Every volunteering experience leaves something different behind. Some people discover a new country, some build lifelong friendships, and others return home with a completely new perspective. Today we'd like you to meet Mar, a European Solidarity Corps volunteer sent by Fundació Catalunya Voluntària to the Netherlands. For almost a year, Mar volunteered with ASEED, an organisation working for food sovereignty, climate justice and stronger community networks. Here are some reflections from this experience.
“My time at ASEED has been a truly enriching experience.
Life at the office, together with my colleagues, has been full of learning, challenges and meaningful experiences. We usually begin our days with meetings to coordinate our work, organise campaigns and prepare upcoming events.
Much of our work focuses on food sovereignty and on exposing the impact of large agribusiness corporations that degrade soils and push farming communities around the world into debt. Companies such as Yara benefit from a global colonial system that allows them to maintain control over agricultural production.
At the same time, we work to strengthen food autonomy by promoting sustainable farming practices, visiting community gardens and encouraging more people to discover local initiatives in Amsterdam and across the Netherlands.
Being part of ASEED for almost a year has brought many reflections and opportunities into my life. Through this organisation I have connected with people and movements working for climate justice and supporting farming communities.
This experience has given me hope for the future again. Organising alongside people who believe that different systems are possible and who actively work to create the change they want to see in the world fills me with energy and motivation, even in the face of the climate crisis and today's social inequalities.
To me, ASEED is a seed for the futures that are still possible.
I am deeply grateful for my time here. I feel better prepared for the years ahead and for the challenges of the climate emergency. Thanks to this experience, becoming part of a community farming project and contributing to social and food alternatives no longer feels like a distant dream, but a real possibility”.
