The Khmelnytskyi Volunteer School from the Hesed Besht KhBF aims to train caring people not only in volunteer work, but also to implement their own projects using available resources. After the first “wave” of training, the group representatives were invited to participate in any volunteer project of the Foundation or the city in order to consolidate practical skills. At the volunteer open space on February 25, a number of proposals were considered, but most of the participants opted for participation in the “Your Country” project. This weekend, the project activities were successfully held.
“Your Country” is a volunteer project of the All-Ukrainian scale, which is carried out by individuals in different corners of our Motherland. Its goal is to familiarize people from other cities with the history and modernity of the settlement where the events are held. In 2015, the project was already implemented in Dnipropetrovsk, Chernivtsi, Poltava and Odessa, next is Rivne. Anyone can become a participant in the program of events by filling out a questionnaire online. The plan of local events is determined by the team of organizers independently.
Participation in the “Your Country” project was a good opportunity for graduates of the “Volunteer School” at the Hesed Besht Charitable Foundation. Here, they could prove themselves both as an assistant in the organizational process, a “guide” for visitors or a logistician, and as a leader, taking responsibility for holding certain events.
The Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation “Hesed Besht” supported the “Your Country” project by providing the premises of the “Thia” Community Center for evening events. The organization’s participation in the project is obvious, because such a socially significant event could not pass by without our organization. After all, if we talk about Khmelnytskyi, it is simply impossible not to mention the contribution of the Jewish community to the development of the city! The entire historical center consists of buildings from the late 19th - early 20th centuries, where almost every house retains the name of the former Jewish owner. The modern life of the city also has a significant contribution from the community. The activities of the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation “Hesed Besht” largely coordinate the social sphere, public activity, and cultural development. And the history of the formation of the NGO "Khmelnytskyi Youth Development Club", whose participants and volunteers were the main core of the organizers, also begins with the Community Center "Thia", where both the founding meeting of the future organization and the "School of Leaders", initiated by young activists, were held.
During their four-day stay in Khmelnytskyi, the project participants visited many interesting places. In addition to a tour of the city itself, excursions were organized to the city council, the photography museum, the Podillya-Center State Radio and Television Center, and the Fairy Tale Room of the children's library. A Tai-Bo master class was held, and public organizations operating in Khmelnytskyi were presented.
The Thiya Community Center was happy to invite guests on the second and third evenings of their stay. The tour of the museum and art programs of the Center took almost an hour, and then a surprise awaited all the guests and volunteers: a small party with a cake. Especially for this day, the conference hall was transformed into an unforgettable extravaganza of colored lights - volunteers installed more than two dozen garlands here. The end of a difficult and stressful day was a session of contact improvisation.
The next day, a training in Gestalt psychology was held at the Thiya Community Center. With faith in their abilities, the participants were able to walk through broken glass without getting hurt. It was a great opportunity for both the participants and the volunteers to once again see for themselves.
Thus, the "Volunteer School" and the Hesed Besht Charity Foundation contributed to a useful social and active event for the people of Khmelnytskyi and guests of the city. The first significant success gave both the participants and the organizers a good incentive to move forward, training new volunteers and learning themselves!
