„An enriching experience that I have grown from“

‘The needs of other people have always been important to me and I enjoy helping. So the decision to study Social Work was just right for me,’ says Julia Zielinski. She immediately felt at home at the HAWK. ‘The exchange with like-minded people gave me the feeling that I had arrived.’ She decided early on that she wanted to go abroad during her studies. However, not everything went smoothly with the organisation: ‘I actually wanted to go to an institution in Portugal, but I was turned down at short notice. The fact that the opportunity to go to Croatia arose spontaneously was a stroke of luck for me. The HAWK International Office gave me great support. I also always received encouragement from the study programme.’

Internship in a girls' home for traumatised young people
Suzana Vargovic, the director of the Breza organisation, welcomed her with open arms and immediately made her feel at ease. The association runs several residential units for young people with traumatising experiences, mainly girls who have difficulties coping with everyday life. By living together in the dormitory and taking responsibility for the household, vegetable garden and animals, the aim is to enable the young people to lead an independent and regular life. ‘The cases are very different,’ explains Julia Zielinski. ‘There are girls with aggression problems, addictive behaviour and those who have experienced domestic violence. These are very individual stories.’

Financial support through Erasmus+
Up to 5 teenage girls aged between 12 and 16 live in the house that the student from Germany helped to care for. She herself was accommodated in an empty flat belonging to the organisation at the time. This made a lot of things easier, both organisationally and financially. She also received some of her meals from her internship organisation. Thanks to the Erasmus+ funding, the other financial burden was also limited. ‘In addition to a one-off grant, I also received monthly allowances,’ reports Julia Zielinski. First-year students like her still received special support. ‘I have used almost none of my own money.’ In addition to Erasmus+, there are other funding programmes such as BAföG abroad, the PROMOS programme and scholarships. At the HAWK, the Kemper Foundation for Real Estate Teaching and Research also supports stays abroad.

The start of the internship was intense: Julia Zielinski had to find a way of dealing with the girls' acute problems and crises, both personally and within the group. However, her first two years of study had already taught her a lot of tools that she was able to apply during her two-month internship, such as how to reflect professionally on difficult situations. ‘I'm good at differentiating between the personal and work level. Discussions with other employees help - as does time for myself to go through certain situations again.’

Supporting everyday life and own projects
Such reflective discussions were also part of the work with the young people. Julia Zielinski also accompanied everyday life in the residential home. For example, she supervised the housekeeping and improved it if necessary. She also went to the vegetable garden with the girls. ‘The physical work provides an outlet for aggression and helps to relieve frustration. In addition, the young people literally reap the fruits of their labour, which creates experiences of success and thus satisfaction.’
The biggest challenge was gaining respect because of her age. ‘At first, the girls didn't see me as a co-worker, but as an ally,’ reports the 21-year-old. ‘That's why it was difficult to be consistent when it came to misbehaviour.’ Gradually, however, the student managed to build up a trusting but professional relationship with the young people and realised her own projects with them. Language also sometimes led to communication difficulties. To avoid misunderstandings as far as possible, there were interpreters; otherwise, everyone involved spoke English.

Highlights: Trip to the beach and festival workshops
One of 2 highlights was a trip to the beach that lasted a week. The group shared emotional moments in conversations about private problems. ‘I felt that they accepted and trusted me. That was nice.’ The second highlight was taking part in a week-long festival that offered various workshops. Julia Zielinski was responsible for applying henna tattoos, combined with an exhibition at the end of the festival.
It was difficult for her to say goodbye. ‘It was an enriching experience that helped me grow - both professionally and personally,’ summarises the student. ‘The exchange with a different culture, its approaches and methods of social work showed me new perspectives.’
She recommends other students who would also like to go abroad to approach the relevant administrative and teaching staff without hesitation, enquire about support and ideally plan several months in advance. ‘I submitted the documents two months before the internship started. That was quite tight. But it's possible and shouldn't put anyone off organising at short notice. It's worth it.’

Contact with the International Office
At the HAWK, the International Office answers questions and offers counselling on the topic of studying abroad. Karen Büttner is the contact person at the Holzminden campus. She can be reached at the e-mail address karen.buettner@hawk.de. All contact persons can also be found on the contact website of the International Office.