Who are you?
Hello, my name is Olga and I am currently a psychology student at Essex uni. I'm originally from Poland, however, I always wanted not only to explore the world but also make a difference. This is why being a volunteer in Greece seems to be a perfect opportunity for me as I can travel but also help to protect the endangered sea turtles. However, to make my dreams come true I'd like to raise a minimum of 650£ to cover the cost of a programme fee (420£) and journey costs (flights+transport).
A short summary of The wildlife sense project
Wildlife Sense is a project where the mission is to protect and conserve sea turtles, and to provide to them their native coastal habitats critical for their reproductive success. To achive that goal, the organisation offers a unique learning experience for volunteers like me who will be involved in studying and monitoring the environment but also to promote public awareness by operating a science-based research and conservation project on the island.
The typical day as a volunteer starts with cycling to the beaches in the early morning hours, walks along the golden sand looking for fresh turtle nests, then mark, measure, and protect all nests that were laid during the previous night. The primary goal is to protect sea turtle nests against accidental damage and monitor their progress throughout incubation to the hatching stage. As the young turtles hatch, we will do our best to protect them from light pollution and assure they can safely crawl to the sea.
Of course not every minute will be spent working, therefore at weekends, evenings and days off, I will be exploring this amazing island!:)
why?
I've got a plenty of reasons why I want to go there. Some of them I already mentioned but I want to explain it a little further anyway:
- I've been a scout since I was a kid and it taught me how valuable is volunteering work, so that I keep looking for opportunities where I can do something good for others, plus in the era of the climat changes and where so many species are threatened with extinction it is even more important for me to become more aware of how important it is to take care about the enviornment around us and actively participate in saving our planet.
- secondly, since I remember I was always in love with every kind of animal I ever met in my life and I am more than excited when I think about gaining hand on experience with taking care of little sea turtles I haven't seen before in real life
- What is more, as a psychology student, I enjoy contact with like-minded people and I find more than interesting knowing other’s people points of views, so that I think it would be very enriching for me to participate in that volunteering opportuinity
- the last but not least are the benefits coming from visiting a new place and getting an insight into a new culture as well as being put into a new situation with people you haven't meet before what will push myself to adapt to a different situation - this is the kind of experience I always enjoy as it lets me get to know myself better than before :)
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Where will the money go?
MINIMUM TARGET: 650£ - how this money will be spent?
The programme fee - 420£ - that includes accomodation, insurance, field training
flights and airport transfers - 230£
FUNDING TARGET: 840£ - what does it include?
food - a weekly vegetarian food kitty for 30£ each week (60£ in total)
the remaining 160£ will be spent on necessary kit such as boots, clothing, etc.
Reward
Also, to say huge thank you to people who donates me I've got some nice rewards. Check them out!:)
if you want more info about wildlife sense
A few links in case the info provided by me is not enough for you to decide if your money are going to be well spend :)
https://wildlifesense.com/en/
https://twitter.com/wildlifesense
https://go.conservationguide.org/projects/wildlife-sense-wildlife-sense/
