Monika Elend from Poland and Narcis George Matache from Romania are both a part of European Youth North Denmark. What do they gain from being part of an association?
Why and when did you come to Denmark? Monika: I came to Denmark five years ago to continue my studies. Narcis: I arrived in Aalborg during the late summer days of 2009 to study Marketing Management.
Why did you choose to join an association? Narcis: Although aware of the volunteering culture in Denmark early on I first joined an association in 2013. I joined the Social Democratic Youth of Denmark. Being the only non-Dane there has been very hard as the language barrier blocked
me from getting a deeper understanding of the organization. I tried to create an English side of the organization to attract more non-Danes, but the synergy was off and therefore the initiative died after only one year. So I started looking for another place to volunteer that I could really depend on to give me a feeling of “being at home.� Monika: I joined a Danish organization to learn new and meet new people. The first place I joined they would speak English to me but in general they communicated in Danish. So even though you are welcome as an international to join it is really hard without speaking Danish.
Why did you choose to join European Youth North Denmark? Monika: I joined the organization because of the values it stands for and the objectives it wants to achieve. I met someone from the organization during an international seminar in Norway afterwards I contacted the local branch. European Youth North Denmark has over 200 members now and there is almost as many Danes as internationals – therefore we speak English. Narcis: I joined European Youth Northern Denmark in 2014 because the Danes running the organization back then gave me the impression that there was room for me and my ideas. From the start we used English to communicate. Being the only organization in town in 2015 where Danes and non-Danes were working together towards a common goal transformed it in less than a year into the biggest youth organization in Aalborg. In 2016 at the Organization’s Fair we could see how many other organizations tried to implement the same model as we had attracting internationals.
Have you gotten friends there? Monika: I have a lot of friends in the organization and I feel like part of society when I work with Danish people on projects. Besides meeting new people I believe that the experience I gained at the
organization helped me get an internship at the European Parliament last year.
Do you think joining an association is a good way to meet friends in Denmark? Monika: I would say that for someone who is new to Denmark joining an organization is the best way to meet new people and make friends who have the same interests as you. Organizations like European Youth breaks down language barriers and makes it easy and valuable for internationals to get active, meeting locals and learn about Danish culture. Narcis: I do believe that joining an organization in Denmark gives you a great chance to make new friends, but also to grow as a person. I know that between job, school and learning Danish or simply trying to adapt to a new reality you can feel like there is no time for joining an association. But being part of an association really have positive effects on your social life, professional life and personal development - so do it!
THANKS FOR SHARING, MONICA & NARCIS!