Testimonio Nour Borchani | 25 años

EVS in Blanes. Nour comes from Tunis and she is doing her EVS at fundacio Eveho. She stayed with the team as a from October 2018 to July 2019.

Personality Test:

A song that you cannot stand:

Your favourite ice cream flavour:

Pistachio

A book you would like to re-read:

The Alchemist- Paulo Coelho

A secret obsession:

I like to sing while I'm doing things

An indispensable tool for working:

Phone and headphones.

A destination to get lost:

Santander, enjoying the nature and the sunset.

About your EVS:

Why did you choose to volunteer?

Because is out of stress. It gives you space to think about yourself, your life, your choices, it doesn’t require too many competencies like in a real job. Also I wanted to discover what is volunteering and to observe how an organisation is structured, what is the dynamic and the things they do.. So for me was a whole new experience

How did you learn about this opportunity?

I came last year for the mega EVS project in Tarragona and in this occasion I have learned about EVS.

What is your project about?

My project is in the EVEHO foundation; there are 2 sectors in this foundation and they both work with minors à no tutelats in social risk. The first sector is called CRAE and they work with kids among 3 and 16 years old. The second is called LLAR and is from teenagers from 16-18 years old. They are immigrants and they live in a condition where they don’t get any kind of support, so with this foundation they have the opportunity to attend an adult school to learn a language and to do also professional courses (called tallers). In meanwhile the competent authorities starts to work on their papers so they can start to look for a job. First they need is to get the new DNI, which means the NIE and to have therefore the permission to stay.

What are the main tasks given to you?

My function is to help the educators with the activities, paper works, with the work in the office, accompanying the youngsters, helping them with their homework, teaching English. With Asociacion Mundus I also had English classes once per week with students that live in Barcelona. Another activity was the Linguistic Café, a meeting that was held once per week with all the other volunteers, which was a space to talk and debate in English with the people from Barcelona interested in improving their English level. In all of these I saw myself as a volunteer helping the organisation with the week schedule, volunteering 7 hours per day.

What kind of expectations did you have about the project before coming?

Yes, I did have expectations. A lot of them. But the project didn’t have the level according to what I wished, I was hoping to do more than I did, as regards the topic of the communication, to coordinate activities and being given meaningful activities.Though, even if at the beginning I had some issues in the communication with the team, after it get better; I integrated more with the dynamic and I just lived day by day .

Since when is your project ongoing and how do you feel about your expectations now?

My project started in October 2018 and it ended in July 2019. I did notice an evolution in my personality; I gained some things about life in general even if the knowledge was not about technical stuff...In this country I have found more personal freedom, I have learned how to take my own decisions, I get to be more independent.I have learned Spanish a bit.I discovered that even if you want to help people you might encounter a wall, but you should be open to accept that some people don’t want to be helped, and in these cases you change strategy. I have learned a lot about human nature. I discovered I was running away and that I needed space to breath, so I discovered the meaning of volunteering but also that I missed my job: I’m a software developer and IT manager. So, after these 10 months I want to go back to my job and finish what I have started.

How do you bring additional things to the project?

I work with 8 young immigrants, but I have encountered a huge problematic regarding my position: this young immigrants come all from Morocco and I also come from a country of the north Africa, Tunis, so due to our culture, religion, tradition, they don’t understand why a girl like me has left her house to come to volunteer in an European country. In their country women can study and go to the university but after they are supposed to stay home and take care of the house life and carry order in house. In this context I think I added the value of equality in my project.My personal project consists in trying to write an exchange project for young immigrants and locals. So to think about activities that can connect them in a team and put down the barriers that exist between these categories.

Who benefits from your volunteering?

Both the young immigrants and I, because this project made me realize a lot of things.

Would you like keep working in this framework after the project?

No, I prefer to go back to my job.

What do you like or dislike about the project?

About my project I liked the fact that I was introduced to a new field, new perspectives and the topic. I disliked to be alone in my volunteering path, so living alone without other volunteers.

Your best project memory

When I came back from my last holidays the educator told me that one of them was asking about me and if I was coming back. I have felt like I have made some connection and to be welcomed back.

Did it change your life?

It opened my eyes to new perspectives. Now I have both my background formation and this volunteering experience. I enjoyed Spain, the smiles, small talks with strangers, the public spaces where I could enjoy my free time.

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein