An endearing smile and the enthusiasm of someone who loves what they do with a touch of idealism sums up Greek-American Lia Papazoglou.
I met Lia in Litochoro… a quiet Greek village in Northern Greece that everyone knows about because it’s the gateway to the great Mt Olympus.
What is a New Yorker doing in Litochoro? Making a difference!
Ecogenia: Turning Words into Actions
Lia, a sustainable development practitioner with experience in the nonprofit, solar, and climate sectors, decided one day to leave the Big Apple behind her and move not to Athens or Thessaloniki, two large Greek cities, but to a small village at the foot of Mt Olympus.
She came to Greece with one goal: to engage young people, local communities, local governments and stakeholders into climate action. What this really comes down to is bringing people together for one very good reason: to protect the environment through cooperation aka climate change through civic service in Greece.
With this in mind, Lia together with Erika Spagakou set up Ecogenia, a nonprofit organization which aims to build a national youth climate corps “in and for Greece”.
The idea, says Lia, was brewing for more than a decade, but began to really take shape during the Covid pandemic.
Today, Ecogenia has attracted the interest of dozens of young Greeks and foreigners but also of municipalities, fire and forestry departments, the Greek environment ministry, and even the prime minister raising awareness about climate change and civic service in Greece.
To implement its ambitious program, Ecogenia turned to US service and volunteer group AmeriCorps and French civic service association UnisCite adapting their already tried-and-tested models to Greece.
“A lot needs to be done on the ground,” she tells The Greek Vibe, “and we are here to fill in the gaps.”
In short, Ecogenia invites unemployed youths aged 18 to 30 to join the team. Once training is completed, they are directed to cooperating host-sites across Greece where they offer their services for a salary. The host-sites assign work tasks, manage and mentor these youths. Ecogenia also raises funds to facilitate these partnerships.
So it’s a win-win situation, Lia says, especially at a time when more and more young people are looking for jobs with a purpose.
Touched by Greece!
Guests and friends tell us how they’ve been ‘Touched by Greece’
1. How were you ‘touched by Greece’?
My yiayia and pappou (grandmother and grandfather) are my inspiration. Their warmth, generosity, sense of humor, and resilience shaped who I am today.
2. What does Greece mean to you?
Greece is my heart and soul – it’s everything to me, which is why I have dedicated my life to creating a more sustainable country for current and future generations through Ecogenia.
3. Your favorite place in Greece?
Mt Olympus and the Pieria region, where my yiayia is from. You simply cannot beat the unique mountain and sea combination, and with such a rich history.
☞ If you’re looking for work with a purpose, where you can meet people who share their love for the planet and Greece, then why not join Ecogenia. You’ll be trained, paid, and if you’re foreign you may even learn the language while contributing to the community and protecting the environment.
☞ You could also support Ecogenia by donating. U.S.-based donors can make tax-deductible contributions.
☞ or by simply spreading the word
