‘If not me, then who?’, student volunteer of the year says

Volunteer activity is becoming more and more popular and sought-after in Tatarstan today and the fact that the Volunteer of the Year category was included in one of Tatarstan’s major student awards ceremonies speaks volumes. Enzhe Yagfarova, winner in this very category at the Student of the Year 2015 Awards, sat down to talk about her volunteer journey and about the benefits of being a volunteer.  

Enzhe Yagfarova, a fourth-year student of the Institute of Management, Economics and Finance (Kazan Federal University), has a passion for foreign languages, creative activities and skating. She started her volunteer career as early as in school and shortly after entering university she joined the Kazan Volunteers movement. Since 2013, Enzhe has been enriching her volunteer experience by contributing her efforts at various sporting events, and in 2015 she tried her hand at managing volunteers during the 16th FINA World Championships in Kazan. The best volunteer of the year met with the Press Office of the Directorate for Sports and Social Projects for an exclusive interview.

– Enzhe, how did you begin your volunteer journey?

– Each of us has a role model to follow and for me it was my elder sister, Elvira; she has been volunteering for a rather long time. I saw her bright eyes, I saw how inspired she was, I listened to her stories about the events they hosted and eventually I decided to see for myself what it’s like to be a volunteer. I did volunteer work at school. Together with other boys and girls, I helped promote healthy lifestyles among schoolchildren as part of the republican project, called ‘SaMoStoyatelnye Deti’ (Self-Relient Children). The first event where I volunteered was FISU’s HoD Meeting in the lead-up to 2013 Summer Universiade. After that there was a whole range of events and experience of working at various positions: meet and greet volunteers, attaché, team leader, office volunteer, protocol volunteer, event services volunteer, transport volunteer and many others. The 27th Summer Universiade in Kazan, 2014 World Fencing Championships, 2014 INTERSPORT European Championships, WorldSkills Russia National Competitions in 2014 and 2015, World Judo Championships in Chelyabinsk and an array of other events where I was lucky enough to work. In 2014, the Executive Directorate for Sports Projects named me among best volunteers of the year – I received the coveted palm-shaped trophy and the Volunteer of the Year 2014 Award.  In 2015, at the 16th FINA World Championships and FINA World Masters Championships, I worked as a volunteer manager at the Kazan International Airport. An airport is a place where people work day and night, which is good for me because I hate being idle and doing nothing. Volunteers are the first people whom athletes, team officials and visitors see when they enter the passenger arrival hall. It is in our hands to make sure that they stay in a good mood from the moment they land in our city and till the moment they take plane home. 

– How did you prepare your portfolio for the 2015 Student of the Year Awards? How did you benefit from participating in the contest and from winning the main trophy?

– To be honest, I’ve completed my portfolio very close to the deadline. I remember clearly the day when I took my submission documents to the Students’ League office: there was a blizzard, and I was afraid I won’t be able to make it to the destination. At the very beginning, when I had nothing but an empty sheet of paper lying in front of me, I simply fished out all my accreditation badges, opened a folder with photos on my PC and started browsing the events I volunteered at, then bam - the inspiration hit me like a brick. I did my best to thoroughly describe each event and not to miss anything, at the same time trying to create compelling story. The participation in the contest helped me to analyse my volunteer journey and to figure out what has been achieved and what is to be done yet. My victory helped me to come to the conclusion that everything volunteers do is helpful and important for the society and it gave me more courage and motivation. In 2016, I am about to face a new challenge – I’m going to represent Tatarstan at the All-Russian Student of the Year Awards.

– What is your recipe for success? How do you find time to combine your social life, volunteering and studies?

– If a person is willing, there will always be time. Isn’t it great when you have a busy schedule, do your job, take time off and are back to work again? You look back, take pride in what you do and are ready to reach new heights. By doing so, I can learn what I am capable of and can investigate all my possibilities. My motto is ‘If not me, then who?’. I think that most volunteers will agree with me on this. I remember a Soviet animated cartoon where one of the characters, a red cat named Vaska, got stuck on a roof but kept saying, ‘There is always a way out of any situation’. And this saying proved right many times in my life. Only when we get out of our comfort zone, we start to progress and improve our skills. And I also feel my relatives and family’s strong support. When volunteering pays off through experience or development of personal qualities – it’s always our common victory.

– Quite often those young people who have no volunteer experience are doubtful whether they should try volunteering or not. What advice would you give them to overcome their doubt?

– There should be no room for doubt! Try your hand in various areas and positions until you find something you like best. Even if you feel doubtful – try all the same! It doesn’t matter whether it’s a major event or a small one – you will have lively recollections anyway. At the beginning of my volunteer career the most vivid recollection for me was the atmosphere of friendliness and support that reigned among volunteers and in the volunteer movement as a whole. Just have a go! Volunteering is addictive in a good sense; it offers massive opportunities, teaches us and helps us to evolve.