The EYOF 2022 volunteer team with help with international experience

The volunteers will also be a part of the European Youth Olympic Festival in Banská Bystrica (24 – 30 July 2022). They will not only come to this multi-sport event from the host country but also from abroad. Marie Lou Noirot is one of them. The 24-year-old French woman has worked her way up as a volunteer to the organising committees of major sporting events. Noriot will appear at the EYOF in Banská Bystrica, where she will have a rich scope of activities. “I am an intern at the volunteer department at EYOF 2022, but I also work in the accreditation and registration section. I currently have three different roles. I manage the registration of foreign volunteers; prepare recruitments and interviews with the volunteer department. I will take part in the three departments during the event,” said Noirot, who needed to find a six-month internship abroad for her master’s degree. 

The situation developed in such a way that the connection with the Banská Bystrica event was born. “I chose between international sports events related to the Olympics or major sporting events in individual sports. Due to the pandemic and the associated travel restrictions, I did not have the opportunity to travel to other continents where I was originally supposed to go. Therefore, I decided to limit my place of work to Europe. And then I started looking for different opportunities when I came across the EYOF 2022 in Banská Bystrica. From my numerous Olympic and volunteer experiences I know Eva Corticelli, a teacher in Piešťany who is really close to me. She gave me a contact to Julia Jančíková, the head of the volunteer department, so I’m here. And why Slovakia? I was here at my first international Olympic event in 2015 and I really liked it here. Your country means a lot to me. And I also love mountains, castles and beautiful nature,” revealed a student at the University of Lille, for whom volunteering is an important part of life, because she started when she was just five. Her entire family is keen in volunteering.

The recruitment of volunteers for the EYOF 2022 is still ongoing and each volunteer will gain not only rich work experience but also lifelong friends. This fact is also confirmed by the words of a young French woman. “As I know, volunteering is not part of the local culture in Slovakia. The best way to convince people is to let those who have already had a volunteering experience talk and to show what incredible experiences they will be part of in the summer. Being a volunteer is not just about working for free. It is one of the greatest opportunities in life to improve many things in different spheres. It will help you to be more sociable and make friends for life, it will allow you to spend days with wonderful people who share the same enthusiasm as you. You will also realize that you can be someone important and useful. It will improve your thoughts and outlook on life. From a professional point of view, this is also a great opportunity. It will help you develop many skills, allow you to move in a special environment and work in a team. You will meet a number of people who will share their know-how in the area where you want to improve your professional experience. And the third thing we need to think about. Slovakia is an amazing country with beautiful nature, cities, history and people. If you attend this event, you will be part of something bigger than just a sporting event. Organising the EYOF is a great opportunity for the country and you can be proud to contribute to its success,” Noirot said.