NAVI 2.0 (course 16) Social day in the Ukraine centre "Train of Hope"
"It was also nice to see people volunteering to help people in need"
Part of the Navigator programme is to carry out a social project in line with the CSR/ESG concept. It quickly became clear to our team that we wanted to take up a topic that had been forgotten in recent months - we wanted to dedicate our time to the Ukraine Day Centre of the Train of Hope.
Fundraising campaign
As part of the preparations for our social project, the team came up with the idea of not only supporting the Ukraine Centre with our personal commitment on one day, but also launching a fundraising campaign in advance to support the institute with urgently needed food, clothing, toys and baby supplies. Together with TimeBank, we were able to organise a donation campaign on campus in September 2023, in which employees made voluntary donations. In the end, 19 donation boxes were handed over to Train of Hope.
Our day at the Ukraine Centre
Despite the fact that the participants in our Navigator programme come from different parts of Austria, all but two of them were absent due to illness.
On 20.10.2023 the time had come: our social day at the Ukraine Day Centre began. As soon as we had stowed away our personal belongings, we got straight down to work and had to collect a donation from the neighbouring building as quickly as possible. This was followed by a brief introduction to the centre and the associated areas.
The whole team was impressed by the size and complexity of the Ukraine Centre and by the fact that the entire organisation, which is carried out by two extremely dedicated women, as well as all the other work that has to be done in-house on a daily basis, is done almost exclusively by volunteers.
The centre includes a daytime café, a small library, a clothes boutique and many opportunities to play and learn with children. Lunch and dinner are served and further education and yoga courses are also held. It quickly became clear where everyone would like to help out and the tasks were distributed. Most of the hands were needed in the kitchen, serving food and in donation logistics.
Conclusion
During all these tasks, we were also able to have one or two conversations with the volunteers and those responsible for the day centre, as well as with some refugees. The conclusion was: this is about working together, refugees help in every department at the centre, whether it's the kitchen, handing out donations, providing information at reception or helping with courses such as German: German courses. Helping hands from volunteers are always needed and urgently required.
Our afternoon was not only characterised by a lot of work and intensive, thought-provoking conversations, but also by laughter, fun and a great time with our team and the helpers there.
"At first we weren't sure how we were going to manage it, as there was always another task coming up, but in the end we managed it as a team and completed all the tasks we were set. Dinner was ready on time :)"
Author: Nicolas Wallner & Sophie Atzenhofer
"It was also nice to see people volunteering to help people in need"
Part of the Navigator programme is to carry out a social project in line with the CSR/ESG concept. It quickly became clear to our team that we wanted to take up a topic that had been forgotten in recent months - we wanted to dedicate our time to the Ukraine Day Centre of the Train of Hope.
Fundraising campaign
As part of the preparations for our social project, the team came up with the idea of not only supporting the Ukraine Centre with our personal commitment on one day, but also launching a fundraising campaign in advance to support the institute with urgently needed food, clothing, toys and baby supplies. Together with TimeBank, we were able to organise a donation campaign on campus in September 2023, in which employees made voluntary donations. In the end, 19 donation boxes were handed over to Train of Hope.
Our day at the Ukraine Centre
Despite the fact that the participants in our Navigator programme come from different parts of Austria, all but two of them were absent due to illness.
On 20.10.2023 the time had come: our social day at the Ukraine Day Centre began. As soon as we had stowed away our personal belongings, we got straight down to work and had to collect a donation from the neighbouring building as quickly as possible. This was followed by a brief introduction to the centre and the associated areas.
The whole team was impressed by the size and complexity of the Ukraine Centre and by the fact that the entire organisation, which is carried out by two extremely dedicated women, as well as all the other work that has to be done in-house on a daily basis, is done almost exclusively by volunteers.
The centre includes a daytime café, a small library, a clothes boutique and many opportunities to play and learn with children. Lunch and dinner are served and further education and yoga courses are also held. It quickly became clear where everyone would like to help out and the tasks were distributed. Most of the hands were needed in the kitchen, serving food and in donation logistics.
Conclusion
During all these tasks, we were also able to have one or two conversations with the volunteers and those responsible for the day centre, as well as with some refugees. The conclusion was: this is about working together, refugees help in every department at the centre, whether it's the kitchen, handing out donations, providing information at reception or helping with courses such as German: German courses. Helping hands from volunteers are always needed and urgently required.
Our afternoon was not only characterised by a lot of work and intensive, thought-provoking conversations, but also by laughter, fun and a great time with our team and the helpers there.
"At first we weren't sure how we were going to manage it, as there was always another task coming up, but in the end we managed it as a team and completed all the tasks we were set. Dinner was ready on time :)"
Author: Nicolas Wallner & Sophie Atzenhofer