My five months of volunteering at DRONI were a time I will never forget! After one week back home, I miss the office, my friends at DRONI and the beautiful country of Georgia already. My time there changed my life for the better and I learned a lot of new things and improved my skills in fields like project management and communications. For the first time in my life, I was exposed to non-formal educational methods and I am excited to implement them in my future work. Read my detailed report about how my volunteering went!
September
I arrived at DRONI at the end of August and spent my first days working on my assessment to plan my activities. One of my first big tasks was fixing DRONI’s outdated website. After getting access to WordPress, I redesigned it to match DRONI’s new branding. I also created an “Our Mission” page, updated the Volunteers and Activities sections, and cleaned up the Volunteering Opportunities and Projects pages. I am very proud of being able to do this because I think it’ll benefit DRONI long after my volunteering, so I can say I truly made an impact. Additionally, I worked on reviving the blog by adding posts about past events and workshops. Now you can read about all of our past activities in detail!
After a brainstorming orientation week workshop with former volunteer Johanna, I proposed my first workshop on media literacy and helped coordinate the “Participative Forum” workshop series. I also created social media content to promote the workshops. I got to know my fellow volunteers better through various activities, including a movie night and bar outing. Our Georgian lessons started, and I was pleased that our teacher prepared special materials for Oli and me. Georgian language is very important to me and I am glad I had the opportunity to learn it with Gvantsa.
October
October was busy and passed by quickly. We launched the “Participative Forum” series with a workshop on debate and democracy led by Oli. This experience helped me learn how to conduct workshops, and I used this knowledge to prepare my own workshop on Media Literacy, which took place on October 9. I aimed to balance theory and practice by incorporating activities like media analysis and mind mapping. The feedback was positive, and participants found it informative and fun. It was quite a challenge to switch from a formal education mindset to informal but I think I learned a lot.
I continued assisting with the following Participative Forum workshops by designing infographics, creating reels, and posting content on social media. At the end of the month, I had the opportunity to participate as a trainer in Katty’s Voices of Tomorrow project. The sessions were in Georgian, which was initially difficult, but I gradually became more comfortable and wrote down new words to study. I ended up visiting the kids in Zugdidi at the end of January which was awesome! I further implemented some new tools to help our team at DRONI work more effectively.
On a personal note, I traveled to Kazbegi for the first time and then returned with my family later in the month. It was incredible seeing the sun rise over Kazbegi! Sadly, I missedthe DRONI Halloween party (though the photos looked great!).
November
We began November with our On-Arrival Training in Bakuriani from November 5-9. Alongside Oli, Aiden, Baptiste, Paul, Judit, Fynn, and other volunteers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, I learned more about the European Solidarity Corps, conflict management, and cultural adaptation. The highlight for me was discussing reverse culture shock, as I knew I would have a hard time returning back to the Czech Republic after living in Georgia for a whole year.
Returning to DRONI, I continued improving the website, creating social media content, and preparing for the UN WOMEN campaign on Violence Against Women. I worked closely with two Italian volunteers to develop posts about the campaign, which lasted from November 25 to December 10. We highlighted key topics, such as the Beijing Declaration Platform for Action, and honored Gisele Pelicot as a significant case study. Unfortunately, my planned Advocacy workshop was canceled, but I continued working on awareness posts.
At the end of the month, I also taught Oli and Fynn to use the website, so they could take over when I left. I continued dedicating myself to learning more Georgian and followed the situation in the country closely.
December
December was challenging, making it difficult to carry out our work. The UN Women campaign concluded on December 10, Human Rights Day. This day was especially important considering the situation in Georgia. .
On December 14, we had a small Christmas party at the office, organized by Aiden, including a Secret Santa exchange. I gifted Judit some jewelry and received craft beers from Fynn. We ate cake, cookies, wine, and drank hot chocolate while playing games. It was very fun and I remember it fondly.
Outside of work, I focused on my thesis, meeting Georgian historians and political scientists. I traveled home to the Czech Republic for Christmas on December 21 but returned on December 30 to celebrate New Year’s Eve and Georgian Christmas. Experiencing a traditional Georgian supra and getting a chichilaki was a great cultural experience.
January
In January, I conducted my second workshop, focusing on the topic of remembrance since it is also the focus of my research. The workshop explored the importance of collective memory and historical narratives, encouraging participants to engage with different perspectives on remembrance. I also learned how to bake lobiani with my friends, which was a fun experience. I look forward to trying it out here in Prague!
Saying goodbye to Georgia was extremely difficult for me but I am confident I will come back soon. Over the past year, especially during my time at DRONI from September to January, Tbilisi became my home.
