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a youngster Went abroad –

an adult returned home

Volunteering abroad can lead to surprising results. Distance from home gave
Samuel Hanttu perspective to his life and reinforced his motivation to study. The

European Voluntary Service (EVS) provides young people with a unique chance to
express their personal commitment through voluntary work in a foreign country.

”I needed the distance from home to understand that I was going in the right direction”, says student
Samuel Hanttu from Finland.

“absolutely!” 19-year-old samuel hanttu spon- even know about the possibility of volunteer-
taneously answered the surprising question ing within the eVs programme before she told
about his interest in volunteering in portugal me about it.”
asked by heidi elo, the outreach youth worker
at the municipality of lieto, south-Western learning life management skills
finland. that moment, during a basketball samuel spent three months as an eVs volunteer
game they were watching, became a huge at peniche, central portugal, at a children’s day-
turning point in his life, as he understood later. care centre. his duties required a lot of initiative
and responsibility: “i took care of babies and
samuel highlights the importance of the role small children: changed diapers, played with
of guidance in his decision-making process: them and was a team member of the adults.
“this experience would never have come true i think that the best way to learn is by actively
without the help provided by heidi. i didn’t doing something.” samuel felt that he grew

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