Closing....

As each volunteer's term ends, we have to give a presentation at our 'closing ceremony'.
I'll write more about how I felt at the ceremony (which was yesterday) in my next post, but for now, I wanted to share the little thing I wrote to say (actually I recorded it as a voiceover) whilst I showed photos of my favourite moments of my favourite people here at Sangam:

I wanted to write something to share with you all. My presentation style is usually to have a slideshow of photographs behind me, while I talk about whatever is relevant, depending on the audience. So for you, I’ve specifically chosen photographs of the memories of people that I have, and my speech is a story. I’m aware that it becomes a little soppy, but I wanted to share with you how I really feel about this experience, and to tell you all how much of an impact my time here has had on me – and how much of that impact is due to all of you.

 

This is the story of a young woman who was lost and drifting in the world, looking for some inspiration. She’d moved through much of her teenage and adult life educating and inspiring others, yet somehow never managing to feel whole herself. However, she kept on journeying to new places for new challenges, in the hope that one of them would finally allow her to discover herself.

Finally, in October of 2011, she found what she’d been looking for. Although she didn’t know it at the time, and had only the same familiar, vague hope of something significant happening. It took many weeks for her to finally realise and appreciate the lessons that she’d learnt, and to put all of her previous experiences into perspective; realising in the process that they were all important, and that each past experience she’d been looking on as a failure had in fact led her to this opportunity, and prepared her for the point at which her perspective changed.

It didn’t happen suddenly, but the realisation that it had been happening dawned at one particular instant. A tiny, insignificant moment that would otherwise have been passed by without notice. But because it was at that instant that she realised who she was and what she wanted from life, it has become a treasured moment. It happened in the breezeway of Sangam World Centre, during a ‘9am meeting’.

She applied for the position of Sangam Volunteer at a time in her life when she needed to make a decision about the next stage. She was about to finish her university degree, and although she had the life-long plan of becoming a teacher, it now felt like a back-up, and she knew she wanted to explore more of the world, and to investigate what life would be like working in the non-profit sector. One of the questions on the application form was “Why do you seek this position? How would this position help you achieve your educational, career, or personal goals?” She answered with the statement that “the experiences I enjoy most are those which allow me to give of myself, as well as gaining valuable skills which will enhance my CV … I am keen to take a year away from study and training in order to further broaden my horizons, and decide exactly what I want to do in my career. Volunteering at Sangam will provide me with that opportunity, whilst allowing me to develop a range of skills so that I could change direction if I wanted to.”

It’s safe to say that her expectations were met and exceeded. The experience of being a Sangam Volunteer – of being a member of the Sangam Family – became more and more significant to her as time went on. There were things that she did, activities she was involved in, and responsibilities that she took on which were new to her and which developed those concrete skills she desired for her professional development. There were also many many more things that were significant because of the personal learning that they allowed to happen. The small, personal things; things that could only be seen in her mind and felt in her heart. They are the things that she will really take away from this experience; they are things that lead to the realisation that she finally knew who she was and what that meant.

This comprehension came about not only because of her actions and activities, but because of the environment created at Sangam, and the people she met and worked with there. The other volunteers and interns who became her friends and confidantes, the career staff who had such amazing backgrounds and passion that they became an inspiration, the local staff who helped to make her feel so much at home so far from the UK, and even the participants who passed through the 10 events that ran during her term. Every person and every situation she met challenged her to use and develop practical and personal skills, and in doing so, forced her to examine herself in more detail that she’d ever done before, and to face things that she’d known were lurking in her mind and personality, but had preferred to ignore.

And then came that fateful day, about halfway through her 6 month term, when it all fell into place. There really was nothing significant about the day, the meeting, that moment, except that she let her mind wander slightly, and realised how content she felt. There she was, sitting in a meeting, feeling like she knew each member of that circle; their personalities, senses of humour, ways of working; and that she understood everything that was being said in the context of the wider work aims of the centre. She also understood why Sangam was important, why her work as a volunteer was important, and realised how much she’d learnt about WAGGGS, about MDGs, about Advocacy, about India, about the world. She realised how many other people she’d helped to understand these things, and the impact that could have.

This is not to say that from that moment on everything was smooth sailing – far from it! But the difference was that she now found it easier to deal with difficult situations, with failures, with frustrations. She was able to see things in relation to a bigger picture; whether professionally or personally. She was, for the first time in a long time, confident that she knew who she was, and she knew which parts of her she wanted to change or improve, or allow to come to the fore. She could see her place and role in her world, and in the world. She knew herself to be Philippa, and Philly, and Philpa, and Phlip. She knew herself to be someone who could rise to challenges and face them; someone who was surrounded by amazing friends and role models; someone who – with their help - really could be the change she wanted to see in the world.