Our Volunteers
Our volunteer programme is the result of a co-operation with the Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste. This is a charitable organisation that encourages young people to develop their understanding of history and other cultures and societies, whilst experiencing and accepting different patterns of thought and behaviour. Every year around 180 volunteers, mostly aged between nineteen and twenty-five are active for ARSP in fourteen different countries on a variety of educational, historical, political, and social projects. We have been lucky to get three of these young people to stay with us at the German YMCA for a year.
Meet our Volunteers 2024/25
My name is Maja, I am 18 years old, and come from Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. After many months of exams, I have now graduated from high school and am ready to start a new chapter of my life. Rather than rushing straight to university, I would like to do something useful for our society. Spending a year in London at the German YMCA is the perfect opportunity for an adventure abroad. I look forward to leaving my "bubble" to face new challenges in the bustling and lively city of London.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading, hiking, or realising creative projects. But my all-encompassing passion is music. In fact, I'm a huge fan of British classic rock, especially The Beatles. I await this September in eager anticipation and look forward to meeting everyone very soon.
My name is Florian, I am 18 years old, and live in Weimar - a small city in the heart of Germany.
My wish was always to participate in something good that gives me a feeling of purpose after I graduate. Now that I am fresh out of school, I have the possibility to do so with ARSP.
In my free time, I love to lift weights, read, and play music. I am also very keen on gaining new knowledge about history and politics, especially when I can exchange my thoughts with other people.
I will be in London as a volunteer for the German YMCA from September and look forward to getting to know you all.
My name is Cian and I am 19 years old. I live in a small but beautiful village called Kleestadt which is close to Frankfurt am Main.
In June this year, I finished school and am now looking forward to my time as a volunteer for the German YMCA. During my school time, I did a one-year internship working with disabled people. This made me realise that in the future I would very much like to work with people and communities.
Two years ago, I got the chance to spend five months in Bournemouth and loved it so much that when I got the offer to volunteer in London I immediately accepted. I am really excited and can’t wait to meet all of you. In my free time, I play for my local football club where I also work as a referee. Apart from that, I very much enjoy spending time with my friends and reading books.