AINO (FINLAND)
For the weekend of 7-9th April me and Ruth got to join World Without Borders in a gathering for graduates.
To hear the word graduates, I wouldn't first be sure who was meant by that, but as it got clear to me graduates are people with disabilities who graduated from internats and are now living independently. And after getting to spend a few days with these people, I got to be amazed by their positive energy, motivation and relentless attitude. I think they are superheroes of their own stories.
During the weekend we got different kind of trainings about entrepreneurship, handicrafts and communication but it was also a time and place to meet new people and have a great time together. We went for a walks, played games and music together. I was surprised about how fast I started to feel like being part of the group. I think it was only few minutes after the arrival when me and Ruth where both having conversations with the participants. And maybe our level of speaking Russian is also very very slowly improving but I wouldn't think that was the main reason for the good communication. I am sure there where a lot of misunderstandigs and stories left untold but the main thing was we were all trying our best. We were active, eager and curious, and by interacting in creative ways we got to know each other and enjoyed each others company.
On Saturday I got to go with Andrei to KaliLaska to collect some clothes. Twice a month KaliLaska receives clothes and donations from local people and shares the donations for people in need. This time we got to pick up some clothes to give to our graduates. It was amazing to see how much stuff people were donating. Different sizes of packets kept coming from the door and the window. There was a lot of work for the people to organize all the donations but I can say that it is a work worth of doing. To see the faces and appreciation of people receiving the clothes really meant a lot.
And on Satruday evening there was a surprise waiting for me and Ruth as well. We also got a new clothes as we received our World Without Borders hoodies. I felt so happy and genuinly part of the team. It was an honor to receive this "uniform" and I feel so proud to be wearing it as I know for what it symbolizes!
RUTH (IRELAND)
This was a really special event for me to be a part of. I’m quite familiar with the institutions for people with disabilities so I was very eager to meet some graduates and see how independent life is going for them. We had a “Get to Know Each other” session on the first day. I was amazed to see how well everything was going for them. They are all either studying or working. Living in different cities across Belarus but travelled to Minsk for the weekend. Looking forward to learning new skills and meeting new friends. There were little clusters who knew each other as they had come from the same institutions. It was lovely to see they are still friends, still stay in touch.
There were many different parts to the weekend, there was an educational seminar on entrepreneurship, a group work session and also a chance to try felting and soap making. Some of graduates were really interested in these, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it sparked an interest in a future carrier for them. These sessions were a great chance for them to be able to chat and make friends in an informal manner.
There were almost 30 participants there for the weekend. I got to have proper conversations with them, and really get to know them. Myself and Aino discussed the whole experience and even though it was only a week since the previous gathering we felt like we had more of an opportunity to really talk to them. Maybe it was the smaller number, or that our Russian had minutely improved, but I feel it was the people. These people have faced so much in their lives, they’ve learned tolerance and patience and this transferred onto us as giving us a chance, waiting patiently while we struggled to form a sentence.
One of my favourite parts of the weekend was when we got to give them clothes. We helped them pick the items they needed/wanted and they got to take them home. It was like Christmas morning. Some of them were not shy at all and jumped straight into the pile of clothes, others were more reserved. I helped one young man Denis pick a few things, he was only taking two items initially but we looked at a few bits and I suggested which shirts looked cool etc. and we ended up with a full bag for him. It was heart-warming to see the smile on his face.
I’m really looking forward to meeting these guys again and hear about how they’re getting on with everything.
More pictures: https://www.facebook.com/cpawwb1/photos/pcb.729006517280207/729006430613549/?type=3