MADmax & Elena: I left Thessaloniki with new friends, new perspectives and a stronger belief in what a group of young people can achieve

Elena Mischek, ESAI EN ROI Esai en Roi Volunteer; || Austria

ESC volunteering in teams  MADmax project   15/07/2026 to 04/08/2026

2025-1-EL02-ESC51-VTJ-000346873

Learning Through Solidarity: My Three Weeks in Thessaloniki Hello, my name is Elli!

Spending three weeks volunteering in Thessaloniki was an experience that gave me much more than I expected. Before going, I was mainly looking forward to doing something useful, working on environmental projects and meeting new people. I knew that we would be working with recycled materials and improving a park, but I did not expect how much I would learn from the people around me and how strongly the experience would influence the way I think about cooperation, community and sustainability.

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One of the most important parts of the project for me was being part of a youth learning community. We came from different countries and had different personalities, backgrounds and skills, but we were all there for the same reason. At the beginning, we were still strangers and it took some time to get used to each other. Very quickly, however, we became a team. We had to work together every day, often on tasks where everyone had to contribute something different. I learned that cooperation does not mean that everyone does the same thing. It means that people use their different strengths to achieve something together.

A good example was the abandoned building in the park that we transformed into a summer bar. There was a lot to do: we made furniture, created graffiti for the walls, designed a menu and used things that would otherwise have been thrown away. Sometimes we had completely different ideas about how something should look or how we should do it. Instead of one person deciding everything, we learned to discuss our ideas, compromise and help each other. Seeing the finished space was especially rewarding because it was something that we had created together. It showed me how much can be achieved when people are willing to contribute and trust each other.

Solidarity was also present in the smaller moments of everyday work. Some tasks were physically tiring or simply took longer than expected. When someone was struggling, there was usually someone else ready to help. We did not really think about whose task something was anymore. If somebody needed help, we helped. I experienced this especially when we were working on the pond for wildlife and had to prepare and harden it with clay. It was messy and sometimes exhausting, but working together made it much easier and also more enjoyable. These moments made me realise that solidarity is not always about doing something big. Sometimes it is simply noticing that someone needs help and being willing to give it. I also learned a lot from the other participants. Everyone brought their own way of thinking and their own experiences. Some people were more creative, others were better at organising or working with their hands, while others were good at communicating and bringing people together. I learned to be more open to approaches that were different from my own. Instead of always trying to do things the way I would normally do them, I became more comfortable listening to other ideas and trying something new.

The environmental side of the project also changed the way I look at waste. We made new rubbish bins from recycled tyres, created sculptures from clay and produced flyers to inform people about recycling. For me, the most interesting part was seeing how something that looked like waste could become something useful or even beautiful. The summer bar was probably the best example of this. We used discarded materials to create furniture and decorations and turned an abandoned space into somewhere people could actually enjoy. It made sustainability feel much more practical and creative. It was not just about telling people to recycle; we were actually showing what can be done with materials that are normally considered useless.

At the same time, the project was not only about the work. A big part of my experience was the time we spent together outside of the activities. We explored Thessaloniki, went sightseeing and spent time together in our free time. This is where many of the friendships developed. Getting to know people outside the working environment helped me understand them better and made our cooperation during the project stronger. I made friends that I would probably never have met in my normal everyday life, simply because we came from different places and had different backgrounds.

One particular thing I will take away from the experience is that I do not have to know someone for a long time to feel part of a community with them. In just three weeks, a group of people who started as strangers became a team that supported each other, laughed together and worked towards a common goal. This showed me the value of creating spaces where young people can meet, learn from each other and feel that their contribution matters.

Looking back, the biggest added value of the project for me was personal rather than practical. Of course, I gained new skills and learned more about recycling and working with sustainable materials, but I also became more confident in working with people who are different from me. I learned to communicate better, be more flexible and trust other people’s ideas. Most importantly, I experienced that cooperation and solidarity are not just concepts that we talk about. They are things that have to be practiced every day through small actions, patience, openness and mutual support.

The three weeks in Thessaloniki reminded me that learning does not only happen in a classroom. Sometimes the most valuable lessons come from working with other people, getting your hands dirty, making mistakes, sharing ideas and simply spending time together. I left Thessaloniki with new friends, new perspectives and a stronger belief in what a group of young people can achieve when everyone is willing to contribute.