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Preparation seminar for the new volunteers: July days in Leipzig and a camping night

Ein paar junge Menschen sitzen um ein Lagerfeuer im Dunkeln

This year, Vuga was once again able to organize its own preparation seminar in Germany for the 2024/25 volunteer generation. In the previous two years, our volunteers joined other weltwärts sending organizations. The seminar took place from 28 July to 3 August in Leipzig and was organized by the board members Johannes Wagner and Jelena Timm-Vengerov. Fellow board member Geoffrey Lukwago was also present for the entire seminar and every speaker and module benefitted from his insights and the “Ugandan perspective”. The seminar was held in the Hostel Garten Eden which is familiar to Vuga from previous seminars. The seminar venue for the week was in close proximity down the road.

On Sunday, 28 July, the volunteers and trainers arrived who all came from various parts of Germany and gathered at Hostel Eden in the afternoon. The meal plan and general organisation of the coming days were discussed together. The first module about the introduction to Vuga and the weltwärts programme took place in the evening.  

Sieben junge Menschen stehen nebeneinander in einem Garten und lachen freundlich
From left to right: Geoffrey, Jelena, Jasmin, Alva, Anna, Justus, Jonas

On Monday, 29 July, the first proper day of modules started by going through the guiding principles that Vuga set itself and giving the volunteers an understanding of the operating procedures at Vuga. The rest of the day was filled with debating relations between the Global North and the Global South and many organisational topics were discussed by going through the contract between the volunteers and Vuga. In doing so many questions by the volunteers were answered. Among others, subjects of discussion were the general conditions of the volunteer service with weltwärts and Vuga, insurance, costs, pocket money, leave regulations, flights, reimbursements and points of contacts. In the evening, the famous TED-Talk „Danger of a single story“ by Chimamanda Adichie was shown as a preparation for discussion in the following days.

The second day, 30 July, started with debating the term “culture”. With texts from Vanessa Andreotti, the volunteers were encouraged to reflect on what it means to be “white”. The module was led by the member and former Vuga-volunteer Jenny. The following modules discussed the project work and possibility of project proposals and network opportunities during the volunteer service. In conjunction with this, a discussion of pros and cons concerning “development cooperation” followed.

On the third day, the modules included the following topics: 

  • Role of a volunteer in the host family and the partner organisation 
  • Reflecting my position as a volunteer 
  • How do I talk about my volunteer service (brochure by Glokal: “Mit kolonialen Grüßen”, „With colonial greetings“, a critical review of reports and narratives of travels and stays abroad 
  • Crisis management by Vuga
  • Culture shock and reverse culture shock 
  • Gender roles and issues in Uganda (discussing articles by Ugandan journalists and activists) 

In the evening, Vuga held its quarterly members meeting online where the volunteers were introduced to several members and asked questions to hear the experience from other former volunteers. We also welcomed our cooperating partner from the Technische Universität München (TUM) with whom we shared dinner together in anticipation of their presentation on the next day.

Thursday, 1 August, was the last full day in the hostel and in the seminar room since the next night, we would be spending outside in tents on a campsite. The day was exciting due to the visit of cooperating partners from the Institute for Food and Health from the Technical University Munich (TUM) and two Vuga members who guided through new modules. The morning started with a session from Sören Ocvirk and Helen Fetzer from TUM who talked about food hygiene and nutrition in Uganda. They introduced their ongoing study concerning nutrition and health in Uganda with the aim to gain the volunteers as participants. The study focuses on the effects of low-fibre nutrition, which is widespread in Europe, on intestinal health and how the intestinal health of the volunteers will change due to the change in their diet in Uganda which is richer in fibre. The volunteers showed great interest in the study and we are excited about the cooperation and the further course of the study. Preceeding the module was a presentation about general health in Uganda, common diseases and precautionary measures. The afternoon followed with a module on conflict situations in the host family and culturally sensitive & non-violent communication by Vuga member Saskia. Afterwards, Vuga member Merlin joined and presented about Ugandan history. In the evening, there was time to chat in a relaxed, open atmosphere about experiences of former volunteers, the packing list, travelling and other questions. 

Mehrere Menschen sitzen um einen Tisch herum in einem Seminarraum. Im Hintergrund wird eine Präsentation über NGOs auf einen Leinwand projiziert.
Discussing structures and work of NGOs in Uganda in the seminar room

The morning of Friday, 2 August, was used to talk about life in a host family and NGO structures in Uganda. The volunteers finalized the entry visa to Uganda and signed the contracts together with the Vuga board members. After lunch we moved to a camp site for the last night since the hostel was fully booked that night. This last night camping was a fun adventure at the end of the seminar and the great group dynamics which were formed throughout the week became evident, for example with the self-catering. It was also a good opportunity to have one-on-one dialogues if needed, to talk loosely about different topics, enjoy the company and get excited for the coming volunteer year. 

Ein paar junge Menschen sitzen um ein Lagerfeuer im Dunkeln
At the campsite of the last night around the campfire

On the last morning, we evaluated the seminar together, said farewell and wished our new volunteers safe travels to Uganda!