My FSJ experience at Zeit des Lachens

The first step into the right working world. Maintaining concentration from morning to night. Building something from nothing.

I am now experiencing all of this as I am currently completing my FSJ at Zeit des Lachens e.V. The association has set itself the goal of bringing laughter into the hospital and giving young patients, their relatives and the nursing staff a day full of variety, joy and happiness. The “Days of Laughter” were created for this purpose. At such an event, the association visits a children’s hospital together with artists and celebrities and allows the physical and emotional burdens of all those involved in the illness process of a child to fade into the background for a moment.

How did I find out about the association? I heard about the initiative on the radio as part of a fundraising campaign around Christmas when I was brushing my teeth in the morning. I was so enthusiastic about the idea behind the association that I immediately consulted Google and immersed myself in the association, almost missing my bus to school. I then contacted Jacqueline Althaller in the afternoon and asked if I could support “Zeit des Lachens” as part of an FSJ. I then got in touch with the Bavarian Red Cross the sponsor of my FSJ at Zeit des Lachens e.V.

The organization of the next “Day of Laughter” for the end of November 2015 is currently in full swing. The event is in my hands and I am doing everything I can to make it a complete success.

“Building something great from nothing.”

I often hear this quote from Jacqueline Althaller, the founder and spokesperson of “Zeit des Lachens e.V.” and didn’t think much of it at first. But I quickly realized how much truth there is in this sentence. I wasn’t prepared for how much work really goes into a single event.

The necessary steps that lead to a successful event

My FSJ experience at Zeit des Lachens e.V. shows that it requires a lot of stamina and tenacity and is characterized by a variety of daily challenges.

1. Finding an interested clinic: No clinic – no “Day of Laughter”. It is therefore important to keep your eyes and ears open, write to hospitals and get them involved in a “Day of Laughter”.
2. Acquiring sponsors: Approach local companies in the vicinity of the hospital. Many are in favor of the idea of the initiative, but only a few actually support it. I wrote to what felt like 17,840,239 companies and then followed up with phone calls because there was no response to my sponsorship request.
3. Press relations: The same applies to editorial offices: If there is no response to the press invitation for a “Day of Laughter”, it’s time to make a follow-up phone call.
4. Organization of artists and celebrities: Contact with artists and celebrities also needs to be maintained. Writing letters, making follow-up phone calls, answering questions, sending reminders, following up, sending information, coordinating appointments… all this and much more is part of the process. But you also need a bit of luck, because celebrities and artists are notoriously busy people. Catching them at the right moment to give them all the information they need is not that easy. But once you’ve managed it, you feel great for a brief moment. Until the next phone call is due.
5. Marketing the club: There are also weekly social media posts. Creativity is required here: finding suitable quotes and words of wisdom and then making them appealing is also one of my tasks, as is regularly updating the initiative’s website. And also to present what is special about the association. “Zeit des Lachens” is not “only” dedicated to the little patients, but also to their relatives, doctors and carers and gives them a laughter yoga seminar.

Highs and lows – my FSJ experience

Phone calls often separate the wheat from the chaff: some people are very friendly and personable, and it is comparatively easy to accept a rejection from them. With others, however, you get the feeling that they are putting all their resentment into the conversation. In these cases, you want to slowly and carefully retreat back into the cave from which you so bravely ventured out. But I have to admit that my FSJ experiences both have a positive effect: I no longer have the jitters about calling complete strangers.The main thing I take away from the e-mail correspondence and phone calls is that a low is always followed by a high, which is then all the better. Because if you unexpectedly receive a promise, e.g. a donation, the promise of a popular celebrity or even a free print of new flyers for the association, your colleagues look up in amazement and ask what has happened.

My summary?

Always have a smile on your face and never forget to laugh, even on a stressful and exhausting working day with lots of rejections. Drawing strength and motivation from the sense of achievement. And: I am very proud of what I have already achieved so far.
Now I am looking forward to seeing the fruits of my labor and to spending the “Day of Laughter” with artists, celebrities and supporters of the association and giving the little patients, their relatives and the nursing staff at the Bamberg Children’s Hospital a varied and fun day.

 

Who has similar experiences? I look forward to your comments.

 

From Alexandra Straub

FSJ experience – Alexandra Straub