The most important task of a volunteer is probably to answer questions to ensure a smooth daily routine and to guarantee a pleasant visit for both visitors and athletes. Even during my first video conference—let’s call it the "job interview"—I admitted that I currently couldn’t answer a single question. The "Académie 2024" is supposed to remedy this.
For this, we received an email asking us to log into the Benevolas portal and follow the link to the training forum. There, we were greeted by—videos.
Video material broken down into small snippets, some no longer than three minutes, which is probably due to the dwindling attention span of the smartphone generation. The advantage: You don’t have to binge-watch them all at once but can view the mandatory videos at your convenience.
I’ve always been a grandmaster of faux pas, managing with blessed precision to regularly stand out in an unpleasant way. My Rhenish nature, combined with a penchant for irony, poses a problem for me. I am well aware of this and have been working on controlling myself for years, but many a Westphalian has despaired of me because, although they understood my vocabulary, they couldn’t make sense of what I was saying. Some will simply think I’m crazy. I’m not too bothered by this with VIPs—they should be able to handle me. But with people from a completely foreign culture, beyond even Westphalia, my contradictory way of expressing myself could lead to misunderstandings. As I said, I will try to control myself, and it’s far from my intention to offend our guests.
What really gives me a headache is the Paralympics. I have no experience dealing with people who have physical disabilities, and I hope I won’t be overly solicitous. After all, we’re talking about athletes who are firmly grounded in life and have achieved a lot despite all adversities. There were interviews with those affected that provided helpful insights, which I gladly accepted and hope to internalize.
As for the motivational clips, I just let them wash over me. Anyone who volunteers, pays for their own travel and accommodation to work for free, I assume, will fulfill their tasks with the right attitude.
What annoyed me a little were the shorts encouraging me to report trademark abuse. I won’t spend my time checking small retailers and potentially putting myself in danger. That’s a job for professional brand protectors.
This was followed by an excursion into doping tests, the regulations for controls, and their practical implementation. There was also a renewed call to report anything suspicious. Since this concerns fairness and the health of the athletes, this makes sense.
Another film was dedicated to the black market. The tickets are name-specific and can only be obtained through the ticket portal and the app "Paris 2024 Tickets." Printed tickets are a thing of the past at the Games. Visitors need the aforementioned app to gain access to the events. In short: There won’t be a "functional" black market. However, attempts to deceive unsuspecting visitors will certainly occur. Of course, I’ll keep my eyes open here.
I’ve diligently worked through the films currently available online, though I’m still putting off some podcasts. In the near future, we are supposed to receive mission-specific training, which I’m slowly starting to look forward to.
