From the office to nature — see the world from a child's eyes

In mid-March, the time had finally come - the first WWK team had a special day full of commitment and warmth at the AWO Waldkindergarten near Munich. Daniela, one of the WWK brand ambassadors and volunteers on the project, gives us an insight into her experiences and impressions, exactly why she took part in this engagement and what special moments she experienced while doing so.

Why did you participate in the project?

As a team, we chose this project because we wanted to make a positive difference for children or seniors together. Lets' first suggestion to make the outdoor area ready for spring with the AWO Forest Kindergarten immediately appealed to us.

What did you particularly like?

It was great to see how we were able to prepare and build everything together with the children. To share this experience with the people for whom we had finally implemented the project. There may have been a few fears of contact at the beginning, but after a short time, these were gone. Not only we but also the children were very impressed - you could really see life through children's eyes again.

I also particularly enjoyed the change of perspective, away from the office and desk and out into nature — a refreshing change of pace. It was practical that, although some colleagues had brought their own tools, all materials were already on site.

The added value that we were able to create locally through our commitment was also clearly visible in the children's bright eyes after the day. It was just great to see that our help really arrived and made a difference. Everyone was very impressed by the new gaming world, in which they could let off steam and discover themselves.

Can you share with us a particular experience during the project that particularly impressed you?

A funny and thoughtful anecdote that stuck with me here was a girl's question to my colleague whether girls could also work with tools. Because at home, it's actually only dad who ever does that. She had then explained to her with a smile that girls could of course also screw together mud kitchens and thus playfully strengthened the children's curiosity and openness to new experiences and opportunities - in this case on gender roles.

What did you perhaps not like so much?

I can't say much about that - all in all, it was a great experience!

3 words that best describe your volunteering experience?

Meaning, fun and community.

What do you personally take away from the project?

Since I had no experience in volunteering with people directly before this project, it was a really good start for me to see what opportunities there were at all. I was able to get to know new perspectives and became even more sensitive to the diverse situations of my fellow human beings, which are often overlooked in everyday life. For me, it was therefore the best start for my personal journey into volunteering.

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