Ever wondered who are the folks visiting hospitals, mentoring youth at risk or staffing the C4C office? Look no further and find out here! We kicked off this series of interviews by first quizzing founder Manfred Franke (click here), his wife Marketa (click here), co-founder Rafal Wojas (click here) and in today´s segment you´ll get to know C4C´s core team member, Petra Erguvanli!
Down the line, find out what makes the members of our Dr. Klaun team tick and why our teachers, mentors and psychologists dedicate their time to helping young people in children´s homes succeed in life and in the job market. Why do they even care?
All this and more is coming your way in the coming months – so, stay tuned for more!
Interview with Petra Erguvanli, C4C project manager Springboard to Life & Robin Hood
Petra, tell us, where are you from and where have you lived?
I was born in Kladno, in a little hamlet called Malé Pritočno. Until, the age of 18, I lived a happy, quiet, and sheltered life. At the age of 18, I decided to do something different and headed to Scotland to explore new adventures and learn English. It was a hard start to my adult life: working at a freezing factory, being a foreigner with no English, and topped off with the beautiful weather of Scotland. That part of my life was bound to be short.
In a few months, I found a way out and moved to England. This was an exciting and fun period of my life as I met all sorts of people from all around the world and made great friends that are still lasting. I worked in different jobs, from sales advisor to holistic massage therapist. This was also a time when I met my husband. Now looking back, that was 16 years ago.
My husband and I continued living in England for another seven years until we decided to move to the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic has been a good choice for us to start a family and grow our roots. Shortly after we moved here, I was fortunate to meet my other family – C4C.
Concerning C4C: What is your job?
I have been helping C4C for over seven years, running two projects, Robin Hood and Springboard to Life.
The Robin Hood program provides humanitarian aid to children in need and sometimes to our „older children“ (seniors) too. My responsibility is to manage the aid that is received in our depot and make sure the distribution runs smoothly.
The Springboard to Life (STL) project is the one closest to my heart. The idea behind STL is to give children from orphanages a chance in life with the aim of a smooth transition into society. We run many different courses and workshops to educate youngsters. In addition to that, we run mentoring programs, help children find summer jobs or take them traveling, using the EU’s Erasmus program as a vehicle. I’m the person who organizes all that by working closely with orphanages, kids, teachers, mentors, and Markéta, our office manager.
Tell us a story about your job – there must be a lot of them.
During my time with C4C, my family and I have gotten very close to some of the kids we work with. One of the boys we met has virtually become part of our family. Many other kids have been in close contact with me since the beginning of my involvement with C4C.
Also, the relationships that I have with teachers, mentors, and directors are very special and precious to me.
When I started this job, my first son was one year old. When I got pregnant with my second son, I wanted to leave work and focus on being a full-time mother. But being so deeply involved in all of C4C‘s projects, my heart didn’t let me leave. I think this tells a lot about my commitment to the cause that C4C stands for.
Why are you with C4C?
I am with C4C because I like to be useful. Since I was a child I felt an irresistable urge for justice. That was a big argument that I had with my father. He kept saying that there is no justice in life, and to get used to it. For all I know he might have been right, as I’m beginning to see his point, but then – there is Karma! Things we do will ultimately catch up with us.
Most of the people, I collaborate with are on the same page as me, and it feels assuring. At times, I can’t believe how much good we can do with a relatively small team. I feel, that our common value of helping one another makes us bond more strongly.
Do you have any goals in life?
To raise my boys into good, reliable, thoughtful, and content human beings. I would like to lead a life where I can remove myself from the scaremongery that seems to invade us and always appreciate all the greatness around me.
Do you have regrets?
As I am getting older, I try to learn from my mistakes rather than dwelling on them as regrets. It took me some time, but I got there.
Do you practice sports?
I have practiced yoga almost daily since I was 20, but I’m also finding out that going to the gym is great, for building strength. My friends have recently pushed me out of my comfort zone, by signing me up for a 10k run. Running is something that I need to conquer, but still not sure if I can make it. So wish me luck.
What are your interests?
I love to travel. I have been traveling since I was 18. I was very fortunate to be able to visit many beautiful places and met many wonderful people.
I also love movies, mainly comedies. Recently I got into historical documentaries. Music is also part of my daily life, as is dancing and singing in the car. If I don’t do any of that, that means, that I am not feeling well.
I’m also very much into cooking and trying out different things. I was vegan for five years while we were living in the UK. After, moving to the Czech Republic, I found it hard to sustain this lifestyle, and somewhat had to adapt to the beer and sausage culture so prevalent here… 😉
My favorite foods are Turkish artichokes and olives. I am hoping that this year, I will visit the Artichoke Festival in Urla, Turkey.
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If you have any comments or questions for Petra, you can write her here: p.erguvanli@c4c.cz
