Bartosz Thomas Krakowiak, ESAI EN ROI Volunteer; Candidate Youth Worker
ESC volunteering in teams SKYRTHALIA project December 2024
2024-1-EL02-ESC51-VTJ-000200188
Thessaloniki
SKYRTHALIA
As a person who has previous experience in volunteering for European Solidarity Corps, I know that every single project is different and unique. The keywords that could describe this particular experience, would be:
Observation- At the very beginning everything was piquing my curiosity. Alongside my colleagues, we started (consciously or not) observing the city, culture and even lifestyle of the locals.
This full immersion (strongly empowered by our host- Maria, who invited us to be guests in her house for the duration of the project) motivated us to make a good change in the city. By being emotionally attached to this place, involvement in the upcoming change was at its highest.
Living and spending time with a local person gave us another point of view regarding the situation in the region, exposed us to Greek traditions and allowed us to experience authentic, lifestyle submerged in the local culture.
me and our amazing host Maria. For more about Maria checka at:
Reform- After identifying the issues, we needed a strategy to help the city recover. We started with an amazing street photography workshop led by George Dryjohn which allowed us to capture the true essence of the city.
Without staging the scenery and setting up the actors, we digitized the emotions felt in the given moment. Alongside collecting footage, we also gathered data from the local community. The deep understanding helped us to address the issues to the authorities efficiently.
As a group we became the change. During, and also after the working hours, I felt motivated to make a positive impact on this place. We changed our whole mindsets and actions so they would enrich the experience and help us execute our goals.
George sharing the secrets of street photography
Learning- At the beginning of every project, while introducing myself to the new peers, I always start with the same sentence: “You Are the reason why I'm here”.
My goal in volunteering is to create authentic and lasting bonds with other people. Every single person has different skillset and past experiences, which in the right conditions can be utilised and shared with the others. My education (English philology with teaching speciality) allows me to help others improve their language skills, which is the reason for a lot of people to partake in volunteering activities.
What really shocked me during the project was the amount of positive feedback from the community. A lot of people, after seeing our enthusiasm and will for improvement, appreciated the work that we've put into the project. We have received massive support from both the organisers and also the unbiased observers. That was a very important lesson for all of us! In such conditions, work seems like a hobby
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