ESC Story from Estonia - Tiko Bajelidze

Hello, my name is Tiko and I am from Georgia. My profession is psychologist, and for the past 5 years I have been working with kids with special needs. To be precise, kids with autism spectrum. I was employed as a behavioral therapist.  Also, for one year I was working as a teacher in special education needs in one of Public School.

I love to travel and don't like to stay in one place for a long time and when my friend told me about European Solidarity Corps Voluntary project, I realized that this will be an amazing opportunity for me to get experience and change my life drastically. I would be able to know people from different cultures and lifestyle and at the same would be able to show them my own culture.

As I was experienced in working with kids I decided to volunteer at school facility  but, at the same time, I wanted something that would be completely different from what I've already done in the past. And that is how I ended up in Estonia in the city called kohtla-jarve. My hosting organization is Kohtla-Järve maleva põhikool, middle school. I am assisting my coordinator in organizing different off-study activities, planning international projects. In the last 2 month our school hosted 2 international delegations, that were part of Erasmus+ program. Those meetings topics were about ecology. Students from different countries shared with each other their countries experience in this particular theme. I often organize cultural evenings where I try to tell students about Georgia and Georgian culture. With my colleague volunteers I often take part in events that are organized by our leading organization Vitatiim. 

I want to say that this project really helps youth to get very important life experiences, to become more tolerate and accepting towards every human being.