A Look Back at 2022: the Power of Volunteering, Mentoring and Collaboration ??

This frosty Saturday morning, just a few hours before the New Year's Eve, I got to think about what I would like to highlight and share my thoughts about from this year. It has been a year with lots of ups and downs, gains and losses, laughter and tears. It has also been a year filled with insecurity and fear for my family, friends and acquaintances that are located in the war and riot zones in different parts of the world. Some of them had to leave everything and move, some of them chose to stay for different reasons. Realization of how war affects different people, how it destroys innocent lives and how it sheds a totally new light on the mindset of some people has also made me learn the hard way how I should handle this without damaging myself and my near and dear.

That's where stronger focus on both tech and non-tech community involvement came in and became one of the activities that helped me cope with and handle challenges in a healthier way. Community involvement ties closely into the area that I would like to focus on in this New Year's post - volunteering. ??

Every New Year's Eve I love watching the New Year's speech from His Majesty King Harald V of Norway. A speech that He held in 2021 fell deeply into my heart.

One of the things he said which I would like to highlight:

"I 2022 kan vi alle bidra til ? gi frivilligheten et skikkelig l?ft. Jeg vil oppfordre hver og én til ? finne noe som passer for akkurat deg – sm?tt eller stort. Mulighetene er uendelige. Alle har behov for noe eller noen, og alle har noe ? bidra med. Slik skaper vi sterke felleskap – som er v?rt beste vern i m?te med vanskelige tider. Det er en gave vi gir til oss selv – og til hverandre."

In English:

"In 2022, we can all contribute to giving volunteering a real boost. I would like to encourage everyone to find something that is right for you - big or small. The possibilities are endless. Everyone has a need for something or someone, and everyone has something to contribute with. This is how we create strong communities - which are our best protection in the face of difficult times. It is a gift we give to ourselves - and to each other."

Great words of encouragement, which I strongly support! ?? 2022 was the year where I strongly followed King Harald's encouragement and I've got so much good in return. Throughout the year I got to volunteer in the animal shelter, donate to non-profit organizations and volunteer in form of tech community engagements.

Some of the fantastic highlights that resulted from volunteering:

• ?? Animals being rescued and re-united with their families or finding new, loving families;
• ?? Animals getting temporary home, needed medical help and socialization support - being given a second chance and enough time to find a new, loving home which they deserve;
• ?? Refugees getting proper help, support and required supplies that will help them to live through this tough, unstable period in a place far from home;
• ?? Organizing multiple tech meetups through multiple communities with amazing co-organizers, and with positive feedback from the participants;
• ?? Giving a chance and safe arena for inexperienced speakers to start their journey as tech speakers - with success!
• ?? Sharing knowledge, tips and tricks on my tech blog and getting feedback about the content being helpful for others;
• ?? Sharing knowledge by speaking at fantastic events that were arranged by amazing tech communities and people driving those communities;
• ?? Supporting multiple Women In Tech initiatives;
• ?? Helping my amazing, talented friend to get her first job in tech after university and watching her totally ACE it and shine! This lady was affected by multiple recruitment stereotypes like imperfect characters from school, having a gap after studies and last place of work. Once again, I get to see a proof of that characters and formal studies or taking a break from work/studies to take care of your kids or your health, or for whatever other reason DO NOT DEFINE how you will perform at work or what kind of person you are.
• ?? Finally, I've become mentor for the first time and have been mentoring 3 fantastic ladies for the last few months. Each one of the ladies with a different story and each and one of them is so courageous, motivated and achieved so much in such a short time: from getting a new job in tech with relocation, to quitting a non-tech job and starting as a freelance developer in tech, to starting on a journey of breaking into tech and identifying the desired job role to work towards in the coming year. Mentoring has been a very giving experience for me and I'm thankful for being a part of the journey for these inspiring women.

In the year to come I would like to focus further on volunteering, doing what I love, taking care of my mental and physical health, normalizing failures (by accepting them and learning from them, comparing my own progress instead of comparing myself to others), being present and, like one of my friends said: JUST LIVE. ??

Summing it all up, to all of you in my network and outside of my network who stumble upon this post: in the new year I'm wishing you all strong health, peaceful sky above your heads and a safe, stable home to come back to. If you can, do volunteer in the way that you feel most comfortable with. Every contribution counts and has a significant impact in the end. ??

"It is those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world." (quote by Desmond Tutu)

If you need someone to talk to, or if you would like to collaborate on some initiatives like Tech For Good - don't hesitate to reach out! ??

Take care, stay safe and be kind to yourself and to others.??

Happy New Year!??

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