By Marin Björt Valtysdottir
It is time to say goodbye after over a year at the EFIL office. I arrived in Brussels back in September 2014 fleeing volcanos and bad weather in Iceland.
In my time at EFIL I had the chance to work in various international teams starting with being on the preparatory team of 100 Years Young! The youth symposium of AFS Int. in Paris. Following that I supported at ECTP 2014, layouted EFIL’s biennial report, was a team member of ACTIVE, represented EFIL at the AFS Youth Forum in Buenos Aires, received training in representing AFS/EFIL externally, reported in Russia and I dare say the cherry on top of the ice cream – prepared the Volunteer Summer Summit of 2015 in Germany.
At EFIL I found myself at an office bustling with activities, projects and energy. Integration to the daily office life was fast thanks to the contagious motivation of the staff members. Through EFIL I have had opportunities that I did not dare to dream of. The effort EFIL puts into providing learning opportunities and support for volunteers has made me reflect on ways of how I can do the same for others.
The preparation for the VSS was the beginning and the end of my stay at EFIL. I have been a member of the VSS team for the past 5 years and I plan on continuing contributing in the coming years either as a team member or a participant.
I left the EFIL office with a backpack full of ideas and inspirations for the future – Thank you!
After Marin left the EFIL office, she joined the staff at AFS Iceland at the office in Reykjavik.
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EFIL staff and interns October 2015:
