Sometimes a smile is all it takes to open a door: Younes Essaboni, a student and volunteer at the terre des hommes schweiz information booths, explains how he not only provides information about projects but has also come to realize that every encounter is an opportunity. These are moments that show what happens when you literally take your commitment out onto the streets.
Public spaces, changing weather, and countless encounters: With information booths at various public locations throughout German-speaking Switzerland, terre des hommes schweiz engages with people directly on the street. These are places of encounter where skepticism turns into interest and distance gives way to closeness. These regular campaigns inform interested people about our work and our youth projects—and, in the best-case scenario, also attract new supporters.
As part of last year’s team, the experience was, above all, intense and surprisingly personal for Younes Essaboni. “Once, someone asked me if we really stood outside in all kinds of weather. When I said ‘Yes,’ he just laughed and said, ‘Respect—that’s real dedication.’” Moments like these have stayed with the student in particular. They show how visible dedication becomes when you literally take it outside—and how quickly curiosity can lead to genuine conversations.
When Distance Becomes Closeness
Not all passersby immediately knew why they were being approached or what the information booth was about. “An older woman initially thought we were trying to sell her something. When she realized that the work of terre des hommes schweiz involves projects with real added value, she was completely relieved.” It was precisely these brief turning points that made many conversations valuable in the student’s eyes—skepticism gave way to interest, and distance turned into closeness.
Commitment knows no age
Some encounters have particularly touched Younes: “The one that stuck with me the most was a man who was already very well informed about our work. He really just wanted to know how he could help,” he recalls. “I was really blown away—at 84 years old, he donated to our youth projects via Twint as a matter of course.” For Younes, this is a powerful sign that commitment isn’t a matter of age.
Meaningful and contemporary projects
The response to the street campaigns aimed at raising the profile and awareness of terre des hommes schweiz was encouraging overall. “Our projects were often seen as meaningful and relevant.” Of course, there were other moments as well: “Some passersby weren’t interested in talking at all—in those cases, there usually wasn’t much we could do, and the conversations were very brief. But that’s just part of it,” Younes knows from experience.
During his assignments for terre des hommes schweiz, the Berlin native found the positive aspects to be the most significant: genuine conversations with a wide variety of people, sincere interest, and the feeling of making a difference through direct action. Right where people are on the move. In all kinds of weather.
