Alternative Camp experience – it’s an ALTERNATIVE experience!
Hello! My name is Dina, I am 30 years old, I live in Moscow now and work for an international business.
7 years ago in my life I had a brilliant experience of mutual inspiration, support, self overcoming and boarders over-passing.Hello! My name is Dina, I am 30 years old, I live in Moscow now and work for an international business.
Twice in the years 2003 and 2004 I was a part of Alternative Camp volunteer team for a total period of 4 months. By the time I have arrived to the Camp, I had already done quite a lot volunteer and social projects, had worked in volunteer organization World4U, and felt myself as an integral part of a volunteer society.
7 years ago I was sure, there is nothing new that I could learn and discover in the terms of socializing or volunteer service. I was just very young :) Now I know, that there is no limit in self- and world- and other people discovering.
The Alternative Camp is an absolutely perfect and challenging place for everybody who is joining in.
Being a volunteer I was integrated in the Camp’s every minute life, as in daily activities with the Camp’s guests, as in the functioning routine. The great thing was the freedom of a choice, the freedom of self responsibility. I have realized myself waking up in the mornings w/o alarm clock and rushing down to participate in breakfast making or cleaning the territory, just because it was my own intension. There weren’t any orders or duties forcing in the camp. Volunteers got a general picture of what should be done and shared the tasks of own accord. It was a pure volunteer experience – it’s not the camp where the agenda and duties and responsible persons are scheduled, it was a circle of people doing one common thing, it was really the ALTERNATIVE way. Sometimes it was funny, when we intended to make lists like “close the tub tidily” or “clean the shoes from sand” :) but the idea was not to push, not to behave like we used to do in ordinary life – following the rules. It’s such an evident thing to close the tubs, so there is no need to teach someone to do that, any person who doesn’t – will learn it naturally by following the others. This is an inclusion (immersiveness). It’s a very small example of what I have opened, and there are many larger by scale but, from my point of view, the same by idea events and discovers.
Evidently, the most valuable and breathtaking experience I got as a volunteer - was the communication with the guests, the daily involvement, support if necessary, sharing what you know and learning what the people give you.
The magic was all the warmth, the smiles, the thanks and the positive energy received back from the Alternative Camps’ guests. Sometimes there is a smile that is worth everything.
The great number of activities volunteers experienced along with the guests: scuba diving and swimming, wall climbing and mountain walking, local sightseeing, horse riding and many other. Some activities some people haven’t even dared to try. We danced and sang, played sport and table games, draw and modeled, learned about the environment and even read poems sometimes :) Many professional from Camp’s visitors and from volunteer team shared their skills with the Camp participants; we spoke many languages, including the languages of gestures and smiles, and perfectly understand each other.
Sometimes, there were heavy moments of sorrow for the way the world is, there were mistakes I have done and the periods of down. This is how I learned to rely on others – on a friend, on a support that you don’t expect. This is how I learned that we are what we do.
At the moment, typing these memories, I smile. I was really happy all the days in the Alternative Camp, I am happy now to realize that I had that experience and made my input. One day I would recommend my future children to volunteer in the Alternative Camp for their own ALTERNATIVE experience.
7 years ago I was sure, there is nothing new that I could learn and discover in the terms of socializing or volunteer service. I was just very young :) Now I know, that there is no limit in self- and world- and other people discovering.
The Alternative Camp is an absolutely perfect and challenging place for everybody who is joining in.
Being a volunteer I was integrated in the Camp’s every minute life, as in daily activities with the Camp’s guests, as in the functioning routine. The great thing was the freedom of a choice, the freedom of self responsibility. I have realized myself waking up in the mornings w/o alarm clock and rushing down to participate in breakfast making or cleaning the territory, just because it was my own intension. There weren’t any orders or duties forcing in the camp. Volunteers got a general picture of what should be done and shared the tasks of own accord. It was a pure volunteer experience – it’s not the camp where the agenda and duties and responsible persons are scheduled, it was a circle of people doing one common thing, it was really the ALTERNATIVE way. Sometimes it was funny, when we intended to make lists like “close the tub tidily” or “clean the shoes from sand” :) but the idea was not to push, not to behave like we used to do in ordinary life – following the rules. It’s such an evident thing to close the tubs, so there is no need to teach someone to do that, any person who doesn’t – will learn it naturally by following the others. This is an inclusion (immersiveness). It’s a very small example of what I have opened, and there are many larger by scale but, from my point of view, the same by idea events and discovers.
Evidently, the most valuable and breathtaking experience I got as a volunteer - was the communication with the guests, the daily involvement, support if necessary, sharing what you know and learning what the people give you.
The magic was all the warmth, the smiles, the thanks and the positive energy received back from the Alternative Camps’ guests. Sometimes there is a smile that is worth everything.
The great number of activities volunteers experienced along with the guests: scuba diving and swimming, wall climbing and mountain walking, local sightseeing, horse riding and many other. Some activities some people haven’t even dared to try. We danced and sang, played sport and table games, draw and modeled, learned about the environment and even read poems sometimes :) Many professional from Camp’s visitors and from volunteer team shared their skills with the Camp participants; we spoke many languages, including the languages of gestures and smiles, and perfectly understand each other.
Sometimes, there were heavy moments of sorrow for the way the world is, there were mistakes I have done and the periods of down. This is how I learned to rely on others – on a friend, on a support that you don’t expect. This is how I learned that we are what we do.
At the moment, typing these memories, I smile. I was really happy all the days in the Alternative Camp, I am happy now to realize that I had that experience and made my input. One day I would recommend my future children to volunteer in the Alternative Camp for their own ALTERNATIVE experience.
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