Short Term Volunteer Projects in Germany (1-13 Weeks)

My time at the Excellence Center was short but sweet. At first I was very nervous about teaching English and learning German but as the days went by and I got to know people at the Center, I felt more comfortable and confident.
It was fun and rewarding teaching my students English and helping them understand certain topics. They were of different ages and backgrounds so I wanted to tailor my classes in a way that would relate to them individually. It was nice getting to know them and I'm glad that they kept coming back!
My German classes were also great! I felt way more confident with German by the time I left. As others have said, Muaz is an excellent teacher (vielen dank Muaz!)
Overall I had a very memorable experience. Halle has many beautiful buildings and cool people, and I would recommend this city to anyone that wants to visit somewhere more laid back in Germany. Big thanks to Rafat, Elisa, Danny, Radwan, Muaz, Ali, Steve and my students for the experience!

Over the last 3 weeks, I have not only gained a wealth of useful experience at the Excellence Centre but I have made several lifelong friends. All of the staff at the centre were incredibly welcoming, easy to talk to and made daily life at the centre more rewarding. Rafat and Radwan are both always around to help answer any questions or solve any problems. Both Ali and Muaz keep the centre extremely lively during the day and gave us cool ideas for what to do and where to go in the city.

The Excellence Centre has helped me to drastically improve my Arabic level, going from a beginner to having a solid understanding of the foundations of the language in roughly 2 weeks. My Arabic lessons with Abeer were extremely useful and productive and I am really grateful for her help during my time here.

The Excellence Centre provides you with the opportunity to truly improve your understanding of teaching methods. Learning how to engage with students, particularly from refugee backgrounds, is extremely fulfilling and provides you with a challenge to engage and better understand different cultures.

In regards to the social aspect of the Excellence Centre, it was easy to get to know the volunteers, and we all clicked very quickly.

I would highly recommend this experience to anyone who desires a challenge, but also would like the comfort of knowing that you are in excellent hands with the staff here in Halle.

My experience in the Excellent Centre will be unforgettable. I went here to get to know new people and their culture, and this place met my expectation. Even though I was a teacher during our English classes, I feel that I was the one who learnt a lot from my students and their life experiences. Also, all people working in the Center and volunteers were friendly and easy to talk to. I would recommend Muaz as a German teacher to everyone.
I need to admit that at the beginning I didn't get all information about my accommodation and schedule until the last moment, and that make me feel anxious. Fortunately, during my stay, I didn't have any bad experiences and I lived with the best roommates for a month in Halle.
I can recommend this programme.

I taught English for 8 weeks, and it was truly a great experience. Rafat, Ali, and Radwan were very easy to work with and I had a lot of time in the classroom. I made plenty of friends, both other interns and (thanks to Ali) other Germans and immigrants living in Germany. Halle was a great city as well. It's small and not many people know about it so you actually get the chance to use either German or Arabic rather than English, and there are tons of parks and great spots to eat. My living arrangements were great as well -- I was in a nice student apartment with two German university students. Can't recommend enough.

I have enjoyed my two-week volunteering experience at the Excellence Centre in Halle.
It feels rewarding to be able to support some refugee children in their learning of English. In the first week, I was teaching with another volunteer. We were able to prepare teaching materials together. It is also helped by the fact that the Excellence Centre has classrooms and teaching facilities.
Apart from the teaching, I took German classes as well which I find very helpful. My teacher Muaz taught very well.
Another aspect which I liked a lot is the inter-cultural exchange between the volunteers. There is a communal breakfast every morning in the week at the centre, which helped us get to know each other very quickly. I think we have all enjoyed hanging out together and getting to know each other’s cultures.
Overall, I had a great experience at the Excellence Centre.

I had a wonderful time at the ECEurope and would really recommend the experience!
Teaching English to refugee students has been very rewarding, especially watching them grow more confident and talkative even over the course of just a few lessons together. I also learnt so much and gained confidence, both from the teaching process and learning German myself, through lessons provided by the centre. It was also an absolute pleasure getting to meet and know the other ECE volunteers and staff, I can't imagine a friendlier group of people! Its a special experience to meet strangers from around the world and in less than 48hours feel like old friends - and the activities run by the ECE (from classes, to breakfast and football to a city tour) definitely helped cement this feeling. Overall I had a great time there and would recommend volunteering and learning at the centre to anyone.

My name is Tamara. I am passionate about languages, with a French mother, Arabic father and a love for the German language. I taught two young Iraqi boys: 9 year old Hamza and 11 year old Osama German in Merseburg. With the help of Salma who is a marvelous teacher, I really improved my reading and writing in classical Arabic. I had the most wonderful time- it was so fulfilling and the Excellence Centre community is so warm and welcoming that I truly felt as if I were part of a big wonderful family during the month of July. Rafaat has really succeeded in creating a tight-knit community, organizing evening events with effective ice breakers and even cooking his delicious specialities for us. I met the most remarkable people with incredibly touching stories and always looked forward to our morning gatherings at breakfast and Wednesday football matches. The Excellence Centre is truly an amazing place to be in. I would certainly recommend it to others and I know I will be returning next summer!

Introduction
My name is Reuben, a 17-year old student from just outside London, England. Having studied languages at school for many years, I decided to visit Germany in order to practice my skills in a real-life setting. Volunteering at the Excellence Centre looked like the perfect opportunity to study German and explore Germany, whilst being able to give something back to local communities.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the centre, as the people provided an excellent atmosphere, the German classes were engaging, and I had a chance to try my hand as an English teacher. Through the centre I met people not only from different countries, but from entirely different cultures and backgrounds. Everyone had a story to share - which we did over communal breakfasts and trips to town. I’d thoroughly recommend spending a few weeks at the centre (I came for two weeks but now wish I did longer!). Use your weekends wisely - there’s so much to explore in the local area (such as going to the Harz region or visiting a city like Leipzig/Nuremberg/Dresden), but also great chances to socialise with your fellow volunteers. I can’t wait to have great experiences like this again in the future, and I’ll miss the people I met on this little adventure!