We arrived in Ireland in December 2023 and were accommodated in a hotel in Wicklow Town. In February 2024, Wicklow Volunteer Centre staff members visited us at the hotel and told us about volunteering opportunities in Co Wicklow. We find two areas of interest for us: Tidy Towns and Community Volunteering at local events.
My friend Svitlana and I decided to try volunteering at large events, and we quickly became passionate about it. It was very interesting to learn about Irish culture and traditions through different community events.
One day, I became ill and could not attend an event, so I asked a woman from our room to replace me so that I would not let the Community Volunteers team down. My roommate came back delighted, told her friend about the experience, and that is how we became four active volunteers from our hotel.
Later, while meeting people in Dublin or during English language classes in Wicklow Town, we shared our positive experiences of volunteering, and many of our friends became interested in getting involved as well. We always explained that it is not necessary to speak perfect English; people are very supportive and always ready to help and explain things. Wicklow Volunteer Centre even provides information materials in Ukrainian, and the website allows you to choose the language in which you would like to read information about events.
Today, there are four active Ukrainian volunteers from our hotel, then another three volunteers from Rathdrum joined us, and one from Wicklow Town, making eight of us in total!
I believe that volunteering opens the door not only to Irish culture and traditions but also to meeting new friends.