Service Learning is an initiative of the Greek America Foundation that aims to engage North American college students and young professionals in impactful volunteer programs in Greece, a nation that has been impacted adversely by a crippling financial crisis and the largest international refugee crisis since World War II. Humanitarian relief programs which are unheard of in most Western countries are commonplace in Greece, which has experienced exponential increases in homelessness, child poverty, suicide and other societal problems.
There are three primary aspects to this initiative:
(1) Students are are exposed to the ideals of service and volunteerism, core ideals of the Greek America Foundation’s mission, and experience first-hand their own impact on the causes they are supporting.
(2) At the same time, collectively, our program supports the nation of Greece and her people as they grapple with numerous humanitarian issues.
(3) Finally, our volunteers are exposed to contemporary Greek life and culture.
The inaugural Service Learning Program took place during the summer of 2017 in Athens, Greece when 10 volunteers spent the month of July with The HOME Project, a network of shelters for unaccompanied refugee minors.
Our upcoming program is taking place on the island of Chios during the summer of 2019, where 16 volunteers are supporting the efforts of METAdrasi, a non-profit offering support, education, integration and other services to unaccompanied refugee minors trapped in Greece.
Our program has been supported over the years by companies, institutions and individuals who understand the significance of imparting the ideals of service and volunteerism amongst future leaders of our community.
Donate today to help us sustain this program and continue to instill the values of service and volunteerism in young North Americans — while immersing them in real-world humanitarian challenges.
Our program strives to create human experiences for our volunteers, connecting them with their inner-selves and instilling in them the importance of volunteerism and service by allowing them to experience first-hand the smile on the face of someone they are feeding, supporting or serving.
We seek volunteers who are able to handle quickly changing environments, encountering people from different cultures and sharing viewpoints and the emotional ups and downs that come with working in challenging conditions. Having strong boundaries, knowing your limits and when to take a break are important skills while volunteering.
Participants have the option to accrue college credit that can be applied to their studies at their home institution in the United States or Canada via our partnership with the Hellenic American University, a U.S.-accredited institution of higher education in Athens. Students are responsible for checking with their home institutions about transfer of credits and ensuring the transfer of the credits. A counselor at Hellenic American University will be made available to assist, as will a curriculum and coursework.
Our programs are usually a month long and require about 5-6 hours a day of volunteering, four days per week. We do offer an "off-day," as well as pre-planned weekend excursions to allow for volunteers to have a physical and emotional break for the demanding work they are doing. Excursions involve the immersion into the local culture, with guided visits to cultural and historic sights, beaches, traditional village festivals or other important locations and/or happenings that may be taking place during the program's duration.
Read more about the 2017 program in Athens with The HOME Project
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Service Learning is a new initiative of the Greek America Foundation aiming to engage North American university students with volunteer programs in Greece. Our program fulfills a dual purpose. First, students are immersed into contemporary Greek life, while simultaneously volunteering for important humanitarian relief programs and helping to make a lasting impact on contemporary problems […]
