Hi! I’m Simon, 18 years old and come from Potsdam. From the end of September 2020 to the end of April 2021 I did an FSJ as part of the European Solidarity Corps on the Greek island of Chios.
I became aware of this possibility via the ESC website and, especially in times of Corona, it seemed to me a good idea to do my FSJ within Europe in order to remain more flexible.
During my project, I lived with nine other volunteers from all over Europe. In the mornings we worked in the primary schools in the small town of Vrontados and supported the teachers in their work. We disinfected the tables, played with the children during the break, sorted materials and helped in different ways in class. In the afternoon we worked on the computers of our hosting organization and ran various websites as well as an internet radio. We tried to bring Greek culture and especially the island of Chios closer to people all over the world.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we were only able to go to school three months out of seven, so our work has shifted to creating websites and writing articles.
Still, my FSJ was a wonderful time. I met so many new people and had a lot of fun with the other volunteers on excursions and hikes around the island. I have also learned to cook, have become much more independent and, above all, have learned to stand up for myself and for the things that are important to me. I have also become much more self-confident when dealing with children.
I would recommend the European Solidarity Corps to anyone who is curious and willing to leave their comfort zone in order to have new experiences and to be able to help other people.
Simon
Simon was part of our project „Volunteers for a Green Future“, which was funded by the European Solidarity Corps and Youth for Europe.
