I was recently in Madrid for 30 days during the month of July, volunteering with Achieve More Scotland as part of programme.

I’ve been home for just over a month and I feel this is the best time to reflect on my experience and share it with other people who may want to do something similar in the future. Its safe to say the experience was unforgettable and will stay with me forever. During my time in Madrid, I had been presented with a number of challenges which tested me as an individual. Not being able to speak the native language, trying new foods, the warm weather and being away from home for the longest period in my life, proved to be difficult at times. However, I found a way to embrace these challenges to gain more from my volunteering experience in Madrid. In addition, I really enjoyed being able to explore the city and see things like the Santiago Bernabeu, Wanda Metropolitano, Gran Via, Parque Retiro etc. I would like to go back at some point in the future and possibly do more volunteering with the organisations which hosted and looked after us whilst I was in Madrid. I am extremely grateful and would like to thank
Coordinadora Infantil and Europa Joven Madrid who hosted
myself and the rest of the Erasmus+ volunteers.

the Erasmus+

They made us feel very comfortable, safe and kept us well informed over the course of our time in Madrid. In terms of my volunteering activities, I was placed with Fundación Balia and supported them during their holidays camps working with local young people. The camps included daily trips to the local swimming pool, excursions, sports days and residential trips. There were similarities to the work that Achieve More Scotland does across Glasgow which made the language barrier less of an issue as we were always active and outside doing different activities. I also spent a full week in north of Spain working at a summer camp residential with a different group of young people. We got the chance to go to the beech every morning, visit local costal towns and Santander for a full day. It was a really tiring part of my time in Spain as I was working with these young people for the full day and barely got any time to myself. My time in Spain was extremely fun and enjoyable and I would like t return to Madrid at some point in the future!

Muchas Gracias James