Volunteer Tourism in Greece: How Diaspora Youth Are Making a Difference Through Travel

Greece extends beyond its borders, where the diaspora often holds their heritage closer than those at home. According to the General Secretariat of Hellenes Abroad, over 5 million people of Greek origin reside in 140 countries worldwide, forming a large and vibrant global community.

The first significant wave of Greek immigration occurred in the early 1900s, followed by the most significant wave after World War II, with a more recent wave during the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. The General Secretariat of Hellenes Abroad reports that the United States is home to the largest Greek population outside Greece, with around 3 million people of Greek origin.

Over 150,000 Greek descendants also reside across Central and South America, while Cyprus, Australia, and Canada are also home to significant Greek communities. Boston, USA, is home to a vibrant Greek community of over 100,000 people, and Massachusetts proudly boasts the fourth-largest Greek population in the United States.

Among them is 17-year-old Melina Liodakis, a high school student from Brookline, born to first-generation Greek immigrant parents. While deeply connected to both cultures, Melina often copes with a sense of dual identity, navigating the richness of her Greek heritage while embracing her American upbringing.

Melina and her family often visit Greece, sometimes twice a year. Recently, however, she underwent a transformative change by combining her travels with volunteering and giving back to a community she deeply cares about. This experience marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life.

In this interview, we caught up with Melina as she shares her story and reflects on the meaningful journey she’s had as a community volunteer in Greece.

KLG: Hello Melina, how are you? Where do we find you at the moment? 

Melina: Hello, I’m currently in Brookline, Massachusetts, where I’m a junior in high school, focusing on my studies while doing desk research for my upcoming volunteer trip to Greece this summer.

KLG: It sounds like you have a lot going on and some great plans ahead! What field of study are you interested in?

Melina: I’m interested in tourism, hospitality, political science, and international relations. My goal for the future is to have a greater impact on others and know that my actions contribute to the greater good.

KLG: It’s truly inspiring to hear about your plans, and the world definitely needs people like you! So, how did your journey into volunteerism begin?

Melina: I was thirteen when I began volunteering with Global Brigades in the summer of 2021. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the program—normally held in person—shifted online. From my home in Boston, my older sister and I worked with a refugee entrepreneur in Athens to build a website and create a marketing strategy for his small business (an export/ import company of African goods). It was my first exposure to Greece’s immigration crisis—and the start of my journey into social impact work.

KLG: What is your connection to Greece? Have you ever lived there? And what inspired you to choose Greece for your volunteer work?

Melina: Although I’ve never lived in Greece, it has always felt like home. I was born in London in 2008 and moved to the U.S. as a baby, but every summer, my family returns to Greece—mainly to Crete, where both of my parents grew up. My parents are first-generation immigrants in the U.S., so I was raised in a Greek-speaking household where being part of the diaspora was central to my identity. While my friends in Boston spent summers on the Cape, my sister and I spent ours in Greece, often volunteering.

KLG: How does it feel for someone with strong Greek roots to be born and raised in another country, like the US, even on a different continent?

Melina: As a Greek American, I’ve definitely felt conflicted as I’ve grown up in the U.S., and most of my peers are American. But my parents hold our Greek nationality very close to their hearts. And we normally visit Greece at least once or twice a year, usually in the summer. But I think it’s definitely difficult at the start to kind of reintegrate back into my life in Greece with a seven-hour time difference and a language barrier.

KLG: Can barriers become bridges through volunteering?

Melina: Certainly. My experience with Global Brigades gave me a special opportunity to hear from others about their experiences living in Greece, allowing me to see a completely different side of a place I’ve known for years. It also strengthened many of my friendships, as last year, I brought several friends from the US along, and it was rewarding to work with them, help serve our community, and show them the real Greece. It was a meaningful experience for all of us and allowed me to create meaningful relationships with local people.

KLG: Was this volunteering experience something that left a lasting impact on you, something you took home with you?

Melina: That experience definitely left a lasting impression. Working with Julian, a Congolese entrepreneur, opened my eyes to a side of Greece I hadn’t seen—one shaped by displacement and inequality. We built a website and created a social media content calendar to grow his business.

I learned skills in marketing, communication, and cross-cultural collaboration. While he gained valuable tools, I gained a deeper understanding of a part of Greece marked by resilience and hardship.

In July 2024, I returned to Greece for a five-day, in-person Global Brigades program in Athens. I worked on business consulting for refugee entrepreneurs, led social media projects, supported a disability awareness workshop, and joined a climate action initiative. We also volunteered at a soup kitchen and participated in an environmental cleanup with the nonprofit Humanity Greece.

The 2021 and 2024 projects taught me how to support refugee-run businesses sustainably, by creating tools they could continue using long after. I saw how short-term work can make a lasting impact when built around real needs. Most importantly, I learned that volunteering is about listening, learning, and building genuine connections.

KLG: Did these remarkable moments change the way you see Greece now?

Melina: These experiences deepened my connection to Greece beyond family traditions. Volunteering showed me the country not just as my roots, but as a place facing complex challenges. Fluent in Greek, I found myself bridging the diaspora and local communities.

Through Global Brigades, I saw the immigration crisis firsthand and helped refugee-run businesses using tools like SWOT analysis. Some clients and participants spoke little English, so I used Greek to lead conversations and workshops. I’m thankful my parents encouraged me to take the Ellinomatheia exams—earning a Greek proficiency diploma helped me contribute fully.

KLG: As we say in Greek, ‘Nothing goes lost.’ (laughs), So it sounds like through volunteering, you not only learned and developed new skills, but also had the opportunity to practice the ones you already had.

Melina: This is true. I even practiced cooking! In 2023, I joined a smaller volunteer event in Athens led by “Love Van”, cooking meals for individuals recovering from addiction. It reminded me that impact doesn’t always come through big programs. Sometimes, small acts of compassion leave the deepest impression.

KLG: Our small acts can shape the world, or at least the one around us, it is true. How has your view of the world changed through these valuable life lessons?

Melina: These experiences have shaped how I see my role in the world. I’ve learned to value empathy, collaboration, and cultural understanding. I’ve become more confident in my ability to lead projects and contribute ideas. I’ve also started thinking more seriously about how young people—especially those of us in the diaspora—can support the countries we come from in meaningful ways.

KLG: Can you say that volunteering in Greece has shaped you in any way?

Melina: Volunteering has changed my perspective—not just on Greece, but on myself. It has helped me understand that meaningful service isn’t about doing the biggest thing, but about showing up consistently and with purpose. I believe volunteering should come from genuine interest and values, not just for school requirements or college applications. Everyone should consider it—not only because it supports communities, but because it challenges and empowers you to grow.

And that has given me a lot of power to do a lot of things. I think also vacationing has changed me a lot. Being able to go to Greece not only is just going there to see my friends and tanning at the beach, but also to be able to do something better for others around me and to help my community.

KLG: What you’ve described is truly priceless. Do you continue volunteering in the US?

Melina: Yes, I volunteer regularly also in the US. Once a volunteer, always a volunteer!(laughs)

KLG: What are your plans for the upcoming summer of 2025? Do you already know what volunteering opportunities you’ll be involved in?

Melina: In the summer of 2025, I plan to launch a new community service program in Crete. My goal is to bring together Greek diaspora teens and local Greek students to work side-by-side on projects that support vulnerable populations, from refugee support and environmental cleanups to youth workshops and food insecurity efforts.

While the focus will begin in Crete, I hope to expand the program to Athens in the future. I feel that now I’m ready to take the lead—building something that empowers other teens to get involved and make a difference.  

KLG: I hope you accomplish these goals, and I believe you will! What about the far future?

Melina: One of my longer-term goals is to help shift the culture around volunteering in Greece, especially among teens. Community service is not yet widely embraced by Greek youth, and I hope my program can inspire more local students to get involved, not just as volunteers, but as changemakers.  

KLG: It’s true, Greece needs more changemakers, and I’m glad we got to meet one today! What would you say to people out there about the importance of volunteerism?

Melina: I encourage others to explore voluntourism, combining travel with service; it’s one of the most enriching ways to experience a place through connection, learning, and shared impact. Because in the end, meaningful change starts when someone decides to show up—and keeps showing up.

You can check Melina`s website here and read the full article Melina wrote about her volunteerism experience here.