Martina

"How much can two months really change you?

Before starting this journey, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but the moment I arrived in Ioannina, everything began to shift. The city immediately won me over: it’s charming, full of life and peaceful. 

As a Master’s graduate in International Relations, this was my first real hands-on experience in the migration field after years of theory. Volunteering in a center for unaccompanied refugees and asylum seekers is no easy task. It can be complex, emotionally intense and overwhelming. In the middle of this complexity, over these two months, I’ve learned more than I ever thought possible. Every person I met—both in the facility and at the office—taught me something valuable and helped shape me professionally.

But above all, it was the teenagers who left the deepest mark on me. Building trust with them, finding ways to communicate beyond language, laughing, creating, and just being present together… those moments were everything. Our bond was real, genuine and powerful. They have my heart and I will never forget them.

These two months felt like a lifetime for everything they held. So yes… two months can truly change you: they can reshape your perspective and reveal a deeper sense of purpose. I leave with a heart full of gratitude, a mind full of questions, and a hope that something in the world will change; in particular, that the asylum and reception systems will evolve for the better and that the systems meant to protect will do so with greater dignity, humanity, and care."

This project was co-funded by the European Commission.