Turks Without Borders: A Volunteering Experience

I usually write about data science in my blogs, whether that's recent projects I've been working on, goals I've been attempting to reach, or facts I've learned along the way. Today, however, I want to share something a bit different.

Throughout this year, I've been volunteering online every week for "Turks Without Borders," an organization that works to accelerate the English-learning process of students in Turkiye by connecting them directly to American students. Each week, for an hour, our larger group of students comes together on Zoom with a list of questions to facilitate conversation. We are each assigned a partner––which, in my case, is a student living in Turkiye––and are given time to speak with one other.

I was very excited to join this organization, given my Turkish background and understanding of the struggles that come with learning either language. Even so, during my first couple weeks of volunteering with Turks Without Borders, the interactions sometimes felt a bit awkward. My partners were almost always a bit younger than me, and at times, conversations felt a bit more back-and-forth than real. I had no idea that after just a few weeks, I would speak to the Turkish students like I would any close friend.

Over time, the students developed more confidence in their English, attempting to convey longer stories or even try out American slang. Speaking with them became more than just answering prompts. In fact, it became straying from the prompts entirely, laughing about personal experiences and even sparking debates. Everyone became more comfortable––not just with conversing and asking questions, but even turning on Zoom cameras.

Through this simple organization––which I at first believed was simply having conversations with students across the globe––I have made real friends, grown deeper connections with my own culture, and taken pride at sharing my own language with learners.

I urge everyone to separate just a bit of time each week (I promise it's possible) for volunteer work. The wholesome feeling that comes from unpaid, genuine interaction is like nothing else.