Our Force for Good series meets you with the people at VMware passionate about volunteering. They share the lessons learned in the process and the special moments they cherish from their volunteering journey. This week – meet Miroslav Shtarbev.
Tell us about the Service Learning you were recently involved in.
In the past 4 years, I’ve been actively involved in organizing and running a summer camp for programming and cloud technologies for children ages 12 to 18. The camp lasts 5 days and is held at the Minu Balkanski Foundation school in the village of Oryahovitsa. This year, four of us organized the camp – Todor Spasov, a colleague from VMware, and Gergana Karadzhova, who came from Cisco in Switzerland (Geri is an ex-colleague from VMware but is still very passionate about the summer camp). Dimitar Topalov, who has been volunteering for this initiative for the past 4 years, and myself.
The curriculum is split into two – programming skills and practical knowledge. The children acquire basic programming skills and learn about the technologies we use.
The primary aim is to make programming and IT accessible and exciting. Programming can be challenging and daunting since most of the information is in English. To make matters worse, especially in the field of cloud technologies, there is so much terminology that most children find it almost impossible to understand the concepts if they go at it alone.
I chose to be part of the group that organizes the summer camp because I have gone through the experience of trying to learn to program on my own. I know just how hard it can be. Over a decade and a half ago, when I started, there were very limited resources available. Now, there are so many online tutorials and courses that it is difficult for children to figure out where to start. Worse, they have very limited access, if any, to IT folks they can talk to about what interests them and receive guidance. In fact, many kids have shared they had started and given up on programming multiple times. I was glad to hear that some of them decided to stick with it after our short time together during the summer camp.
How did you start and why?
The summer camp was the first volunteering effort I had ever taken part in. I had been with VMware for about 2 years, having started as an intern, and I had learned that many colleagues were already volunteering in various initiatives. One of those colleagues was part of my team at the time and told me about the summer camp. He himself had been part of it for several years.
I pointed out that I started as an intern because the internship introduced me to 2 mentors and so many colleagues that imparted knowledge to me. Being able to receive guidance was instrumental in my own personal development. That is why I felt that I wanted to provide the same experience to others as well. So, when I heard about the summer camp – I volunteered to be part of it on the spot.
What is volunteering for you? What motivates you to do this?
At first, volunteering for the summer camp was frightening. I was worried about letting the rest of the team and the children down. What if I was not good with children or good at teaching? However, having worked with amazing people over the years, I could break out of my shell.
What is more, teaching became only a part of the whole story – being able to connect with the children, listening to them, and spending time with them is the most crucial aspect. I noticed that many of them lack the opportunity to connect with someone who will listen to them, not just demand from them (as schools traditionally do).
Presently, to me, volunteering for the summer camp is about both imparting knowledge and connecting. Seeing how children open up and fully experience the 5 days we have together is the motivation that keeps me coming back every year.
How do you find time for volunteering?
To me, volunteering requires making it a priority. Preparations for the summer camp start months in advance. We went over the feedback we got from the children after the last summer camp. We then carefully curate the subject matter. To be able to complete the preparations for the initiative, I dedicate time to it on a weekly basis.
What did you learn about yourself while helping the causes?
I discovered that I really enjoy mentoring. This requires that I focus more on connecting and empathizing, on understanding where someone struggles and finding the right words to explain complex topics.
I would also extend the question – what did the children make me rediscover? I saw the children’s enthusiasm for programming and technologies during the summer camp. I cannot help but remember the times when they would burst with excitement when they created a program or when something we spoke about during the day made them go and read up on it. Now, when I go to work, I remind myself of those moments. It makes me rediscover my passion for IT, making my work more invigorating and exciting, despite all the challenges.
As a VMware employee, how does our culture of service impact you?
VMware supports volunteering initiatives wholeheartedly. Volunteering can be done during the work week. For example, over the past several years, my manager has always made it possible for me to participate in the summer camp during working hours. This makes volunteering much more accessible and empowers me to participate in volunteering activities.
In addition, volunteering hours are tracked at VMware. For example, when 40 hours of service learning are reached, VMware issues a monetary grant to a nonprofit of its choosing. This makes volunteering multifaceted – not only do we devote our own time and efforts as part of an initiative, but we can also financially support external organizations.
Tell us about the people you met on this journey.
I had the pleasure of working with a great team of dedicated people who love teaching children. I also had the absolute pleasure of meeting the teaching staff at the Minu Balkasnki Foundation school, which made it possible for us to create the environment needed for the summer camp to be successful. Lastly, I got the chance to meet exceptional children, who are the primary reason we organize the summer camp every year.
What would you say to someone who has never been a volunteer, would like to become one, but doesn’t know where to start from?
Even the seemingly simplest efforts can greatly impact the community you are trying to help. That is why you should try to find an initiative that resonates with you and your values. What is more – there are a lot of opportunities to volunteer. Try different activities and be active with those who feel you are making a positive difference.
