Hi! My name is Torben, I'm from Germany, and I'm currently living and volunteering in Rzeszów, Poland. As part of my ESC volunteering placement at INPRO, one of my main responsibilities is conducting school visits at schools in and around Rzeszów. Let me tell you what that actually looks like.
The goal is simple but meaningful: to foster cultural exchange and broaden young people's horizons, helping them better understand the diverse world they live in. As globalisation, social media, and international politics continue to bring cultures closer together, exposure to different perspectives is greater than ever. And yet, stereotypes and prejudices still persist.
That's what we're here to challenge. Through our visits, we hope to build understanding and empathy in young people, support their personal growth, and contribute, in a small but genuine way, to a more open and united Europe.
Early in the morning, our team, usually three volunteers, leaves our shared apartment and heads to the school. Sometimes it's a short walk, sometimes it involves navigating Polish public transport as a group of foreigners, which is always an adventure in itself. Either way, arriving on time is the priority.
Once we're there, we deliver several sessions back to back, each one lasting the length of a standard class period. Most of our presentations are about our home countries, but we also run workshops on cultural topics and practical skills. Some days we work with the same class across multiple sessions; other days the groups change every hour. There are days when each of us has a full schedule with no breaks, and days when we have just one session and spend the rest waiting for our turn.
Honestly, some of the trickiest moments happen before we even get to school. Navigating public transport in a foreign city, in a language none of us speak fluently, is its own challenge. So far we've managed to arrive on time every single day, and we very much plan to keep that streak going.
Inside the school, the biggest hurdle is getting students to open up. Polish teenagers can be quite shy at first, so we've learned to kick things off with quick energisers and to keep our presentations interactive, asking open questions and creating space for everyone to participate.
And then there's the voice situation. Delivering up to six presentations in a row without a break does things to your throat. After just a few school visits, I have gained a completely new level of respect for teachers who do this every single day.
Despite all of the above, none of these challenges are deal-breakers. If anything, they make the work more interesting. A perfectly smooth day every day would get boring fast.
The best part of school visits is the students themselves. Working with young people is genuinely rewarding in a way that's hard to explain until you experience it. They bring energy, curiosity, and unexpected perspectives. After almost every session, I walk away having learned something new myself.
Seeing the look on a student's face when something clicks, or when they suddenly feel confident enough to answer in English, makes every early morning and every strained voice completely worth it.
If you're a teacher and you'd like to host us at your school, we'd love to hear from you!