In September, our team of international volunteers joined us for a three-week team volunteering project full of learning, creativity and community spirit. Together, we supported local initiatives, organized cultural activities, and took part in the city’s European Mobility Week, promoting sustainable urban mobility and community engagement.
This experience brought together people from different backgrounds to share ideas, develop new skills, and make a positive impact.
Our Activities During the European Mobility Week
Fix & Ride Workshop
A hands-on bicycle repair and safety workshop where participants learned how to fix, maintain, and tune their bikes. The activity promoted sustainable transport and encouraged more people to use bicycles as an everyday mobility choice.
Volleyball Match
A friendly volleyball game that brought together volunteers and locals to promote active lifestyles, teamwork, and outdoor physical activity as part of sustainable urban living.
Treasure Hunt
An interactive city game where teams followed clues related to mobility, ecology, and Trnava’s landmarks. The Treasure Hunt combined fun, learning, and exploration, showing how sustainable movement connects people and places.
Public Run with “Love Them Running” Club
A community run organized in cooperation with the local running club. Participants of all ages joined to celebrate movement, health, and the idea that sustainable cities start with active citizens.
Public Forum on Mobility
An open discussion space where citizens, volunteers, and local stakeholders exchanged ideas on how to make Trnava more accessible, bike-friendly, and environmentally conscious.
Mobility Workshops
Creative and educational sessions exploring the future of urban mobility. Participants learned about sustainable transport solutions and developed ideas to make everyday movement greener and more inclusive.
Our Volunteers’ Mobility Week Experience
The Impact and the Outcomes of Volunteering
As a group of international volunteers we took part in the European Mobility Week with a youth organization Youth for Equality, based in Trnava, Slovakia. The volunteering experience peaked with a 2 day festival we organized, celebrating the European Mobility Week with the public. We, the volunteers, prepared a set of workshops to engage people of all ages – children, teens and adults – in a playful way and to spread awareness about the importance of sustainable mobility.
Within the project, we also carried out research to better understand how transportation impacts both health and the environment, which highlighted the urgency of sustainable mobility solutions.
As part of our work, we also conducted a small survey among residents and visitors in Trnava to explore their travel habits and opinions. The results showed that while many people still rely heavily on cars, cycling is steadily gaining popularity, supported by the city’s growing network of bike lanes.
Based on our findings, our policy brief recommended the strategic expansion of cycling infrastructure within Trnava and towards nearby villages to strengthen regional connections. We were encouraged to see that the city has already launched projects in this direction, which gives us confidence that Trnava is on the right path toward healthier, more sustainable urban mobility.
We concluded the three week experience with a visit with the team of Trnava’s mayor. We presented the aim of the project and the findings of our research. We also had a friendly discussion about the challenges of sustainable urban planning, as well as the difficulties the team faces while navigating the political culture of the city.
Overall, the experience showed us that sustainable mobility is not just a policy issue, but, above all, a community effort. European Mobility has managed to remind us that local action can make a global difference. In three weeks, we have learned from Trnava’s examples and challenges.
We are leaving the project with new skills, experiences and personal connections. For many of us, these three weeks have been our first volunteering experience. We came into it full of expectations, excitement, as well as anxieties. Although it was a step out of our comfort zones, it also pushed our boundaries and enriched our teamwork and other soft skills. We also made many new connections and even friendships, which we will cherish long after the project.
– Lea (volunteer from Slovakia)
Volunteering as a Part of Personal Growth
During my volunteering journey, I had the opportunity to challenge myself, meet new people, and face situations that were different from my everyday life. This experience allowed me not only to give a concrete contribution, but also to grow personally and develop new skills.
I participated in many activities aimed at encouraging people to use bicycles more, be more mobile, rely less on cars, and reduce their use of public transport. We promoted walking, cycling, and a more active lifestyle. Additionally, we contributed significantly to spreading awareness about our organization, Youth for Equality, helping to share its mission and values with the community.
Through these experiences, I learned the importance of collaboration and teamwork: many activities required organization, flexibility, and the ability to listen to others. I realized that everyone, with their own qualities, can bring something valuable, and that the best results are achieved when working together.
Another thing I learned is how to manage time and responsibilities. Being present and reliable is fundamental, because people count on your contribution. I also developed greater empathy and sensitivity towards those who are in difficult situations, learning to better understand the needs of others.
Finally, this experience also taught me a lot about myself: I discovered inner strengths I didn’t know I had, I gained more self-confidence, and I understood how rewarding it is to dedicate time to others.
In conclusion, volunteering was not only a way to help, but also an opportunity for growth. I am very grateful to Youth Equality for everything they have done for us and for giving me the chance to be part of this meaningful experience.
– Sofia (volunteer from Italy)
My experience: learning for myself and others
Before arriving, the most interesting aspect of the project to me was everything involving the public transport infrastructure, policy making and focusing on research findings, as that is something I’m involved with in my home city. As a contrast, the public festival activities and engaging with the public was something I felt most unprepared for.
It was the first few weeks of getting to know the team that helped get into the groove of the project, get guidance and support for what I felt I couldn’t do on my own. Getting to know new people with different experiences and abilities showed that it was okay to not be perfect at everything and find ways to get better with the help of others, or even share my own abilities for the betterment of the group – in my case by taking charge of the flashmob.
The week of the festival was quite intense but again encouraging in seeing that people were getting involved with our project and activities – the run club, group bike ride, workshops, bike fixing – getting to know the locals and which parts of the project were most important and relevant to them. At first it was more challenging to get over the fear of speaking in public and interacting with strangers but in the long run I learned that people are very friendly and willing to share their experiences and listen to ours, leading to a deeper understanding of our work here.
During the final week, visiting the town hall and speaking with the deputy mayor or Trnava, as well as other council members involved in work with public infrastructure, was an interesting and informative way to cap off our research and activities. Discussing our findings with experts who are practically involved with city planning and learning from their experience – the difficult nuances and strategies that have to be applied to develop better transport and effective mobility plans – gave deeper insight into their work and how we could improve our own findings. To me this helped solidify my initial interest in the project – what we did for three weeks will have meaning beyond the time we spent here.
Overall I learned much about the city, the people and myself. Volunteering projects like this, to me, show that people are at their best together – working to improve the world for others and to help each other.
– Ugne (volunteer from Lithuania)
