Volunteering in Greece : Alessia’s experience

Alessia, from Italy, first joined Open Cultural Center Greece as a short-term European Solidarity Corps volunteer and then soon became a long-term ESC volunteer as Children’s Education Facilitator. Here she recounts her experience in our centre in Polykastro.

Imagine a hundred people holding hands

Imagine a hundred people holding hands and dancing in a circle underneath the stars. They move their feet to the rhythm of music that carries the echo of ancient times and old stories. 

This is what I saw in Τοξότες during a weekend trip with other volunteers. It reminded me of my high school studies on ancient Greece, the land of philosophers and artists, of Gods and temples, the land whose culture influenced and shaped states, empires, and kingdoms.

Therefore, when my position as a short-term volunteer at Open Cultural Center was confirmed, I was so excited at the idea of coming to Greece, a land I had long dreamed of! More than anything, I was eager to embark on an adventure I felt would have changed my life in ways still unknown to me.

Big spoiler (as one of my fellow volunteers always says): it did.

A world no longer very far away

All of a sudden I was catapulted in a world that I had always observed from afar, but that now feels closer than ever. Syrians, Afghans, Palestinians, Sudanese and many more were the students I taught every day at OCC’s centre in Polykastro. Much more than that, they were the faces I impatiently waited to see every morning and afternoon coming in through the door. Their smiles and laughter were my own. I have even started learning a few words in Arabic – eliciting more than a few laughs given my unlikely pronunciation – to better understand their culture and overcome language barriers. After all, they are making huge efforts to learn English and other European languages, so why should I not do the same for them?

When I think about my time at OCC Greece, I cannot but remember starting the day with a coffee at Vicky’s, the meetings to improve our didactic approaches, the hours spent preparing class material and kahoots, the park days with the kids, Eli (the dog at flat 2), the clean ups while salsa dancing… I know this experience has carved for itself a special place in my heart, as have all the incredible people I met in Polykastro.

A space of hospitality and community

These two months passed by in a blink of an eye: I have learned so much and done so many things I had previously thought impossible. For instance, when the children told us “thank you teachers, everyone should have teachers like you”, my heart melted. In fact, at the beginning, I really doubted I would have been able to break through their armor and make them appreciate our classes and me as their teacher. Now I know that if one gives its all, one only needs to wait for beautiful flowers to blossom.

To sum up, this has been a truly transformative and enriching experience, which has made me better realise what I want to do with my life. I am thankful to the management team, my students and the other volunteers for putting their trust in me.

 I will end with a final thought:

Imagine some young men and women dancing in a room, holding hands and moving in a circle to the rhythm of an Arabic song. They come from different places, they have very different stories, and the future will lead them along very different paths. But for a few minutes this does not matter. For a few minutes, it is only them, the room, the song, the movements of their feet and the smiles and laughter they exchange with each other. For a few minutes, these young people are the emblem of what OCC stands for, the embodiment of the ancient Greek word “φιλοξενία” (hospitality), the living proof that there can be peace, friendship, and dialogue among different cultures. 

I was one of those young, lucky people. 

I wish you, who are reading this article, will soon be one as well.

Our volunteering programme is funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps. For more information about our open ESC positions, visit our page.