Empowering Stories
I was able to forge my own path.
Story of Vadim Markov
2014. Joining VitaTiim was a leap of trust for me. Although, if you look at it in general, for many people it may not seem so. I participated in a project writing course and for me, as a very shy person it was hard. Often in a course like this, where you had to communicate and share your ideas, it was quite difficult but it had a big impact on how my life turned out later. Firstly, 7 years have already passed and I am still here, now I also work. VitaTiim has had a big impact on the way I look at things and how much I understand myself through all the projects and programs I've been involved in here. I was able to forge my own path. And if at the beginning it seemed to me that I was leaving some of my desires; because it was connected with youth activities, with training and education, but I was always more interested in art, creativity; and it seemed to me that somewhere I took a wrong turn. In many ways my decision to go to study art at the university was very closely connected with VitaTiim, and VitaTiim also played a big role in my enrollment.
I always had a desire to do just something more than I did before. And at the age of 14, I had the realization that timidity is a factor that prevents me from doing many things and that it is worth overcoming. To do this, I began to participate in projects and tried to say "yes" to the various opportunities that appeared before me. My goal had become to bring some kind of contribution to society, which I can do through volunteer work, through various projects.

Even now, I constantly have new goals and desires and my personal development continues, the circuit of changes continues to take place. After I took this project writing course, it was important for me to be part of the organization in some way. And we formed a group of young people in VitaTiim, which was engaged in various events and useful activities,that was the next step. Then we wrote an international initiative, within the framework of which we also created various cultural events, but already at the city level and together with partners from Latvia. Following this initiative a completely different challenge came, we decided to create Narvamus in 2019.A completely different skill set that was needed for that project, and a different level of work, because I had never created a magazine before, and had never done design. I had to go along this path and learn everything about the process, we learned by doing.

My life has changed for the better. I can't imagine how it could look different now. It has changed in the direction that I once wanted, and I definitely fulfilled some of the desires that I made back in 2014. But there have also been many changes in the way I think and, in my desires, over time this has been a real learning process for me.

It is important to say that at some point it was my overriding purpose to get rid of shyness, and along the way, of course, the goals have been changed. I came to the realization that shyness is a part of me and perhaps I will never get rid of it. And also, that it doesn't interfere so much, it's part of my character and how I behave surrounded by people who, in any case, will stay with me. And even now, looking at the team and my friends, I'm probably less social and more calm in larger crowds. The most important realization has been that goals can also change, and if at first I want one, another path may appear on the way that looks more attractive, and that you should not blame yourself for turning off the path just because it just changed.

Through my experience, I realized that the most important thing is to always be yourself and allow yourself to be who you are, and also not to judge yourself for the fact that you do not like some aspect or trait of your character. Just being is even more important. The fact that you are here happened and sometimes you can be in the right place and at the right time.
Interviewer: Polina Bargan