Hello! 

I am Meryem, i am 20 and i am a math student. I participated in the project called “I’ m Sports+ Volunteer” in Sorgun, Türkiye in September 2023. The aim of the project was, in which i took part for 1 month, is to encourage young people who cannot do sports due to the pandemic to do sports. Also teach young people the importance of sport and physical activity, encourage healthy lifestyles and equip them with practical knowledge and skills for sports. 

The project was very useful to me. Besides the events and activities we organize, i am also happy to make new friends. 

First week, we organized a training course, in this course, what is a volunteer, what do volunteers do? We learned about many things such as what is a youth worker and what they do... also thanks to the training course, we met a good example like Selo.  

The sports courses (volleyball, badminton and bocce) held during this month were really fun, we learned how important team play and communication are. I learned bocce, which is a famous sport in Italy. In addition to these sports, we also organized many sports activities such as swimming, rafting, hiking, football, futsal, orienteering… 

Also; having fun, introducing Turkish culture and getting to know Italian and Egyptian culture was the most important point of this project. Of course, we did not hesitate to teach them Turkish :D 

It is truly an honor to get to know different cultures and host them during this process. It clearly showed me how cultural differences are a great richness. 

I can say that it was the most fulfilling month of my life. It was great to meet new people, new ideas, new views of life, new characters and see the world through their eyes. 

I would love to take part in this type of project again because i believe that this project has helped me to develop myself in many ways. Practising english, engaging in confidence boosting activites, gaining awareness about sports and environment, getting experience in teamwork, adaptability… 

I am thankful the founder of the Turkish association “SORGED” Halil UĞUZ and, the Italian association “Scambieuropei ESC” Stefano CAMPANARI. 

Thanks for everything :) 

Meryem ŞAHİN