Maria has been one of our Coordinators in Moldova and Cyprus for the last 5 months and we are very sorry to see her go!

She has been critical in helping our organisation do what it does and of course got a lot out of it herself. Working with us in Moldova was special because of her Moldvan heritage, and she enjoyed working in Cyprus as a forgotten hotspot where we can have a big impact. She has worked with well over 100 volunteers and learnt from all of them.

But what makes a great volunteer? The best ones are humble, offer ideas and get involved in whatever is useful at that time. Especially useful are people who can help with teamwork and group dynamics.

None of us should ashamed of enjoying their volunteering but we need to think about our motivations. We talk about why that is critical. Not only do we need to ask what we are taking from the experience, and we need to be very cautious about how much we are taking from the people we are supporting.