“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”
(Elizabeth Andrew)

Volunteering at various events has been an integral part of my life for the third year in a row.

Most often I manage to be a volunteer at sporting events and this has its charm. At Ukrainian and international competitions I helped wherever I could. Assisting in the organization of a sport event, standing on the route, supporting at the point of hydration or food, taking care of the camera shooting, it adds a lot of new acquaintances and experiences in life. I have a lot of funny stories, such as one of the organizers who told us an anecdote about his fussy mother-in-law when he drove to the location or a huge number of hilarious runners who encourage you, even though you have to do it.

One week ago, on May 30, I volunteered from our university for the 28th ‘Probig pid kashtanamy’ (‘Race Under Chestnuts’), where I also gained essential experience and met a master and graduate student of our university, with whom we had fun encouraging thousands of athletes. I also got great experience and attended the volunteer award ceremony, which took place at our university, where I received a diploma and our branded bottle!

A few days ago, my volunteering at the ‘Molodist’ (‘Youth’) Kyiv International Film Festival ended, and so far it has been the best experience of my life, because there I was in the press department, which is very useful for my profession. I wrote press releases, designed the site, wrote texts for social networks and translated a lot of information into English. I met wonderful people, had a great time and watched many fascinating films at the festival.

In conclusion, I would like to say that everyone should try volunteering in their lives, because it will change your outlook, reveal you on the other side and give you an esteemed experience. The time spent is always worth it when you go to do it for your pleasure and to become useful. I’ve met a lot of great people that I still keep in touch with and plan to meet at future events!