How are the experiences you gained during your voluntary year important for your future? What exactly is meaningful to you?
My time in Germany has been a space for social development that has helped me strengthen empathy, patience, and resilience. Adapting to new environments and working in political education is not easy, but the diversity of opportunities that Berlin and my organization, Solar e.V., have offered me has been invaluable. This experience has shaped my political and social awareness, allowing me the opportunity to explore myself in different contexts and reflect on what comes next.
Why did you choose this particular project for your year – what did you hope to achieve?
My annual project was born from my deep commitment to migration issues - a subject essential to address nowadays. Along with my colleague, Lucía Jiménez, we decided to focus on Berlin’s migrant community, recognizing the need for spaces that support their mental well-being and allow them to express experiences that are often difficult to put into words.
Migration is not just a journey of resilience, it is also an act of political and social resistance. With this in mind, we designed a space for creative development where participants could channel their personal stories of adaptation, displacement, and resilience, into artistic expression. The final book stands as a collection of voices, an invitation to see migration beyond statistics and policies, it is a tribute to those who carry their histories across borders and transform their experiences into powerful artistic statements.
What was the most beautiful moment of your stay? What did you especially enjoy?
It's difficult to point to a single favorite moment from my entire stay, but what I'll carry with me forever are the words of a dear friend, now living within the pages of our annual project's book.
"We sail in the garden full of colorful flowers, enjoying each other's company. We sing, we dance, we make art. We work, we study, we are living our lives and making places ours. We are all diverse, with different stories, and we find the core value in that."
This reflection made me realize that the most beautiful part of this experience was precisely this, finding value in existence itself. Appreciating the presence of others, embracing my own, and learning to make spaces truly ours.
Is there a message you’d like to share?
If there is one message I would like to share, it is the urgency of social awakening, and the need to take action, to get politically involved, and to critically examine our own behaviors. Caring for one another is not just an individual act; it is a collective responsibility that requires a deep commitment to justice and solidarity.
Young people from the Global South, in particular, have a crucial role to play in shaping the future. Our voices, perspectives, and actions matter. We must actively participate in the conversations and decisions that define our societies, refusing to remain passive in the face of injustice.
We must strive for a political, social, and environmental cohesion that allows us to live in a true community, one that is open to diverse perspectives and firmly rooted in gender equality, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, and anti-fascism. These principles are not separate from our well-being; they are essential to it.
