The Motivation Power of Boroume # 13

The driving force of Boroume lies in its volunteers. People with a strong sense of giving and participation in the effort to change habits and lifestyle with a positive social and environmental impact.

Chrysoula Toliopoulou is 20 years old and comes from Katerini. She now lives in Thessaloniki where she studies at the Department of International and European Studies of the University of Macedonia.

She believes that volunteering is more necessary than ever and that if we can help those in need, thus leaving a positive impact, we must act, with altruism as our primary motivation. This is the reason why Chrysoula feels the need to offer wherever possible.

She believes that the discussion about volunteering and awareness is very easy; however, due to the fast pace of everyday life, most of us put the giving and help in dealing with difficult situations, whether they concern people or the environment, on the back burner. She believes that we are consumed in our obligations and problems and forget what really matters. The difficult part of talking to someone about volunteering is convincing them of the usefulness of their slightest help. When she talks to someone about volunteering, the most reactions she gets are positive. But there are also comments such as "will you save the world?". But we have to start somewhere for change to happen. Chrysoula cannot imagine being idle and just observing.

She considers it a personal choice whether it is easy or not to throw away food. But judging by the general perception of our society, food is something that is treated as a given. There is a "I consume, so I exist" mentality. We seem to forget or still ignore how necessary food is for our survival, precisely because most of us happen to encounter it in abundance. We do not try to put ourselves in the place of others. How easily would we waste food recklessly if we really understood and appreciated how necessary it is for life?

She describes the Boroume team as selfless, tireless, cheerful. In the actions of "Boroume in the Farmers’ Market" in Thessaloniki, she is always impressed by the joy of the producers who offer, their hopeful comments and their satisfaction, knowing that they have also contributed to the most important work of the team, with respect to the food itself, but above all to fellow human beings and the environment.