Anaïs, Natalia

Hi, I am Natalia from Poland, and I spent almost five months volunteering in Agios Athanasios. I didn’t come to Ioannina with a big, idealistic plan. I simply wanted to try something different and gain a new professional perspective. And I’m really glad I did. 

 

I work in formal education, which is why I wanted to see what working with minors looks like in a more non-formal setting. Being part of YCE allowed me to see how this kind of work actually looks in practice and to compare it with my experience. The people in the office and the social workers were supportive and open and helped me better understand different approaches to working with young people and gave me a much more practical understanding of the field.

 

Working with teenagers was a valuable part of this experience. It wasn’t always easy. It required patience, lots of flexibility, and sometimes quick thinking but it was rewarding. I could see how they gradually became more open and comfortable.  And honestly, simple moments like playing, talking and laughing together are the ones that stay in your head long after you leave.

 

Over time, Ioannina started to feel familiar in a way I didn’t expect at all. I found my own rhythm there - a favorite coffee place, salsa classes, and small everyday routines that made life feel easy and natural. But what truly made this experience special were the people. I met amazing volunteers with whom I shared everything from road trips, skiing to lazy beach days, coffee breaks, dinners, Carnival chaos, and Christmas moments. It was those everyday things that turned strangers into people I suddenly felt really close to. There were challenging moments, but somehow everything found its way. Those small difficulties just became part of the package and made the whole experience feel more real and sometimes even funny.

 

If I could give one piece of advice to future volunteers, it would be not to expect everything to feel big or life-changing in a dramatic way. Often there are many small things that happen along the way which turn out to be just as meaningful. Simple moments like random conversations, shared meals, tired laughter after a long day, and spontaneous plans can end up staying with you the most. 

Looking back, this experience gave me exactly what I needed. Not in a perfect or idealized way but full of small wins, unexpected situations, and growth. It made me more open, more adaptable, and more confident in unfamiliar places. And most importantly, it left me with people and memories that will probably pop up in my head for a long time. 

 

Between seasons : nine months in Ioannina

 

Some places shift you, some heal you. Ioannina is a bit of both for me. This experience changed everything, and at the same time, it simply felt like a way to discover the different stories I kept inside, the different versions of myself that bloom through different seasons.

 

Let me introduce myself, I'm Anaïs, I graduated in Social and Solidarity Economy. Before coming here, I did a first ESC in Portugal with the Red Cross, where I worked closely with vulnerable communities. That experience showed me the power of everyday solidarity. It confirmed that I wanted to stay engaged on the ground, not only to understand systems, but to be part of them. So I decided to continue long term through the ESC program, this time in Greece. I wanted to experience a different context, a different reality, and get to know more about migration and social challenges. And that’s how I began my journey in Ioannina with the Youth Center of Epirus.

 

Let me tell you a random story to explain our job. One day, everyone was playing Uno, as we often do at the end of the day, and something hit me. The room was loud, cards were slamming on the table, and I was observing. Around this table were my housemates, volunteers from different countries, and a group of kids, carrying stories I will probably never fully know. All from different places, not speaking the same language. And yet, all of them were laughing. Laughing because a +4 was added to a +2, laughing because someone changed the color at the last second, all of them connecting in their own way. 

 

Our job is not to change the world. It is to offer a safe space, a moment of relief, not to erase what they’ve been through, but to give them a pause from it. At Agios Athanasios, we work through non-formal education activities with young asylum seekers. That means creating learning spaces outside of traditional classrooms, spaces based on participation, creativity, and trust. We design activities that encourage expression, critical thinking, teamwork, and confidence. Whether it’s through art, science experiments, language support, escape games or cooking together, the goal is always the same: empowerment. Not speaking for them. Not deciding for them. But giving them tools, space, and consistency. In situations marked by uncertainty, even stability in small weekly activities can become something powerful. Sometimes it’s through structured projects. And sometimes, it’s in these tiny moments at the end of the day, when something as ordinary as a card game becomes the most meaningful thing. Maybe because outside that room, reality is heavier. For some of the kids, I've seen the light slowly fade, when they face the disappointment of the system or the weight of daily challenges. I don't know exactly what they're going through, and maybe it's better that way.  But I just hope the light will come back one day. I’ve seen it return a few times, in a smile, in a joke, in the way they show up again the next day. And those moments stay with you, even on the days where I felt extremely powerless.

 

And even if this testimony is written from my perspective, it’s not really about me. It's about a random person who chose to take part in something that mattered to them, without any clue of how it would impact others or themselves. This is a story for the future ones who will take the legacy forward.  

 

I wrote every single day about what happened here. My journal is full of so many faces. So many smiles. The faces you see every morning or every afternoon. The ones you share your routine with, your meals, your coffee, your doubts, your joy. And countless freddo cappuccinos, whether under a burning sun or winter rain.

Living in different houses, different bedrooms that each felt like a new beginning, like pressing restart again and again. Passing through different seasons, different energies. It somehow sums up the different eras I’ve lived here : from being surrounded by a group, to then learning how to be alone, to finally finding myself in what felt like a big family. 

Each phase shaped me differently. The unexpected connections, the friends you meet randomly who become your anchor. The locals who open their homes and their hearts to you and turn into lifelong bonds. The versions you see now and only now. The flatmates you go through hardship and hilarious moments with. The kids, who taught me more than I will ever be able to teach them. And the workers beside them, carrying stories, patience, and strength every single day.

 

To whoever will come here next, come with no expectations and an open heart: Ioannina will surprise you in the best ways. There's something in the air there that makes you appreciate all the little things. I will be forever thankful for the time I spent here. It was a real journey with the Youth Center of Epirus, both humanly and professionally. 

 

Those moments are only temporary, everything is temporary. 

 

What matters is what we do now. So maybe we don’t need to change the world. Maybe we just need to change OUR world : the daily one, made of small interactions, small actions, small moments, small gestures that, in the end, mean everything.