16/10/2021
Our volunteer and trainee Jagoda who we lovingky called Borovinka, gave an interview to her local news paper
https://radomsko24.pl/nie-marnuje-czasu-ten-kto-zyje-czyli-o-gap-year-30651
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Radomsko24.pl:The one who lives doesn't waste time,about a gap year
MATEUSZ PATALAN 28.09.2021
Radomsko24.pl: More and more young people are opting for the so-called gap year, i.e. the gap year between high school and college. This time can be spent, for example, on travel or work. However, is it worth taking a one-year break in education? We are talking about gap year with Jagoda Cieślik, last year's graduate of Secondary School No. 1 in Radomsko.(it's called Pierwsze Luceum Ogólnokształcące w Radomsku imienia Feliksa Fabianiego)
Radomsko24.pl: Gap Year is quite a popular practice in the west, but it has not caught on with us yet. Could you briefly explain what this is about?
Jagoda Cieślik: It's a gap year between high school and college. People use this period in different ways: they travel, work, get to know themselves or just relax. I was able to combine travel with rest, work and volunteering at the same time.
Radomsko24.pl: How many people in Poland choose to do so?
Jagoda: Relatively little. I know people who take a year off between bachelor and master degrees, but what I have done is not very popular. I know maybe one more person who did a gap year.
Radomsko24.pl: Why did you decide to take a year off?
Jagoda Cieślik: It was a spontaneous decision that I made within a week. I was admitted to college then and decided that I don't really want to go there yet. I also knew that the quality of education would be a bit poor this year, so I decided to do something I always dreamed of - I went on a journey. Before, I was still under the pressure of school, but now I was free.
Radomsko24.pl: You went to Bulgaria as a volunteer, right?
Jagoda Cieślik: Exactly. The institution that supervised the project was the European Solidarity Corps, funded by the European Commission. The point is that in Europe there is an extremely high rate of unemployment among young people, and the internships and voluntary services are organized by the solidarity corps to activate young people. It is also extremely important to strengthen relationships within the european community, so I found an advertisement on Facebook and decided to apply. My sending organization was the ,,Europejskie Forum Młodzieży,, which referred me to the association "Balkan Kids" in Bulgaria, Varna.
Radomsko24.pl: What was your job about?
Jagoda Cieślik: My task was to work with mentally disabled children and in one blind center. Organization of free time, sports, art, culinary activities and therapy - all this was within the scope of my duties. I also got allowance, 240 levs (about 565 zlotys - editorial note), and 120 euros in pocket money. My mother organization also arranged a flat for me, which I shared with other project participants. Then I worked in Bulgaria on a professional internship and received the minimum salary, i.e. about PLN 1,100.
Radomsko24.pl: The internship was organized by the same institution?
Jagoda Cieślik: Yes, I did my professional internship through Balkan Kids. I worked in a social enterprise, in The Social Tea House. It was a restaurant that employed young people from difficult backgrounds - it was supposed to help them find their place in society better. I also ran the social media of this restaurant, helped to organize cultural events - a bit of everything.
Radomsko24.pl: Has the pandemic interrupted you in some way?
Jagoda Cieślik: Yes, because unfortunately I fell seriously ill with COVID-19 in Bulgaria. Getting medical help abroad was hard, especially because I was a foreigner. Fortunately, it all ended well.
Radomsko24.pl: To whom would you recommend doing a gap year?
Jagoda Cieślik: To everyone.
Radomsko24.pl: Really to everyone?
Jagoda: Of course. You know, when you want to go abroad, the language may come in handy, but even if you don't know it, it's worth spending a gap year in the country. Life is a bit like a rat race - first you have to finish elementary school, then high school, all with the best grades, and then go to college and graduate. Once you do it, you have to find a job as soon as possible, start a family ... it rushes our lives mercilessly. Or maybe it's worth taking a break from time to time? After all, time is not wasted by those who are alive.
Radomsko24.pl: What are your plans now?
Jagoda Cieślik: Studies in ecological field.Ecocity.
Radomsko24.pl: You were not afraid of what many people probably told you, that you are wasting your time?
Jagoda Cieślik: Absolutely not. How could I waste my time when I lived the way I wanted this year? This is not the time taken out of the calendar - apart from how much I learned during it, I also visited many interesting places and met a lot of interesting people. This year, apart from Bulgaria, I lived for a while in Kashubia and Croatia. And this is kind of a waste of time?
Mateusz Patalan interviewed.
Coraz więcej młodych ludzi decyduje się na tzw. gap year, czyli rok przerwy między szkołą średnią a studiami. Czas ten przeznaczyć można np. na podróże lub...
