January 28, 2026
SEPTEMBER
This month was my first month at LEVEL UP. I arrived at the same time as my mate Laurine.
Shortly after arriving, we participated in a training session in Warsaw, which was very enriching. The first tasks consisted of writing for the LEVEL UP blog and creating a presentation in English and Spanish to present at schools. We also help an organization that collects food and supplies to help flood victims.
OCTOBER
In October, I did different tasks and discovered more things about the city of Łódź and other Polish cities. I have created articles for LEVEL UP’s blog, and I have also learned how to use the Neuron Writer application in order to optimize them. I have attended several events to record, take photos and create content.
In addition, together with Laurine. we are preparing an event in the office for talks in English with different topics every week.
And finally, I am noticing my progress with English and I am learning more words and vocabulary in Polish.
NOVEMBER
This month I have done several different tasks, as well as getting to know the city more and more.
I went to the different university campuses to put up posters, as well as to the main library in Łódź.
Although I mainly spent most of my time at the presentations at the institutes with Laurine.
Finally, Laurine and I also went to help in the events with different organisations- the Polish Red Cross, and we also participate and helped at a series of events connected with topics of disabilities and how we can support people with special needs.
DECEMBER
In December, we had a volunteer gala where Laurine and I made a presentation. It was also a very nice event. We had the LEVEL UP Christmas party, which was very fun and we were able to try traditional Polish Christmas food. I also had my last Polish classes with Laurine, which I was very sad to finish because Marta taught us a lot and was very welcoming to us.
Finally, this month I returned to Spain to celebrate Christmas and enjoy my family and friends.
JANUARY
This month has been very quiet overall. I came back from my Christmas holidays on the 7th of January, the next day we had a very interesting meeting with Ania.
We spent 2 weeks trying to promote English talks, putting up posters in libraries, universities. We also upadted our promotional poster.
Finally, I went for a training in Torun, which was a good experience. I visited a lot of museums and also made a gingerbread man.
FEBRUARY
This month, Laurine, Sofia, Marta and I have made several presentations in schools. We also helped in several events such as the discussion panel. Besides that, I went back to Spain for a few days for carnival.
MARCH
In March, we participated in a variety of enriching activities. We joined the project “Idealna Mama”, where we organized a workshop for children that included painting and several fun games. Additionally, we gave multiple presentations in schools to introduce the ESC program for youth and promote Spain. We also took part in the “Ideathon” event, supporting its organization and execution. Lastly, we had a valuable training session with Monika to continue developing our skills and knowledge.
APRIL
In April, Marta, Sofía, and I organized Spanish Day, which was a great success. Around 20 people attended, and we hosted a workshop on how to prepare gildas and pan tumaca. I was responsible for the coordination of this event. We also continued our visits to schools and high schools, delivering the same presentation about the ESC program, Spain, and France. Additionally, this month marked the final sessions of the English Talks. One of the sessions focused on Easter, and it was also a big success.We also celebrated Marta’s birthday together, and I had the chance to travel to Prague — it was a beautiful and unforgettable experience.
MAY & JUNE
The final month of my volunteering project was very busy and productive, as I focused on finishing all my ongoing tasks. I spent a lot of time creating promotional content for social media and writing several blog articles for the organization. During this period, I really mastered my skills in using Neuronwriter and working with keywords for better content optimisation. I also participated in an extra training session about facilitation and preparing workshops, which improved my abilities to work with groups. Each week, I continued visiting schools to give presentations about volunteering and share information about Spain and my culture with students. One of the highlights was organising and celebrating Europe Day, where we promoted European values and cultural diversity. Additionally, I helped with the LEVEL UP Game, which was focused on teaching young people about transparency and civic engagement. All these activities allowed me to use my creative skills while also developing my organisational and communication abilities. Looking back at this final month, I feel proud of everything I accomplished and all the people I met.
SUMMARY
My volunteering experience in Poland has been incredibly rewarding and full of diverse activities. I quickly learned to use new tools and adapted well to both office-based tasks and online work at my own pace. One of my main responsibilities was supporting local initiatives, creating content for social media and articles for English blog, and helping with project events. I really enjoyed the creative work, especially designing promotional materials for various activities. I had the opportunity to present and promote the idea of volunteering to different audiences, from young students to older people, which I found very fulfilling. Together with other volunteers, I participated in many different training sessions – gaining new skills and improving the ones we have. We also helped other organisations during that time, with different events helping I was also a part of the team that organised weekly English conversation meetings in Łódź cakes English Talks, which became more popular over time as more people started joining us. Our Polish classes were particularly enjoyable and helped us understand the language and culture much better. I have tried so many new things, taking more responsibilities with my individual coordination of the Spanish Day. Throughout this project, I easily made new contacts both inside and outside the organisation, managed my time well, and gained valuable experience that I will always remember.
This article was created as part of the Individual Volunteering project – LEVEL UP with volunteering (2023-2-PL01-ESC51-VTJ-000173505) implemented by the European Solidarity Corps program with European Union funds.
Author : Ada Cantarero
If you like to read other stories like this one we suggest you to read this articles:
Sofia’s experience: https://levelupngo.com/sofias-experience-volunteering-with-the-european-solidarity-corps-at-level-up/
Marta’s Experience: https://levelupngo.com/martas-experience-as-an-esc-volunteer-at-level-up/
Laurine’s experience: https://levelupngo.com/laurines-experience-volunteering-with-esc-in-poland/