During summer 2018, Maro participated in a workcamp in Slovakia, as a European Voluntary Service (EVS) volunteer through the project "V.I.P. - Volunteering is Possible" with the financial support of the Erasmus+ Programme funded by the European Commission.
Eco Slatinka project was without a doubt an experience I will never forget. As a volunteer, the more you give, the more you receive. I gain emotions and thoughts that made me reacher in mind and heart.
I wanted to participate in such a thing because I wanted to meet people that they like nature too amd because my mother had done something similar when she was in my age and she told me the best about it.
I shared this adventure with a multicultural team from Netherlands, Taivan, Spain, Mexico, Prague, Belarus, Slovakia and I represented Greece. Our aim was to learn to live and work together for two weeks in a beautiful small village called Slatinka. It is an effort in order Slatinka to be reborn.
We shared from the beginning responsibilities and rules with conversation that really helped us during the program. So, after our leaders showed us a plan about the working and 
relaxing activities, we played games trying to discover each other. I have to say that the games we did while we were in Slovakia, even if they seemed sometimes crazy, really made me feel even younger, full of energy, power and self-confidence.
You could see the result of the above in the quality of our work. We discovered day by day that getting involved with the forest, the village, the old school in which we were living, the environment in general was more satisfying than regular toilets, shower and internet access that we didn't have. We paid attention to our communication with people and nature and I feel that as a generous gift.
As for the work I was afraid that I would face difficulties but the leaders and the local partners helped us to understand that everybody is essential in some way. We planned, draw and cleaned a park in Svolen. We cleaned the old school. We made a wooden house in the village. We made paths and gather wood in the forest and many other things. We also had plenty of time to have fun. They made us masaz, we went to a party in a village nearby,we climbed a mountain called pyramids and we saw a beautiful view of endless fields. Last but not least, we had a celebration our last day together with the local community. We ate traditional food from our countries and talked together for our experience so far.
Recalling memories from this period is something. I will always have a desire to do a workcamp. I hope more young people have the chance to live something similar.
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