A student in Master 1, Vera is interested in her memory for young foreigners who are involved in development projects and international volunteering. In an abyss, let us observe the observer and we are interested in this young woman of 26 years of Ghanaian origin, herself fully engaged in local and international life.
Vera studied in Strasbourg and did her Master 1 internship at AMSED. In April, Vera went to Germany for a five-day Erasmus + exchange, as part of a project that she is enthusiastic about and wants to carry out.
Long-term projects, to engage effectively !
Vera’s youth exchange took place in Berlin and Weimar and focused on post-colonialism. Young people from all over Europe but also from other continents were gathered around this question :
Whenever we think of colonialism we think of Africa, we think of the victim. But this time we want to see on the other side of the mirror, the side of the executioners, what they think, if it is possible that now something like that could still happen. Vera says some of the participants were involved in this project precisely because their family was in some way linked to colonialism, and they took advantage of the trip to share their story and bring a very clear vision. personal debate.
This stay in Germany is however only the submerged part of the iceberg. Participants took advantage of these five days to prepare a long-term program and put in place actions over time. Even from a distance, they continue today to work together through social networks, and plan activities to get people to exchange their knowledge and opinions on topics related to postcolonialism. To do this, young people advocate informal education: "It should not be like a course like you do in college where someone comes to give a presentation. […] We want to make games, something interesting, that will react and that will not bore. People are thinking, not at the academic level but rather as a game. They plan to meet in Sintra, Portugal, in June, then again in September. On this occasion, they will open the project to new people who would like to join them.
” Before I wondered ok, we come, we exchange, we share ideas, and after what? But to know that’s not going to stop here in Weimar but that it will continue with the other young people to create awareness among people … Someone who attended this program will continue to talk with his friends and that way knowledge is transmitted and grown each time. That’s important “
Helping others by helping themselves
Vera is very enthusiastic when she talks about her internship at AMSED and the exchange of Young people in Germany, which allowed her to develop personally and professionally. The internship was an opportunity for her to immerse herself for the first time in a French professional space and learn to work in a team with the many young people involved in the life of AMSED. During the youth exchange, she had the impression of being able to bring knowledge and ideas to the debate by including in the discussions the theme of migration and its relationship with colonialism, a subject that interests her particularly.
The community life and mutual support that punctuated these experiences also helped Vera to integrate. Vera arrived in Strasbourg a year ago, she quickly adapted to the city, with the help of the people, her friends of the Master and the knowledge she had made during a stay in Strasbourg a few years earlier. Vera does not hesitate to go on an adventure in general, she enjoys testing new activities and new places. Even when she lived with her parents, Vera often went on a trip, alone or with friends:
” I’ve always been elsewhere, I’ve made small trips myself, and I think it’s part of who I
am.” To move is to discover oneself, confronting challenges that one would not have to overcome in everyday life.
” It’ s interesting when you manage to get by. Each time I told myself that it shows that I was mature and able, if I can manage in a place I do not know at all. […] It allows me to grow, to open my interests. The German language was a language that had never interested in it, which I had never tried to understand, and when I got there I started to learn little things “
Likewise, Vera prefers to leave some spontaneity to her future. She wants to work as a conflict analyst and wants to continue to engage with youth, but she does not project herself into a specific place or job. This young woman imagines as well staying in France as returning to Ghana, and she will not hesitate to seize any opportunity to discover other places. Vera follows the motto of travelers : to keep doors open, to be available to opportunities, for the adventure to continue and to enrich themselves over and over again.