Volunteer Life USB News
2020 around the World by Maria Boukouvala and Eirini Mavromoustaki
Volunteering as self-improvement, Maria Boukouvala in Italy 2020
If I had to describe my experience through European Solidarity Corps with just one word, this word would be evolution. Through this specific project, if you are between 18-30 years old, you have an opportunity to discover yourself and develop aspects of yourself that you don’t even know of. It sounds a little bit “cliché”, but I can assure you that it isn’t. Suddenly, I was in a foreign country, in a foreign city, with people that I met for the first time, without knowing the language of the country. Many times we might think “I wish I could start my life from zero”, well, this is your opportunity! It may not be starting from zero, but it’s an opportunity to do things in a completely unknown environment , without knowing anyone at the beginning : Travelling, new friendships, learning a new language and finding hobbies that you could not even imagine. I, personally, was participating in events and groups that I had never tried before. For instance, almost ev-
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ery Friday I was going to a group where people from other countries, immigrants, refugees and travelers were gathering and we were improvising how to spend our night. Even at the lockdown of spring, when I was in Italy, I did not regret that I stayed there. It was an opportunity to create strong friendships with my roommates who were participants of the same project. Last but not least, I learned many many things and I got a lot of ideas and experiences at the daily center for disabled that I was working at.
“Acting Local, Changing Global.” Eirini in Portugal 2020
Hello! My name is Eirini, I am from Thessaloniki,
I am 30 years old and I have just completed the 1-year European Solidarity Corps program “Acting Local, Changing Global”, at the Portuguese Red Cross. For many years I was thinking about trying such an experience and for different reasons I was postponing it. For the last two years I have been working as a psychologist in refugee camps and accommodation facilities for unaccompanied minors in the wider area of Thessaloniki. When my contract ended, I thought I needed a break from my job and some time to rediscover what I like. This, combined with the fact that I was 28 years old at the time and that the ESC programs have an age limit of up to 30 years, were the two main reasons I decided to
