Volunteering in GREECE

To search for projects currently available in Greece please visit the VFP Open Projects Directory.

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	Volunteers from around the world. Margie Beyer / Greece ~ 2008
	Free time hikes Margie Beyer / Greece ~ 2008
	Off to work. Margie Beyer / Greece ~ 2008
	Renovating an ancient footpath Erin Walley / Greece ~ 2005
	"Volunteers and leaders in our kitchen celebrating my birthday with ice cream cake. My experience in Greece was definitely an unforgettable one. It was nothing I expected it to be, but better than I could have possibly imagined. I can't wait to participate in another workcamp. Thanks for everything," Lizzie Keenan / Greece ~ 2004
	"My heart sings at the memory of my group, the Kelesidis family and my rich experience in Giannakahori. I believe that for everyone involved in the work camp it was a profound experience. We learned about ourselves, about the group, the Greek culture and agriculture. Thank you for providing the opportunity to take part in such an incredible experience." Photo shows volunteers helping to sort the cherry harvest. Effie Elfer / Greece ~ 2002
	Volunteers assisted with an archaeological dig at an ancient temple. Volunteers participated from all over the world. Shyno Chacko / Greece ~ 2001
	Friendship Dance. Now I can not imagine travelling internationally without combining it with a workcamp. I think this is an experience every American should have!" Aria Kinch / Greece - 1999

“Well I have returned home safely from my trip to Greece.  I had such a great time! The Tinos II project was absolutely amazing.  It was well organized with wonderful leaders, and while the volunteer work was physically challenging, it was quite rewarding. The 13 others in the group were very fun and interesting.  I have certainly made new friends for life.” Margie Beyer / Greece ~ 2008    

“Overall, I had a very interesting adventure in my two weeks in the volunteer project in Greece.  I made many lasting relationships with people from all over the world and was able to get insights on the culture of Greece in the rural mountainous areas.  Although I felt that the little work we did seemed to not help very much, I believe that the volunteer´s international presence at the camp was very important.  We represented about 12 different countries, some of which the Greek people had never met visitors from.  This was a unique experience that I will always remember!  My passion for learning about new cultures continues to grow after this experience, and I look forward to many more opportunities such as this in the future!” Melissa Lohr / Greece ~ 2008 

“As a work camp, our most obvious accomplishment was the complete physical transformation of the school and the thorough cleaning of two beaches. However, I believe the most rewarding feat was developing a profound mutual respect for each other, allowing us to become a very tight-knit family. We came as fifteen very different people from nine different countries, but by sharing our cultures, languages, and views, we became one cohesive group. This was helped by the honest, open-minded environment that our camp leaders encouraged. Never in my life have I bonded with so many people in so little time and to such a degree; even the veterans among us (some of my peers had already participated in four other work camps) expressed surprise at the level of familiarity and friendship we achieved.” Haotian Cai / Greece ~ 2007

"I just spent the past two weeks (May 29 - June 11) at a workcamp in Athens (GreCvg16-05) and I would like to provide some feedback regarding the camp as well as thank VFP for helping to facilitate what was in many ways a truly awesome experience. Independent of the location and work, the camp itself, by uniting an international group of individuals with diverse perspectives and personalities (yet all motivated by a desire to volunteer) made the trip extremely worthwhile. I doubt that in any other setting could I have formed such close and interesting friendships in such a short period of time." James Maguire / Greece - 2005

"After graduation from college I decided that this was the time in my life to take a chance and do something that would serve to improve the lives of others. I found out about Volunteers for Peace and chose the Amvrakia camp because the work sounded interesting and the location sounded amazing. When the camp description said "a small mountain village," they really meant it! For about two weeks ten other volunteers from around the world and I got to experience what it was like to truly live like a Greek. The people in the village were some of the nicest people I have ever met, they all went out of their way to welcome us with open arms and plenty of food! We stayed in the old schoolhouse of the village and the living conditions were definitely very basic, but none of us really minded it. We spent most of our time outside, either working, sitting around talking or going on hikes around the mountainside. I am pleased to say that my favorite part of the experience was the people I met and the friends I was lucky enough to make. I have never before experienced anything quite like being around ten people whose first language was not English. It was amazing the things we learned about each other and how quickly our preconceived notions were completely erased. We all formed a bond that I know will stand the test of time and distance. All of the volunteers were there to make a difference and I feel very fortunate to have shared this experience with such a kind, caring group of individuals." Erin Walley / Greece - 2005

"Honestly, it was the best experience of my life. I made memories and friends during my camp that will last a lifetime." Kristina Karavatos / Greece - 2003

"My heart sings at the memory of my group, the Kelesidis family and my rich experience in Giannakahori. I believe that for everyone involved in the work camp it was a profound experience. We learned about ourselves, about the group, the Greek culture and agriculture. Thank you for providing the opportunity to take part in such an incredible experience." Effie Elfer / Greece - 2002

"John Coleman, who was in charge of the project, deserves a lot of credit for all the things that we learnt during our stay and, without him, the workcamp would have been certainly less interesting. He is a Professor at Cornell University. He teaches in the Department of Classic Studies and he wanted to share his knowledge with us. Thus, he managed to organize short lessons on Greek language and Greek history. He also explained to us how the city was born, developed and died. It made it even more exciting to work on the archeological site because suddenly, the site had a life on its own that we could imagine and understand a little bit better. With regard to the food and the accommodation, I must admit that I have never eaten so well in my entire life!! It was simply fabulous" Sylvia Biss / Greece - 2000

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