EFIL 2011 Report
From AFSWiki
The instructions were to make a map. Sit with fellow participants from your country and position yourself next to the neighboring countries so that you form the whole continent. I scanned the room: how far away would I have to go to represent the distance of the Atlantic Ocean? As the bodies came together forming a map of Europe, I walked across the room and settled in the doorway to represent the USA.
On July 20-25 I had the opportunity to attend the European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL) Volunteer Summer Summit (VSS) in Zambujiera do Mar, Portugal. As the only participant from either American continent, I took this time out of my comfort zone in stride. This very situation was what two AFS exchanges and a great many arrival and departure orientations had taught me to love.
The days were packed! As I fought to overcome pesky jet-lag, I joined 160 participants from across the European Union, Egypt, South Africa, and Ghana for days filled with workshops, plenary sessions, and socialization at the eco-chic Zmar Resort. I took the “Expert Track,” with workshops such as “How can we promote human rights in a multicultural AFS?” and “Effective Meetings in a Multicultural Setting,” run by experienced volunteers from around Europe.
While the workshops were wonderful, events and conversations with fellow volunteers were the highlights.
The “Traditional Bazaar” was a flurry of booths, each grander than the other. Volunteers from each country brought traditional foods, crafts, clothes, and liquors to barter with others. I was hardly prepared for the negotiations that went down. Personal highlights were trying Mopani worms from South Africa and taking a shot of vodka chased with caviar alongside a group of Russian volunteers.
“International Whitewash Day” was our giving-back project. We traveled to a small cork-farmers village in central Portugal and together with volunteers and citizens in the town we whitewashed public spaces in the traditional style of Southern Portugal. The townspeople had wanted to take on this project to refurbish walls, a school, and the community center in the town for a long time. After a long day in the sun painting, drawing, cleaning, and cooking, the entire town came out to a massive community dinner in the community center, followed by “desserts of the world” (brought by the AFS volunteers!), and an evening of dancing to a local Fado band.
I left the VSS refreshed and excited. I learned new skills, tried new food, explored a different country, learned to say “cheers” in 12 languages, obtained over 100 new Facebook friends, and promised a couch to crash on + a free Chicago tour guide to at least 2 dozen people (here’s hoping they don’t all show up at once!).
The summit was a vibrant showcase of the power of AFS Returnees to affect change -the VSS is completely organized by volunteers, the majority of which were Returnees. The people I met at the conference were open-minded, friendly, and intelligent, a testament to the positive personal impact of participating in an intercultural exchange program.
I will be working with the Returnee Initiative to share and incorporate ideas I learned into AFS-USA’s volunteer world.
