The effects of hometown volunteering

Volunteer Life - Different experiences

Author: Afroditi Zafeiraki

The benefits of volunteering in all age groups are widely known. Of course, helping others can only offer good feelings and gains are several. Europe offers many opportunities for young people to travel abroad and take part in different volunteering projects, as this is a way for youth to start their work experience and find what they like to do. Volunteering abroad also gives people the chance to meet different cultures, learn new languages and connect with new people. This process is also effective in the well-being of people when volunteering improves our self-esteem and gives us feelings of being useful in many sectors. But what happens when someone volunteers in their hometown? Does the volunteer experience feel the same? And how does this affect the mental health of a local?

Green Your Mind II

Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki

My personal exerience includes local volunteering and mostly working with people from other countries for projects in Thessaloniki. The reason for referring to these projects of local volunteering is because, personally, I have seen improvement in my life since I started. At first, I was volunteering in a summer camp as a team leader. That process of me being the head of a group of people made me feel independent and confident and let my insecurities outside of that camp. It was my first working experience in a safe place where I only had to deal with the children. Then I was helping my mum, and an organized group that she was a member of, while she was collecting food from supermarkets and sharing it with our neighbors who needed for. That different experience gave me the feeling of being useful and important to others. Then, I founded ECS programs, and I participated in a project in the psychiatric hospital of Thessaloniki, which happens to be located really close to my house. I had the opportunity to enter and work in a place where I was wondering for many years what happens inside of it, how they work, which are their methods, and how I, as a psychologist, could ever have access to work there.

Agricultural activity

Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki

Having worked for some time as a local volunteer, I realized that many benefits cannot be found in experiences volunteering in other countries. First of all, there is a feeling of doing something good for your neighbor, town, your country in general. You can also connect with people because with many of them you don’t lose touch, so you see their improvement and the impact of your work. Also, if you work with people from other countries, you have the opportunity to help them with practical issues, but also to guide them to join the best places and events in town. This way you also get buddy skills because you put yourself in a place to think of activities and things for others to do. As a local, you also have the responsibility sometimes to be the translator for everyone. Of course, this way the language part is getting really improved.

Football match

Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki

Personally, I really enjoy local volunteering because I never get tired of it. I live in my house, and I have my everyday routine and I live volunteering experiences between that. This process refreshes me and makes me feel productive and active. The truth is that you don’t have a lot of free time left but you live unique experiences in your everyday life that makes you a full person and a mature adult. Definitely recommended to everyone who has the will to help, to explore. The sure thing is that this process which requires energy and time improves people’s mental health and self-esteem. What are you waiting for, locals?

Storytelling activity: fairy tales from around the world

Children Activity Center - Dentropotamos