There are no hopeless situations, only people who lose hope. I have never lost mine, says volunteer Muhsin

My name is Muhsin, and I am from Türkiye. I have been working as an ESC Humanitarian Aid volunteer at ADRA Serbia since October 2025, as part of a one-year project. 

Before this, I started as a volunteer and later became a full-time youth worker at my organisation in Türkiye, Pi Youth Association. There, I was responsible for international partnerships, project writing—mainly for EU grants—and the coordination of hosted ESC volunteers. 

On 4 May 2024, I completed my self-assessment and online Humanitarian Aid training on the European Commission EU Academy Portal. After that, I began waiting for an invitation to the five-day face-to-face training. Guess how long I waited for that invitation? 

One year and 18 days — and throughout that entire time, I kept holding on to my hope, just as I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post. 

I completed my face-to-face training in Bochum, Germany, at the beginning of September 2025, and after that, I started searching for my Humanitarian Aid project. I had to be quick in finding a project because I was already 34 years old, and as you might know, the age limit for ESC Humanitarian Aid projects is 35. So, as you can see, I joined both the ESC and ESC Humanitarian Aid programmes right at the edge of their age limits. 

I believe this gives enough background on my journey before joining the ESC Humanitarian Aid programme. Now, let me take you through the application process for volunteering at ADRA Serbia. Like most candidates, I came across this opportunity through the European Youth Portal, the official volunteering platform of the European Union. 

 I applied to ADRA Serbia for the PR & Communication position, as I have a strong interest in creating social media content and editing photos and videos. The application and preparation process moved quite quickly. I would like to express my appreciation to my coordinating organisation, ADRA Czechia, for handling the process so smoothly. 

As a PR & Communication volunteer at ADRA Serbia, my work focuses on making the organisation’s impact visible. I contribute to communication campaigns that highlight vulnerable groups, aiming to raise awareness and encourage engagement from the wider community. 

A big part of my role involves managing social media. I create posts, edit photos and videos, and support the development of communication plans. I also explore new tools and creative approaches to improve how we share our message. In addition, I support events and conferences, and help prepare materials such as publications, newsletters, and human-interest stories that reflect the experiences of the people we work with. 

When I arrived, there was another volunteer — who is also my flatmate — Sofia from Italy, who helped me a lot with settling into life in Belgrade. Together, we explored the city. I was also warmly welcomed by other Turkish volunteers in Novi Sad, Nazife and Gülcan, who showed me around their city. 

Since the beginning of my volunteering, my programme manager Dragana and my mentor Milena have supported me in adapting quickly to ADRA Serbia. I truly appreciate how warmly my colleagues welcomed me and helped me feel part of the team from the very start. 

Travel is, of course, an important part of this journey. Besides exploring different cities in Serbia, such as Novi Sad, Sremski Karlovci, Novi Pazar, and Subotica, I also had the opportunity to visit Skopje and Vienna. Hopefully, I will be able to explore even more places, both within and beyond Serbia.  

Last but not least, I would like to talk about Belgrade. The city is full of activities and warm, welcoming people. You will never have time to feel bored here. Compared to my hometown, İzmir in Türkiye, it has a smaller population, which makes it feel more peaceful. For me, Belgrade is truly amazing. It offers a lot of opportunities for foreigners. 

Thank you for reading my blog post. If you ever have the opportunity to take part in an EU youth programme such as ESC, ESC Humanitarian Aid, or Erasmus+, I have one simple recommendation: go for it. 

Step out of your comfort zone—because that is where life truly begins. 

The Humanitarian Volunteering for Solidarity Activities project (No. 101140258) runs from February 1, 2024, to January 31, 2027, and is co-financed by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed in this text are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the grant provider (the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency). Neither the European Union nor the grant provider are responsible for them.