Tine, Martina, Vivi, and Sofia

Hello! My name is Tine, I am from Belgium and I volunteered with European Solidarity Corps in the Agios Athanasios Facility for 6 months. This experience has changed me a lot, both on a professional and personal level, and I am truly grateful for that. 

In Belgium, I worked as a social worker in a reception centre for asylum seekers and as a teacher for refugees, but here it was my first time working with teenagers on the move. Together with a team of other volunteers, we organized non-formal educational activities for them every Monday-Friday. Thinking about activities made me rediscover my creative side, and I learned how to be flexible, since sometimes the teenagers are not engaged in the activity you had planned. It requires time and patience to trust each other. The teenagers taught me a lot. 

While volunteering at YCE, I also had the opportunity to get to know other NGO’s in the city of Ioannina, and some other ones in Greece. Not only did I meet people with whom I developed a very warm and true friendship, but I gained also knowledge about different working methods and perspectives. Many times I had discussions with people about a topic we both cared about, and I learned to be more open-minded and to listen carefully. It made me grow a lot. 

It might sound as a cliché, but I truly fell in love with Greece. Every landscape has its own beauty, the cities are vibrant and Greeks welcomed me with an incredible warmth. I had my freddo espresso sketo everyday, and I cannot count how many times I enjoyed fried feta with honey. Greece gave me memories I will cherish forever, from traditional dancing around bonfires at Carnival to sipping from a frappé in the mountain village of my Greek friend. My advice would be to truly look for your Greek experience and try to make some Greek friends, or even take language classes, like I did. It made me embrace the country and the culture on another level. 

It is impossible to describe my whole experience as a volunteer at YCE, but overall it was a very insightful, warm, and challenging experience, in so many different ways. I am truly grateful for this experience, and I cherish every conversation, every glance and every smile I shared with the people I met here; with colleagues, international friends, Greek people, but mostly with the teenagers. 

"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."

"New eyes — Same city: My local Volunteering Experience.

Over the past two months, I took part in a European Solidarity Corps volunteer exchange project that took place in my hometown, a city I thought I knew well. Strangely enough, although I didn’t have to travel, this experience made me feel like both a tourist and a guide at the same time. I explored places and moments I had never noticed before, shared new experiences with international friends, and reconnected with my city in a completely different light.

The project took place in the Accommodation facility for unaccompanied minors “Agios Athanasios”. Each day we spent there flew by, it always felt like time passed too fast. Despite having a background in psychology, this was something completely new to me. At first, I was nervous: how should I behave? How would the teenagers respond to me? But very soon, those worries disappeared. Smiles, curiosity, small questions — these were the ways the young people welcomed us.

Being Greek gave me a special role. Many of the children were eager to learn the language and would ask me questions, laugh as they practiced words, and show genuine interest in the culture. Even those who didn’t actively take part in our activities stayed close, finding small ways to be present, to connect.

What made this experience so meaningful was not just what we offered, but what we received in return: trust, connection, shared joy. I learned to see my city through different eyes. I felt proud to offer something to my own community, to be part of a team that brought small moments of care and creativity into the lives of young people who truly needed them. It made me realize how important it is to be active in your local community — you don’t need to go far to make a difference. This experience inspired me to keep supporting vulnerable groups, not just as a psychologist, but as a person.

It’s an experience I will never forget — one that shaped me personally, emotionally, and professionally."

This project was co-funded by the European Commission.