Residents, care teams and volunteers said a fond farewell to three young Austrian men, Adam, Julian and Max who joined Nightingale Hammerson on a 10-month placement.
Rather than completing compulsory military service in Austria, they chose a different path. Through Austrian Service Abroad (Österreichischer Auslandsdienst), they joined the internationally respected Gedenkdienst programme, which enables young Austrians to serve communities around the world, whilst acknowledging the country’s historical responsibility following the Holocaust.
Volunteers can choose from three areas of service:
80% of the applicants choose the Memorial Service programme working mainly in museums devoted to the Holocaust.
“Our service is a combination of memorial and social service,” explained Max. “We are the bridge between the staff and the Residents, and we have a purpose here, an important one. It has been a truly fulfilling experience.”
Adam, Julian and Max soon became part of the Nightingale Hammerson family. Living amongst the Residents at Nightingale House, they showed kindness and compassion to everyone they met. For all three volunteers, the past ten months have been transformative.
“I have developed so much during my time here,” Julien reflected. “I really believe this programme is important. Young people learn to develop respect for older people. I have formed a connection between my own culture and the British-Jewish culture. It was so special to connect, learn and meet such extraordinary people.”
For Adam, who grew up in Belgium to an Austrian mother, the experience was initially challenging. At just 18, he arrived directly after finishing school. It was his first time living away from home.
“Everything was new to me,” he said. “My English was poor and I was quite shy and lacking in confidence. I had to learn to communicate in a foreign language, meet new people and live in a care home. These past 10 months have changed me so much.”
For Max, the decision to choose civil rather than military service was instrumental to his growth and maturity. “I have been truly inspired by all the Residents. I believe I have done so much more than if I had gone to military service.”
Before arriving in the UK, the volunteers undertook an intensive programme preparing them for their memorial service in London. They travelled to Croatia to visit Holocaust memorials and spent time at Dachau, Buchenwald and the Holocaust Museum in Berlin. They learnt about their country’s past before beginning work with Holocaust survivors and members of the Jewish community at Nightingale Hammerson.
For Julian, this preparation added even greater meaning to their placement, “This programme is essential for our country. We are here as ambassadors representing Austria. It helps us understand history and also see what life can be like when you are older. I have become much more open, and I have learned to communicate with so many different people. It is an important lesson.”
Throughout their placement, Adam, Julian and Max became familiar and treasured faces across both Nightingale House and Hammerson House. Working alongside the Engagement Team, they brought energy, enthusiasm and genuine compassion to everything they did. They supported Residents living with dementia, helped run the popular French Club, supported the exercise group and provided one-to-one IT support for Residents struggling with technology.
The three young men took part in intergenerational programmes with local children, baked with Residents, accompanied outings and introduced a lively Friday afternoon quiz in the foyer of Nightingale House, which quickly became a highlight of the week.
David Singleton, Engagement Team Leader watched each of them grow during their time at Nightingale Hammerson, “Adam, Julian and Max have shown courage, responsibility and goodwill. They have achieved so much within the time they have been here. They arrived as boys and leave as men,” he said. “They have faced the challenges working here with kindness and compassion.”
To mark the end of their placement, Nightingale Hammerson hosted two farewell gatherings to celebrate the remarkable impact these three young men have made on Residents and colleagues. One emotional Resident summed up what everyone was feeling, “The time has come to say goodbye. They arrived as strangers and are leaving as our truly valued friends. They have enriched our lives, and we are so sorry to see them go.”
Adam, Julian and Max arrived as three young strangers and left as cherished and valued members of the Nightingale Hammerson family.
Goodbye, Auf Wiedersehen, Au Revoir.
