My FSJ at the Cultural Office: Jiyan Milli
Jiyan Milli did her FSJ Culture at the Münsterland Cultural Office from September 2021 to August 2022. She talks about her experiences and her own project in the interview.
What did you expect from your FSJ in culture?
Before I started with the FSJ applications, I didn't know that there were different sections in the FSJ, such as the culture section. At first, I couldn't imagine much about an FSJ in culture because I hadn't had much to do with this area before. I decided on the cultural office because I wanted to get to know the cultural sector and was interested in the tasks involved.
What did you learn most in the cultural office?
In general, I got to know the cultural sector. I learned which cultural formats there are in the Cultural Office, such as the Cultural Council or the Cultural Academy. I learned about the things that cultural workers deal with. But I also learned how to work with different programmes, how to set up and edit a website, how to create a newsletter and many features of social media that I didn't know before. So during my FSJ I was able to learn and get to know many different things.
What was one of your own projects?
I conducted a written interview with the project title "25 Years RKP: Interview on the Regional Culture Programme" with artists whose projects were funded by the RKP. The interviews provided insights into the progress of the projects as well as opportunities and possibilities that have arisen for the artists through the project funding. What goals and future plans were achieved with the projects can also be learned from the interviews.
What is your best memory of the FSJ?
I have several fond memories of my FSJ. However, I found the 25th RKP anniversary celebration particularly nice, although I was also a bit stressed because I conducted the interviews for my project at the celebration. In addition, I always found it great to be involved in outside appointments. It was always something new and very exciting. My first Cultural Council meeting in autumn was very exciting as I got to learn about many concepts and progressions.
Impressions of the event "Ein Kessel Buntes" in the framework of which Jiyan realised her project
Were you ever overwhelmed or did something go wrong?
When the home office obligation came into effect in December, I was very overwhelmed with the situation, as I had previously spent almost every working day in the office. Suddenly, I no longer had a proper work structure and could no longer skilfully divide up tasks due to being overwhelmed. I was always in dialogue with Simone, my mentor from the cultural office, about this during this time. Unfortunately, I was only able to find a well-regulated work structure for myself in the home office after about two months. However, after that it usually worked out well.
To whom would you recommend an FSJ at the Kulturbüro Münsterland?
I would recommend an FSJ at the Kulturbüro to anyone who is interested in the cultural sector and also to anyone who likes planning and organising. If you don't know the cultural sector, like I did at the beginning, you should definitely try out an FSJ in culture, because I can promise that you'll come out of the FSJ with a lot of experience.
What are you doing today?
I'm going to start studying in the event sector in September. In the meantime, I even considered whether I would like to continue working in the cultural sector, but I decided against it because I would like to get to know other areas.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Besides the great time I had in the cultural office, I also made many acquaintances and friends with other volunteers through the joint seminar weeks and education days. I always enjoyed the exchange and it was also very exciting.
