, Azerbaijan, Spain and France. In the people you meet along the way. And what a beautiful journey it has been for me. Somewhere along the road, while walking through resilience, I came across António, with his noble way of seeing the world, his initiative, and that creativity that seems to follow him wherever he goes. A little further along, I found patience in Aelita, in her kindness, her warmth, and that beautiful way she has of making everyone feel at home.
Then came Romane, somewhere between calmness and peace, teaching me that sometimes knowing when to simply be there is more than enough. Along the way, I found kindness in Nuriyya, in her generosity, her tranquillity, and that quiet warmth she carries with her. I found determination in Madina, in her strength of character and in the way she knows what she wants and goes after it. And somewhere down the road, I found Oihane, a reminder of joy, warmth, and a heart that knows how to be there unconditionally.
And without leaving that behind, there is also thereconnection you build with yourself. The result of spending time away from everything familiar. Of learning to listen to yourself a little more and overthink a little less. Of allowing yourself to feel without needing to understand or explain everything. Of learning to appreciate the present, celebrate the small things, and realise that not every moment needs an answer.
Perhaps that is one of the most beautiful things about volunteering; arriving thinking you are going to give something, only to leave realising how much you have received in return.
You arrive with a suitcase full of things. And you leave with a heart full of people, stories, memories and places that will always feel like home.
So yes. Pack your bags, your ideas, your willingness to help, and get on that plane.
By Faride Champac, Schuman Volunteer 2025-2026.