Volunteers are the motivating force of ARCHELONʼs work and achievements
Unique moments and strong images are those that accompany the life of an active volunteer, on any level and way. The purpose of each volunteer is different but the result is the same, the will to offer.
From the first day of its foundation, ARCHELON welcomes volunteers from all over the world. People of every age, with variety of interests, different nationalities and habits. The volunteers are those who compose the character, the nature of ARCHELON over thirty-four years now and they are the motivating force of its actions and its deeds. Besides, a milestone on ARCHELON’s work was the moment the “Ambassadors” program was established. Ambassadors, are the volunteers that represent the Society and share their experiences with their community. They motivate, inspire and speak about the benefits of volunteering all over the world!!
2016 was a very strong year, because the number of the volunteers that participated in ARCHELON’s programs had increased. In total, more than 824 volunteers offered more than 20.000 days of volunteering, in order to protect the sea turtles and their nests. They helped 260.000 hatchlings reach the sea with safety. From those volunteers 207 were French, 154 British, 135 Greeks, 104 Belgians, 52 Germans, 27 Irish, 21 Americans etc.
A very important increase of interns was observed during the summer of 2016 (88 students) from 38 universities of Greece and other countries also.
Like every other year, ARCHELON started accepting volunteer applications for the 2017 nesting season, since October 2016 and continues to.
Every year, volunteers support ARCHELON, so it can run the programs for the protection of the sea turtles. The field programs have already started since May 7th and they will continue until October 15th 2017. Since the beginning of the year, the process to recruit volunteers for this year’s programs is of crucial importance, because only if the necessary number of participants is achieved, the field projects will be able to run properly and therefore the effective protection of the sea turtles on the nesting beaches may be guaranteed.
We hope that his year, ARCHELON will overcome the expectations of every previous year, and the goal that has been set for this season will be achieved.
Information / Applications: Chara Papailiou, Volunteers Officer – tel.: +30 6937 352 382, email: volunteers@archelon.gr (translation: Ourania Theodorakakou)
Joanne, whatʼs new at the Rescue Centre (April 2017)?
Dead sea turtle in Zakynthos
RECENT NEWS
- OUR NEWS15/07/2024
Ecotourism in Peloponnese and Crete: Explore a Loggerhead sea turtle nesting beach
ARCHELON offers a unique ecological experience for the lucky and aware travelers who will find themselves this summer on important Loggerhead sea turtle nesting beaches that the Association protects.
- 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