Mariam Reflects on Three Transformative Months of Community Engagement and Creative Collaboration

Mariam Sanikidze, ESAI EN ROI Volunteer; Candidate Youth Worker

ESC individual volunteering MAXIMIZE ARTS & CREATIVITY project 2/10 to 26/12 2025

2024-1-EL02-ESC51-VTJ-000200188

These three months were filled with discovery, challenges, and meaningful insights. Throughout the project, we actively contributed to the community by maintaining a garden for children and creating a collaborative painting together with teachers, carefully choosing the concept and design as a group. During the first two months, Saba and I worked independently, which taught us responsibility, initiative, and teamwork in its purest form. We also organized the Hidden Treasures project and facilitated yoga classes, adding creativity and mindfulness to our work.

Beyond the project itself, this experience was rich on a personal level. We traveled around Thessaloniki and explored the breathtaking beaches of Halkidiki. We attended parties, met inspiring people both Georgians and locals and formed connections that feel truly lifelong. These relationships became one of the most valuable outcomes of the experience.

I feel a strong desire to return, to visit my friends and continue discovering Greece, as I still sense there is much more to explore. I fell deeply in love with Greek culture, its food, and the beauty of its nature the golden beaches, the taste of fresh fish, and the warmth of the people.

Above all, I feel immense gratitude for these three months of my life for the opportunities, the growth, and the memories that will stay with me.