On the first of September, seven of the youngsters living in the institution along with six of our volunteers left the noisy city of Athens to go to the beautiful island of Thassos in the north of Greece. This was the first step of a full adventure for them.

But what exactly is the “Thassos” experience?

Every year the “Kreisau Initiative” develops the inclusive and international project “Building Bridges” supported by the program Erasmus+ of the European Union. This project takes place annually in Thassos and it is destined for young people with and without disabilities.

Through different workshops (theater, painting, dancing…) the youngsters, each one with a different background, spend a really amazing time in the company of people from different European countries. In this environment we are all together, without making differences between us, discovering all the things that we are able to do and, therefore, learning about the value of ourselves. 

“It’s the satisfaction of some people that proved to themselves that they can. It’s the opportunities given to people who spend their whole lives in a world not made for them. It’s watching kids that grow up in a closed institutional setting withdrawn from society, transform before your eyes and acquire cooperation, empathy, social behavior skills (…) you share pieces of your heart with people that don’t even speak the same language.”  

– Eirianna, Greek volunteer at Tandem –

“All I can say, even though it’s a little bit, is a huge THANK YOU. So I thank Tandem for giving me the opportunity to be in Thassos, to have a great time, to live a new experience that filled me with knowledge. But above all, I am happy that together with other attendants I managed to make young and old smile”

– Evelina, Volunteer at Tandem –

Thank you Kreisau-Initiative for having us this year, we are looking forward to the next one.