The FOTH project & Katerina's point of view

Katerina Kalafati (Greece), ESAI EN ROI Volunteer; Junior Youth Worker

ESC volunteering in teams  FOTH project  10-30 July 2025

2024-1-EL02-ESC51-VTJ-000200188

Although Thessaloniki is my hometown, participating in the “Green Velocity: Crash the Habit” project gave me the rare opportunity to rediscover it through a more meaningful and emotional lens. What excited me most was experiencing familiar places transformed by the power of collective action, art, and remembrance. This deeply sensitive campaign, which addressed accident prevention across land, sea, and air, reminded me of how powerful volunteering can be when it is rooted in empathy and social responsibility.

Panoramic View of Thessaloniki

I was the back officer and everyday I was taking feedback from the others' work, which was really precious for the steps that followed trying to make the campaign impactful and visible. I was responsible to create the text for the Greek Observatory of Sustainable Environment, to negotiate the promotion of the campaign via the 13th Festival of Inclusive Culture and still work with the project to create a short handbook of the campaign. I feel really proud for my achievements.

What I will carry with me is the emotional strength of the stories shared, the impact of the artistic expressions, and the sense of solidarity among the participants. I deepened my awareness of social issues trying to promote silently the work of people that I met very few times —all of which will benefit me in both my personal and professional future.

ESC programs like this are truly life-changing, offering young people the chance to grow, contribute meaningfully, and connect with others in ways that leave a lasting impact.