BLV reflection Anush Papazyan

I am Anush Papazyan. Originally, I am from Armenia, a small mountainous country, but at present, I live in Germany. I am conducting my second Master’s degree in Analysis and Design of Social Protection Systems. My academic specialisation is Vulnerability, which includes the study of gender, child protection, social protection and inclusion, poverty and vulnerability analysis and targeting methods. 

I am fond of reading and learning as it broadens my horizons in life. Moreover, I have a wide range of interests including travelling, animals, arts, books, learning new languages, fitness, and the environment. I also have an eco-friendly lifestyle.

I have had good experiences with non-profit organizations, specifically with raising awareness, violence prevention, social inclusion and social responsibility education of different disadvantaged groups. I volunteer regularly as I love to invest my time, skills, and passions in driving the change for a better future. I had the opportunity to volunteer with the Better Life Vietnam (BLV) NGO through the UN online volunteering service. As a member of the Social media marketing team, I was mainly responsible for the promotion of the organisation’s values and mission by using social media tools. Social media marketing was something new to me but I soaked it all in.

Of course, there were challenges but my last months with Better Life Vietnam have been enriching and valuable in the development of my career, lifestyle and personality.

Thanks to volunteer work at the Vietnamese social enterprise, I honed my skills of working in the digital world. In addition, I improved my abilities regarding the accessing, organizing and presenting of information. It was great to learn how to target social media to reach those who matter most for empowering the organization. Furthermore, I greatly improved my self-management skills. 

Working remotely is more flexible and comfortable but it comes with certain challenges. Missing out on interactions in the workplace was the biggest challenge. When working remotely sometimes I didn’t know what my team members were working on.  Initially, it was stressful for me to adapt, because I thrive off positive interactions with my colleagues and frequent communication makes me feel good and improves my work productivity. To combat this, I started to contact my teammates frequently, asking to be informed on what achievements, feelings and challenges they had. This helped me to overcome my feelings of isolation and loneliness.

All in all, volunteering at Better Life Vietnam was rewarding. I explored new opportunities and faced new challenges, requiring prompt and creative solutions. In addition, I discovered new cultures and traditions, built an intercultural and international network of friendship. I am glad I volunteered with BLV and contributed towards their global development goals.