The moving experience of Frederique at the Rescue Centre
Frederique, a 23-year-old from Luxembourg, wanted to try something new and immerse himself in a different culture but wasn't sure how, until he heard about volunteering abroad from a friend. Driven by his desire to work with animals, he stumbled on ARCHELON's webpage, and found it appealing. ‘I have two dogs myself, and even if sea turtles are something completely different, I always felt very close to animals.’ Frederique explained. Given his preference for capital cities, he decided to volunteer at the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre of ARCHELON in Glyfada, Attica. Before coming to Athens, he worked as an electrical apprentice and then as a janitor.
At the Rescue Centre volunteers are expected to help on all fronts, so he knew he would have hands-on involvement with all sorts of things, including the rescue network, public awareness, sea turtle rehabilitation, maintenance, and data collection. Still, the first couple of days proved challenging, as he tried to grasp his new reality. After a few days, he started to anticipate the tasks of cleaning the tanks and turtles and preparing food. ‘When I got there, I knew nothing about turtles and had to learn everything from scratch. I was surprised by the treatments that sea turtles go under and the tasks volunteers have. My biggest surprise was that even sea turtles have different personalities!’, said Frederique with excitement.
At ARCHELON, you'll have the opportunity to meet and work together with new people and form lasting friendships - a major benefit of volunteering. You also get to speak to a lot of visitors who are interested in our work. "Giving tours of the Rescue Centre and raising awareness to the visitors about the marine environment was one of the first things I was trained to do. I think the best way to get the message across to the public is to bring people at the Rescue Centre, so they can see for themselves the work we do and understand why we protect and care for this beautiful species", he said.
‘One particularly memorable moment for me was witnessing ‘Rebecca's’ release back into her natural habitat after rehabilitation. It was a very emotional moment because I had picked up that sea turtle with a flipper injury from a bus station, brought her to the Rescue Centre, and helped her with her daily treatments and rehabilitation. You can't describe such a feeling if you don’t experience it yourself, Frederique says
‘Volunteering is an experience which you only understand when you give your sweat and blood to support this project! That's why I always advise everyone, of all ages, to give it a try and gain new experiences. ARCHELON is the best choice for me because you live the volunteering experience to the fullest!’ he adds.
Frederique has returned to the Rescue Centre once more after his initial visit and he is already anticipating his next return!
Learn more about ARCHELON’s volunteering projects here and apply now!
The Over & Above Awards for 2023
Presentation of ARCHELON 2023 Results: Here is some good news!
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS26/04/2024
Protecting sea turtles in Rethymno- Our Ocean, an Ocean of Potential
The 9th International Conference "Our Ocean", which was held in Athens from April 15 to 17, was successfully completed. ARCHELON had the honor to actively take part in the conference and hosted a side event.
- OUR NEWS12/04/2024
Coordination for the protection of sea turtles in Rethymno: Local authorities and tourism businesses join forces
The meeting, which took place on April 5, 2024, in the building of the Regional Unit of Rethymno, touched upon key issues, such as the observance of conservation measures for the protection of the Loggerhead sea turtle. Given the tourist activity on the nesting beaches, the active participation of the tourism sector in the implementation of the measures is necessary.
- OUR NEWS10/04/2024
"Tourists and turtles?" The environmental awareness campaign of ARCHELON spreads to the nesting beaches of the Loggerhead sea turtle
After the pandemic, ARCHELON - the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece - is once again mobilizing on the path to sustainable tourism. The aim of the new campaign is to provide information on the appropriate code of conduct for visitors to all nesting beaches, in cooperation with the tourism sector.
- OUR NEWS04/04/2024
LIFE MareNatura - The largest marine biodiversity program in Greece
- OUR NEWS03/04/2024
Citizens inform us of sea turtle strandings
ARCHELON started the effort to record the incidents of dead turtles washing up on the Greek shores in 1992. In recent years there has been an increase in these records which may be due to more of our fellow citizens reporting such incidents. Learn more…
- OUR NEWS19/03/2024
Contributing to international developments on sea turtle research and conservation
In the past, members of ARCHELON were actively involved in the elaboration of the Global Strategy for the Conservation of Marine Turtles, published in 1995, and nowadays three of our collaborators participate in the writing of the revised guidebook “Research and Management Techniques for the Conservation of Sea Turtles”.
- OUR NEWS08/03/2024
The Over & Above Awards for 2023
These are the ARCHELON Over & Above Awards for 2023.
- OUR NEWS29/02/2024
Presentation of ARCHELON 2023 Results: Here is some good news!
On Thursday February 15th, 2024, ARCHELON’s annual Presentation of Results took place downtown, at the Impact Hub Athens. When welcoming members, staff, collaborators, friends and volunteers, Daphne Mavrogiorgos, Director of ARCHELON, spoke about the multi-leveled action of ARCHELON during 2023.
- OUR NEWS02/02/2024
Sea turtles in the Greek wetlands of international importance
World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on February 2. These vulnerable areas of the planet are a refuge for migratory birds and other wildlife species, including sea turtles. ARCHELON is present in wetlands that play an important role for sea turtles, such as the Amvrakikos Gulf.
- OUR NEWS24/01/2024
Why are ARCHELON’s projects international?
ARCHELON’s sea turtle conservation projects are organized with the valuable contribution of volunteers who come to Greece every year not just from Europe but from more distant places such as South Korea, Australia, and Colombia. Speaking English while carrying out fieldwork or public awareness activities as well as when interacting with each other in the campsites is essential to the projects.
- OUR NEWS17/01/2024
ARCHELON has been running a special hospital for sea turtles with tanks and impressive old train wagons for 30 years in Glyfada
Turtles with IV and bandages, rehabilitation and recovery tanks, special environmental enrichment equipment, recovery greenhouses, and… renovated train wagons! The hospital for injured and sick turtles that ARCHELON has set up in the 3rd marina of Glyfada, next to the sea, is certainly something out of the ordinary.
- OUR NEWS05/01/2024
What happened in the world of ARCHELON in 2023?
A world record for reproductive life for a sea turtle and 40 years of ARCHELON’s actions for protecting sea turtles are some of the moments we celebrated together this year. So, what happened in the world of ARCHELON in 2023? Here are some highlights of the past year.
- OUR NEWS21/12/2023
Assuming responsibility for the environment brings more meaning into our lives
“ARCHELON is an opportunity, not only for the animals and the ecosystems, but also for us who participate in it and for the society in which we operate”. Thomas Arapis, President and founding member of ARCHELON, talks about the efforts of the organization and about what he aspires for the future.
- OUR NEWS20/12/2023
Forty years later: the world of ARCHELON has expanded
Thomas Arapis, President and founding member of the Association gives the current coordinates of ARCHELON. "We encounter many turtles in our daily activities, and even more people, many more people actually, who help us. Amongst them are the people who work for us, they stand out for they represent the Association out there, through thick and thin".
- OUR NEWS20/12/2023
19 Environmental NGOs ask the Greek Government not to consent to a change in the wolf protection status in Europe