When did you start your adventure with volunteering?

It was during UEFA EURO 2008. I was a UEFA volunteer at the Klagenfurt stadium where the Polish team played group-stage matches. It was there I really perceived the meaning of sports volunteering, I saw the possibilities and experience it offers, the vast number of people from all over the world you can meet.

Did you undertake any forms of volunteering apart from the sports one?

Frankly, I first got in touch with volunteering when I was at Liceum [high school]. We visited kids in orphanage and helped them learn for school and we played with them, too. It was nice to feel the kids enjoyed my company but soon I got involved emotionally so much I had to quit that sort of volunteering. Thus I find sports volunteering best for me. I link my passion, that is sport, with actions popularizing volunteering.

Which volunteering undertaking do you remember best? Did any of them bring you extraordinary emotions? Or rooted deeply in your memory?

It’s hard to choose a particular one. Each was exceptional in many ways. I have got lots of friends and ample experience thanks to them all.

What character traits does volunteering develop? What does it teach you?

Volunteering does teach a lot. Above all, it lets you participate in great events and allows you to act as an organizer or a host. As a result, we can see the structure of a given enterprise in operation, we can learn how it works and, what is most significant, we have lots of fun. Volunteering helps us open to people of all ages and cultures. It provides an opportunity to spend time actively and gain precious experience at the same time. It teaches us responsibility for the decisions we make. When you are a volunteer you know that a lot of people are counting on you.

How did volunteering help you find a job? Was it a valuable experience?

I do understand that I owe my present position entirely to volunteering. After my return from Klagenfurt I told myself I would like to implement sports volunteering in Poland as it yet showed incipient here, and it was a splendid idea for people of all ages. Thus, I started to look for volunteering offers, knowing it would one day pay back. I was right. Last year I worked as a volunteer coordinator at a three-week sporting event in Wrocław. I continued to work as a volunteer afterwards and this year I started to work in Wrocław EURO 2012 Office,  in the very volunteering department, owing to which I know what it means to be a volunteer, what requirements there are, what to change or improve. My job is getting easier thanks to all these things. I like what I’m doing and I hope we will use the opportunity of EURO2012 to show people it is worth becoming a volunteer.

Finally, could you give a piece of advice to people hesitating whether to undertake volunteering?

Volunteering is a time for us all. It is the best time to invest in ourselves, gain experience, become active and meet other people. We offer our work and time but we receive much more in return. Everybody can try it and get involved. They won’t loose a thing but will understand what I mean.

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Anna Mróz  - is working at EURO2012 Office of the municipality of Wrocław. Formerly a volunteer at numerous sports events:
UEFA EURO 2008™ in Klagenfurt – Protocol
Euro Basket 2009 – Polish team carer
Draw One UEFA EURO 2012™ - Volunteer Management
EURO 2012 Polska in Warszawa – practice in the department of volunteering
World Cup Trampoline - Wrocław 2010 – volunteer coordinator
Światowe Igrzyska Grup Wiekowych [World Age Group Games] – volunteer coordinator
Acrobatics World Cup – volunteer coordinator
Breaking Guinness Record in Basketball Dribbling – Euro Basket promotion event
Laying the Foundation Stone at the Wrocław Stadium
Michel Platini’s visit to Wrocław
Harlem Globetrotters Poland Tour 2010
500 days to Euro 2012 Gala
Euro 2012 Office of the Wrocław municipality – expert on the promotion and volunteers’ enrollment.