My name is Ciko, I am 22 years old, and I am from Georgia. I am currently living in Kraków, Poland, as a European Solidarity Corps volunteer. I enjoy meeting new people, communicating with others, and discovering new places and cultures. At the same time, I am someone who wants to keep developing and learning new things. I don’t want to stay in one place and do everything the same way just because it is familiar. This is one of the main reasons why I decided to come to Poland. I wanted to experience life in another country, but I didn’t want to come only as a tourist. I wanted to actually live here, become part of a community, work with people, and experience everyday life in a completely different environment. For me, volunteering is a chance to do something meaningful while also learning and growing as a person.

My main motivation for joining the European Solidarity Corps is personal development. I want to become more independent, confident, and adaptable. Moving to another country and living away from your familiar environment naturally brings challenges, and I wanted to challenge myself. I want to learn how to deal with unfamiliar situations, communicate with different kinds of people, and become more comfortable outside my comfort zone. Another important motivation for me is people. I believe that every person we meet can teach us something. Everyone has a different background, culture, personality, and way of thinking. By living and working with people from different countries, I hope to understand different perspectives and become more open-minded. I also want to improve my English through real communication. I don’t want to learn a language only from books or lessons. I want to use it every day, make mistakes, learn from them, and gradually become more confident when speaking. At the same time, I am interested in learning Polish and understanding Polish culture better. I want to experience the country not only from a tourist’s perspective, but as someone who actually lives here.

I also chose this volunteering project because I wanted to work with children. Working with children is a responsibility, but it is also an opportunity to learn. Children are very different from adults in the way they communicate, express emotions, and understand the world. Working with them requires patience, creativity, attention, and flexibility. I am especially interested in learning how to communicate with children who have different needs and ways of expressing themselves. I want to become better at observing, understanding, and supporting them rather than expecting everyone to communicate in the same way. I hope that during these ten months I can contribute something positive to the children and to the team I am working with. Even small things can be meaningful. Helping with an activity, playing together, supporting a child, creating something together, or simply being patient and present can make a difference. But I don’t expect this experience to be only about what I can give.

I am also here to learn. I want to discover new things about myself, understand my strengths and weaknesses better, and develop skills that will be useful in my future. I am still discovering exactly what direction I want to take in life, so I see this experience as an opportunity to explore. I want to leave this project with more confidence, more experience, and a better understanding of what I want from my future. I also want to represent Georgia and share something about my country with the people I meet here. I think cultural exchange is one of the most valuable parts of an international experience. I am curious about other cultures, but I also want people from other countries to discover Georgia through me.

Most importantly, I don’t want these ten months to simply pass. I want to be present in the experience. I want to try new things, meet people, learn from difficult situations, make mistakes, laugh, create memories, and become a little better every day. For me, being here means choosing growth over comfort. I don’t know exactly what these ten months will bring me, but that is also part of the motivation. I came here with an open mind and a willingness to learn. I am here to contribute, to learn, to meet people, to experience another culture, and, ultimately, to understand myself better. That is my motivation for being here.

Article by Ciko,
European Solidarity Corps volunteer.
Welcoming article for European Solidarity Corps volunteers from 08/09/2026