Mid-point of the project

The mid-term of your volunteering experience is an important moment to pause and look at how far you’ve come. By now, you have settled into your environment, faced challenges, learned from mistakes, contributed to the project and community, and discovered new things about yourself. This phase invites you to take a step back and notice the changes that may have taken place in your behaviour, attitudes, competences, and sense of contribution. It’s an opportunity to recognise your growth, reflect on your impact, and understand what still needs attention in the second half of your project.

Use the guiding questions below to explore this moment of your journey. They are here to help you observe what has shifted within you and make sense of your development so far.

  • How have I changed since I arrived?
  • Can I observe changes in my behaviour?
  • How have I surprised myself? What have I confirmed about myself?
  • How do my current experiences compare to the expectations I had before arriving?
  • How do I feel I am contributing so far? Where do I see my contribution? How can I contribute more?
  • What progress have I made toward my initial goals? What new goals or directions feel important now?
  • What values or customs in the host culture do I admire? What can I not get used to?
  • What’s one concrete example of a challenge I handled well?
  • What feedback have I received, and how have I applied it?

You may answer these questions in your own way and follow the memories, examples, or insights that arise. If a topic feels important or you want to explore your growth more deeply, you can choose one of the suggested methods below.

Ask yourself “What do I need right now?” and choose a method if you want to explore deeper:

Purpose Method You will need:
To notice how I’ve changed Wait... That's Me? or or 
To understand my competence growth Competence Wheel or 

Reflecting at this point helps you recognise the progress you’ve made and gives you direction for how you want to continue growing in the second half of your project.