While I was still a student, I wanted to do something different - something ‘meaningful’ - and see the world at the same time. In the preparatory seminar in Don Bosco, Bonn, we were prepared for the fact that the voluntary service is primarily a learning service in which the volunteers discover a different understanding through the commitment and support of the local Salesians, go beyond themselves, and gain valuable experiences.
It was thus, that in 2006, a few months after graduating from high school, I made my way to Mumbai from my hometown of Berlin, Germany, to do a year of voluntary service at Shelter Don Bosco, Wadala, in Snehalaya, Baroda, and Don Bosco Oratory, Panjim.
Realizing that my time in India would be more of a learning experience rather than voluntary service was a key for me to start my year with a healthy mix of activism and modesty. A voluntary service is all about leaving your comfort zone and stepping into a new learning space. In the encounter with a new culture, with people in a different situation, lies the chance to meet oneself. Through them, a process of reflection can be set in motion, in which one’s biography and one’s own cultural and social background can be viewed from a new perspective. Thus, I believe,the paradigms and biases that were pre-established can be questioned and connected with new experiences.
For me, my joint voluntary service with Sarah, another volunteer from Germany, was even more than that. The year spent in India with the Salesians of Don Bosco in the provinces of Bombay and Panjim has had a lasting impact on me and changed my life. When I look back at my voluntary service 16 years ago, I know that without this step I would not be the same person today. The encounter with the people in the project, who became my family in that year until today, left a lasting impression on me and changed me. And for that, I am very grateful. I have met young people who have spent a large part of their lives on the streets of Mumbai, separated from their families, and who, despite their challenges, have found the courage, strength, and motivation to lead a self-determined life. To this day I am in touch and close friends with many of the boys who lived in the shelter then, I also paid them a few visits over the years.
Most recently, in August 2022, I visited India and attended the baptism of the daughter of one of the boys, who grew up in Shelter Don Bosco, and is now an income tax inspector. His determination and positive attitude are great sources of inspiration for me. I also met and visited a lot of other young men who used to live in Shelter Don Bosco and are now following their own paths. Each story is another big source of motivation on its own. It fills me with joy and humility to see the big and small successes they have been able to celebrate in recent years. I see them working in large and small companies, in social work, as fitness trainers and sport-coaches, on cruise ships, in the IT sector, in the field of event management, in hotel management, in the field of filmmaking, engineering, mechanics, in the tourism-sector or as personal assistants and much more – a lot of them taking care of their own families by now.
In those three weeks I spent in India this year, I also had the opportunity not to only visit Shelter Don Bosco in Mumbai but also the shelter homes of Don Bosco in Baroda, Goa, and Nashik. The encounters with these former ‘Shelter boys’ and with the boys and Salesians in the shelter homes now have given me a lot to take back home to Germany – also in matters of faith and belief.
After my return from India in 2007, I first studied philosophy and theology in Germany and Jerusalem, and am now leading a project in an NGO that works for educational equality in Germany. My faith does not officially matter at work. Even if I continue to describe myself as a believer, the situation of the church worldwide and especially in Germany repeatedly pushes me to my limits. Not infrequently in recent years have I toyed with the idea of leaving the church. In the meantime, less than 50% of the people in Germany are Christians, and the majority describe themselves as non-denominational or atheists. It is difficult for me to live my faith in this environment and against the background of the many misconducts of the church as an institution.
My three weeks visiting Don Bosco and the homes of the ex-boys filled me with hope and I was able to replenish my energy stores. Seeing how the boys are living their lives with positivity, and how the Salesians of Don Bosco devote themselves completely to the lives of young people at risk and help shape small and large success stories, is a great source of energy and motivation for me. I returned home full of gratitude. This gratitude and hope will accompany me back in my work and my daily life – because I got the chance to witness a little bit of the kingdom of God on earth.
