{"id":22571,"date":"2026-10-01T06:06:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T06:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spbt.gr\/?p=22571"},"modified":"2026-10-01T06:46:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T06:46:01","slug":"volunteers_stories-valeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spbt.gr\/en\/volunteers_stories-valeria\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0399\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c1\u03af\u03b5\u03c2 \u03b5\u03b8\u03b5\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03ce\u03bd: \u03a4\u03b9 \u03c3\u03ae\u03bc\u03b1\u03b9\u03bd\u03b5 \u03b1\u03c5\u03c4\u03ae \u03b7 \u03b5\u03bc\u03c0\u03b5\u03b9\u03c1\u03af\u03b1 \u03b3\u03b9\u03b1 \u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Stories from volunteers: What it meant for me<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Valeria<\/em> Bigone<\/em> from Italy (volunteer of European Solidarity Corps)<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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I must warn my dear readers that I am not an athletic person at all. I am also not a biologist, and the times I have seen wild animals can be counted on my hands, despite coming from a small village. I know many people can relate to me on these things. However, considering the experience in Dadia, one might wonder why I decided to volunteer in the middle of rural Greece\u2019s wilderness. Well, to be completely honest with you, everything started with my unemployment situation and, at the same time, my willingness to do something for the protection, safeguard, and conservation of the environment. So, in that moment of mental craziness, I decided to volunteer for an environmental NGO. The ESC seemed like a good tool to search for initiatives at a European level. My search led me to SPBT, and a few weeks later, I found myself physically in Dadia. Although everything up until now seemed very smooth and easy, before saying yes to SPBT and embarking on this journey, I took my time to really understand what this volunteering experience would entail. Among the things that I considered were my lack of stamina and physical preparedness, my dislike for insects, the scorching-hot sun in the summer (I volunteered from March 2026 to September 2026), the fact that I had zero experience and knowledge of the wilderness and its inhabitants, and so on. After carefully considering all these things, I said yes. My motivation has been my strength. It has been the reason why I came here and why I stayed. This experience was a way to face challenges, overcome my limits, and, most importantly, do something good for our planet. I can\u2019t say everything went smoothly. One way or another, I was always challenged. My personal challenges included the tough field work (the fire that broke out in 2023 burned everything in its path and made it particularly difficult and dangerous to walk in the forest) or the scolopendra and other insects in the house that would appear when you least expected because we live in the countryside. Against all odds and my own predictions, I adapted. If you ask me, nothing shows more adaptability than surrounding yourself with things that are out of your comfort zone. Despite all of this, I enjoyed my time in Dadia. Some days might have been tougher than others, but I found the job rewarding and satisfying. Overall, I had a great time in Greece. The SPBT team is welcoming and the other volunteers, who are now my friends, are charismatic and have great personalities. In addition, it wasn\u2019t all about volunteering. I also managed to travel around Greece, and I think this country can offer spectacular landscapes if you venture beyond the touristic islands. As for my final comment, I want to say that I proved myself, and now, at the end of my volunteering experience, I can say that I am proud of myself (pat pat for me). So, I invite everyone to take that risk and get out of your comfort zone because you never know what you are missing out on!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Valeria1\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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