From Turkey with new knowledge and many friends from other countries
 
I learned a lot about people with special needs. What is their view of the situation they are in, how do they deal with different things, how can we help them and include them in society to make them feel equal and wanted. As well as how I, as a teacher, can adjust the lessons so that they can participate and follow it more easily, "said Jana, a student at the Faculty of Education in Ljubljana, after returning from a volunteer exchange in Turkey. Together with five other Slovenian representatives, she participated in the one-month Disabled Fest project in Ankara as part of the European Solidarity Unit, where they expanded their horizons on topics such as religion, discrimination, peer violence and violence in general, dictatorship, LGBTQ, and people with special needs.
The Slovenian group, formed by the Association for Developing Voluntary Work Novo mesto, included five volunteers and one companion. Together with other participants, they looked for ways to integrate all people equally into society. They talked a lot about inclusion and learned about how people around the world accept people with special needs, with a different culture, women, homosexuals… They also included practical knowledge in all activities and based on that they created several manuals and videos.
The Disabled Fest project also included people with special needs, who were able to tell from their own experience what problems they face, how to help them and how they are included in society.
They learned a lot about autism, dyslexia, and ADHD. In addition to Slovenes, the project was attended by young people from Italy, North Macedonia, Spain, Bulgaria, Iran, Romania, Turkey, and Poland, with whom they spent an unforgettable month, in which they also spent quality free time and became more familiar with Turkish culture, art, history ...

Upon returning to Slovenia, we asked young volunteers, two of whom have special needs, about their impressions of participating in the Disabled Fest and Turkey.

AVGUŠTIN: “The main reason for participating in the Disabled Fest project and becoming a volunteer was that I wanted to get to know what people with special needs experience daily, what they have experienced so far and how to improve their lives and integrate them into our society. Since this is my first volunteering project, I was not well acquainted with the whole project process, but the organizers explained everything to us and were exceedingly kind to us. Another reason to participate in the project was - to see Turkey. As a person from Slovenia, where the majority religion is Christianity, I have always wanted to get to know a country where the main religion is different from mine, so that I can understand it more easily. Visiting the Turkish capital Ankara and participating in this project changed my outlook on life, especially the stories of my fellow volunteers."
 
JANA: “As a future classroom teacher, I feel privileged to be part of the Disabled Fest project. I have learned a lot about people with special needs, what their view is of the situation they are in, how they face different things, how we can help them and integrate them into society to make them feel equal and wanted, and how they can i as a teacher adjust the lessons to make it easier for them to participate and follow it. In addition, I gained a lot of knowledge about tackling peer violence, discrimination, LGBTQ, the role of women around the world, and different religions. I will be happy to share all my knowledge among my friends, acquaintances, family and someday also among students. I want to spread tolerance among people. In addition to all the knowledge and shared stories that touched my heart, I am extremely happy to have met the people who surrounded me all month."
 
MARKO: “I decided on the project to get to know what people with special needs need, how to approach them correctly and how to recognize certain symptoms of people with special needs. I really enjoyed the project as I really enjoy traveling. This was my third visit to Turkey, but time and time again this country surprises me with its natural and cultural diversity. On the project itself, I met many new, kind-hearted people from all over Europe, whom I will never forget."

TIM: “I was incredibly happy to get chosen for this project at the time of the covid-19 and lockdown. I learned about new cultures and new words. For example, good day in Turkish: iyi günler. I really liked that we had a lot of practical workshops and good company from different countries."

ANASTASIA: “I learned a lot from this project. It is not (anymore) difficult for me to ask for help, I understand other people better, including their problems. I loved meeting a lot of new cultures, including Turkey and a few terms in their language, I met new people that I will miss. Overall, for me, it was a particularly good experience among my peers. I also learned to be more confident and to speak more convincingly in front of people. It was definitely a good workout."