Two ARCHELON experiences through the European Solidarity Corps during the pandemic
Elsa Delecroix – Volunteer from ADICE (France)
Elsa, a young artist from France, talks about her stay in ARCHELON’s Sea Turtle Rescue Centre in Athens, Greece:
I graduated from high school in the middle of the quarantine in France. I didn't see myself going to university right after school, but I really wanted to travel and I found ARCHELON.
Working with sea turtles here was an excellent choice. This looks like a childhood dream for most people, something you have to try once in your life, at least! And I didn’t regret it.
My choice was to become a short term volunteer through ESC for two months. The first two weeks were pretty hard physically but it was really worth it! The majority of the volunteer duties consist of cleaning tanks and turtles, preparing the fish and feeding the turtles, being at the shop and doing public awareness and obviously help maintain the Centre. Eirini was my supervisor and Mike was her assistant: they were great in diversifying the tasks and bring experiences to everyone.
The team work was amazing for me. I was really concerned about it at first because it was all new to me. But, I think I was with really good people that only wanted the well-being of everyone and who were all so respectful.
We spent a lot of time all together sharing things together and having fun. Volunteering is a great way to learn to listen to yourself and your needs, if you’re not really comfortable with this yet. Moreover, the Centre is located in a pretty urban zone and there are a lot of great things to do! I enjoyed it so much that I didn't want to leave.
I have only seen a very small part of Greece and I would like to spend more time with the people here. I really would consider coming back to help ARCHELON maybe during the summer.
I would definitely recommend this organization, because you will never be alone or left aside. The organization really does its best to help you by all means and some volunteers come back to help.
Noémie Fritsch – Volunteer from youth organization ANIJ (Luxembourg)
Noemie, a young lady from Luxembourg, has worked hard for the rehabilitation of sea turtles at ARCHELON’s Rescue Centre and shares her European Solidarity Corps experience:
Hey! I am 25 years old and I volunteered at ARCHELON from September to November 2020, together with another person from my home country. Being two of us, really helped me adjust to this new environment. After a week of quarantine as a safety measure against COVID-19, I could finally start my volunteer work at ARCHELON! At the beginning, there was much information to digest but as time went by I got used to it and soon I could correlate the information I received with what I was doing and that helped me a lot.
Being part of the team at the Rescue Centre, I met many wonderful people during my stay and we shared a lot of fun moments and nice evenings. That, of course, made it hard to say “goodbyes”, one after the other.
During my last weeks at ARCHELON, Athens was again in a lockdown, which gave me time to pack my stuff and enjoy more my last days working with the turtles at the Rescue Centre.
Speaking a little about the turtles, we fed the turtles with fish as a daily routine. Some of the turtles are able to eat by themselves, but others still need to be fed by people. I was very proud when I succeeded in feeding a turtle who wasn’t eating, for the first time! Yet, not every effort is a success but we do our best and never give up!
I had my favorite turtle as each of the volunteers usually does, and Ι was so happy when we finally could release him. That was an unforgettable moment!
To sum up, I am glad European Solidarity Corps helped me join ARCHELON. Not only it made my participation affordable, but I was also able to fund activities on my days off with other volunteers.
THE MOST SPECIAL PRESENTS
Turtle Challenge 3: Create a story for us that can be scripted for video
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS26/06/2024
Sea Turtles Surprise us: if you see tracks on the beach, help ARCHELON's research!
Not all beaches on Greece's extensive coastline are suitable for sea turtle nesting, but sometimes these marine reptiles surprise us! This summer, ARCHELON is asking for your help to investigate a phenomenon called "sporadic nesting".
- OUR NEWS17/06/2024
ATTENTION! Sea turtles are not pets: Do not touch them or feed them!
In areas where a sea turtle associates human presence with food, it’s behavior changes. The turtle treats humans as well as other turtles as competitors in its feeding grounds and tries to drive them away with bites.
- OUR NEWS16/06/2024
30 Years of Hope: The Sea Turtle Rescue Centre of ARCHELON Celebrates World Sea Turtle Day
Every year on June 16th, we celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about these magnificent creatures and the threats they face. This year is particularly important for ARCHELON, as the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre marks 30 years of operation.
- OUR NEWS13/06/2024
Poster contest for children and young adults: Welcome the 2024 turtle hatchlings on the beaches!
Watercolors, markers, collage, computer, phone? Everything is useful. Use your creativity and imagination to make an A3 or A4 size poster announcing that the 2024 sea turtle eggs are about to hatch.
- OUR NEWS17/05/2024
Amvrakikos Project 2024: Special Call for a Field Leader
ARCHELON is looking for a highly motivated person to lead its project in Amvrakikos Gulf, one of the few foraging sites for loggerhead turtles in Greece linking several populations nesting across the Mediterranean region.
- OUR NEWS16/05/2024
Τhe nesting of loggerhead sea turtles started earlier this year and the effects of the climate crisis on the oceans are worrying
For the first time, in the 40 years of ARCHELON records, the first sea turtle nest was found in Laganas Gulf, Zakythos on May 10th. Scientific predictions of the nesting season moving earlier in the spring due to climate change are being confirmed.
- OUR NEWS14/05/2024
Save Turtles, See Greece on a Budget
Dreaming of pristine Greek beaches and a chance to make a real difference? Here's why June and September are the perfect months to volunteer with sea turtle conservation efforts in Greece!
- OUR NEWS02/05/2024
Sea Turtle Festival for Kids 2024
Save the date! On Saturday 18 May at 11:00, the ARCHELON Rescue Centre opens its doors to welcome young and old sea turtle friends who want to celebrate, explore, learn, play and travel magically in the Mediterranean Sea. We are waiting for you to strengthen our message for a better and sustainable planet!
- OUR NEWS02/05/2024
A successful year for the International Sea Turtle Symposium
The International Sea Turtle Symposium concluded triumphantly this March in Pattaya, Thailand, with ARCHELON actively participating.
- OUR NEWS29/04/2024
A Morning Beach Patrol with ARCHELON
The camera lens of Stefanos and Maria of SteMajourneys caught a rare sight in the early morning: a Loggerhead sea turtle nesting! The volunteers in Chania took action right away to protect the nest.
- 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…