From student to environmental volunteer: A life changing experience to help revive traditional fishing methods

Paul came across the UNESCO Green Citizens platform when he saw a promotion for the campaign in the Paris Metro, and discovered the plethora of citizen-led environmental projects searching for people just like him to join their actions. Motivated by the idea of engaging in voluntary action in favour of the environment, he decided to fly to Finland to join Snowchange, an independent cooperative driven by the mission of creating innovative fishing methods within northern territories to restore natural areas. Our team had the pleasure of speaking to Paul on 1st February, who gave us feedback about his time volunteering with Snowchange until December 2022. He characterized the five-month experience as a “significant opportunity” in his trajectory, owing particularly to the many encounters he made, and stepping out of his comfort zone.

Find out more about Snowchange

Currently, he is volunteering with Mocamana, L’Esprit Nature. This organisation is in charge of the Amelëm tree nursery, another project highlighted by the UNESCO Green Citizens platform, whose mission is to restore the forests of New Caledonia. Paul embarked on the project 3 weeks ago, and is already enjoying learning about their actions, challenges and adapting to another new environment. 

Find out more about Amelëm Tree Nursery

Taking a positive look at his volunteering experiences, Paul strongly encourages people to take action to protect our planet. If you would like to embark on a similar journey, you can discover innovative citizen-led  projects to volunteer with on the UNESCO Green Citizens platform.