Dates: 1. – 30. 6. 2016
Venue: Kryoneri Korinthias, Greece
Programme and action: Erasmus+, KA1, European Voluntary Service
Participants: Alžběta Rothová, Kamil Machourek
For further information about this EVS please read the infopack.
Something about the project: It is composed as a short-term EVS, the FILOXENIA, Intercultural-Environmental Organisation is a hosting organisation.
Project report:
When I saw the title of this EVS project I was immediately interested and wanted to know more; the fact that it was taking place in a beautiful village in rural Greece was a great bonus! I always try to consider green issues in my work life and have experience with gardening and this is something I would like to do more in the future, so I hoped the project might give me a few ideas on how to achieve this.
Kryoneri is located about 20 minutes into the hills from Kiato, which is a two hours train journey westwards from Athens. The hostel we stayed in was a hostel as I imagine them. We had beautiful place near the edge of the village which was surrounded by olive trees and vineyards and had lovely views down the mountain and over the sea to Korinth. It was a very peaceful place.
The project started with lots of ice breakers and general discussion to get to know one another and find out why each person had chosen to come on the course. This was all very informal and enjoyable and it was the perfect opportunity to hear what people expected to get out of their month in Greece. I realised on the first day how like minded we all were, despite being from all corners of Europe, and I was looking forward to sharing ideas and stories with everyone as the month progressed.
The month was a good balance of classroom discussion, manual work, educational visits and downtime. We stayed as a group for all activities and consequently became very close. All meals were together ‘family style’ and in the evening we could visit the local taverna to socialise and relax. We had participants from Spain, Czech Republic, Romania, Germany and Greece. We all had different backgrounds and different ages so it was interesting being able to talk to new people and hear their outlook on the issues of the week and life in general.
During the project I learned a huge amount about Greek history and also about how Greece is modernising its rural areas to strengthen the economy.
I had never been to Greece before this month, but I will definitely go back, either as a volunteer or a tourist. It is such a rich and varied country with loads to see and so many wonderful communities to visit. I feel compelled to do more projects like this, as I love meeting new people and seeing more of the world. It was extremely rewarding to make improvements to the river footpath and the old stone house and I will keep in touch with the locals to see how they progress over the summer.
Kamil Machourek
