About me: Alexander Dushkov – between games and history

Hello, my name is Alexander Dushkov and I am 24 years old from Sofia. I graduated from the Netherlands with a bachelor’s degree in game design and 3D art. This is certainly shown by my interest in video games, but my hobbies are literature, cinema, history, art. I currently work at the National Historical Museum, indulging in my historical interests while continuing to take a look at the gaming industry.

First steps in volunteering

Yes, before my current two-month project in Krosno, Poland, I was on a 10-day project in Valencia, Spain, under the Youth Exchange program. I have also volunteered outside the EU programs for cultural events in Bulgaria, such as HIVE: Creative Buzz 2023, 2024 – the first Bulgarian convention for animators and game designers – and RATIO Forum (many of them, I haven’t counted them).

Otherwise, for Krosno – it was very pleasant, we carried out a variety of activities every day. We worked with many of the children and youth in Krosno – from 4-5 year olds with whom we had Easter workshops, to students from the local university, to whom we presented our countries and cultures. We also worked in the youth center (SAM) and in the gallery (BWA Krosno), where we carried out our mandatory activities – personal projects and workshops, such as my 3-hour comic book workshop.
But it’s not like we only worked – we also had free time, which we invested in exploring the city and its surroundings, as well as some of the big Polish cities such as Krakow, Warsaw and Lublin.

My project in Krosno, Poland

I had a great desire to see Poland – as an amateur historian, this was a destination whose culture I was interested in, but I also hoped to be able to explore opportunities for work and development there. I partially satisfied both of my desires, but I did not find a job – nothing, at least I now know that it is a place where I would live.
I was also interested in the topic – creativity and working with children – so this was a good opportunity for me, considering the short duration of the project (because it is sometimes difficult for a person to invest a year + time in such a project).

Why I chose volunteering

I briefly told you above – we held art workshops, conducted interactive English lessons in local schools, introduced our national cuisines, customs and traditions to the local people, helped with the regular activities of the gallery, and many other small tasks in a similar spirit.

Challenges and lessons

Love when you go to a new place on your own – how to get there, which bus to take, where the store is, etc. Due to the good organization of the hosts, I haven’t had any major challenges. I’ve lived alone abroad for 3 years after all.

The most valuable moments of the project

It’s certainly when we traveled with the other volunteers around Poland. I’ll never forget the harrowing journey on an empty minibus to Warsaw in the middle of the night, how we arrived at 6 am and how at noon we were met with a protest in the center. And many other such stories I managed to collect, which was extremely valuable to me.

My message to future volunteers

Traveling and seeing new places, new people, new cultures, eating new food, breathing different air… All of this is infinitely valuable. If you feel lost, wandering – travel. And here you go, you find yourself somewhere there, in the most unexpected place. And I won’t even talk about volunteering – there are causes for which one is obliged to sacrifice a little. For me, the cultural cause is one of them.

What awaits you after the project?

Work, what else!

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