Meet Claire, LHR’s Youth Engagement Space Manager

For over two years, Claire Campion has been a key figure of our Youth Engagement Space — but her journey with LHR started in Ireland, where she studied social work, and worked in child protection. Read on to find out more about what drew Claire to working in Greece.

What is your title?

Youth Engagement Space Manager

Where are you from?

Kilkenny, Ireland

How long have you been with Lighthouse Relief?

2 years and 3 months now!

What did you do before you joined Lighthouse?

After finishing my social work degree, I began working as a social worker in Ireland, first as a medical social worker in a national hospital and later as a child protection social worker, specialising in children who were in state care, as well as families in need of longer term support.

What made you want to work with LHR?

I had volunteered with LHR in 2017, and although I only volunteered for a short time, I was impressed with the psycho-social support services LHR were offering. Since that time, I have been a supporter and follower of Lighthouse’s work. When I saw a job in the youth space open, I was really excited at the opportunity to get to work with the youth in Ritsona and be part of LHR again.

What has been your favourite memory/standout moment at Lighthouse so far?

There have been so many! One standout moment was this last summer when we rebuilt our youth space after the first lockdown period ended in Greece. This was a challenging task for sure especially considering the very hot weather! But to see so many different community members come together and work together for this purpose will always be a beautiful memory. Everyday I see the space, I think what an impressive accomplishment it is for the youth who built it.

What does a typical day at Lighthouse look like for you?

Well this year, like many people in the world, we’ve had to adapt and change how we do things, so my typical day is a little different now! Due to COVD-19 we have a lot of cleaning and sanitation tasks to do, so this is how we begin the day, making sure the youth space is safe for residents to use.

Our resident volunteers will come and join us and we will work together to get the space ready for the day. From here, the day can bring many different things; we spend time with different youth, providing support, facilitating activities/workshops, and mediating any problems or conflicts so that everyone feels comfortable and welcome in the Lighthouse space.

What do you most love about your job?

The youth! I meet so many very special youth in our space and while they are all experiencing a difficult time in their lives I see so much resilience, strength and kindness in the youth I get to work with everyday.

What do you wish people knew about the situation in Greece?

[I wish that people knew] that there are a lot of refugees here in Greece who are doing everything they can to find their place in the world again and recover from loss and traumas. That even after people have been granted refugee status, this starts another battle for them — to find somewhere to live, to find work — it is a very challenging time.

I hope people can keep trying to understand and stay informed of what things are like here in Greece.

For more information about the YES and LHR’s psychosocial programming in Ritsona Camp, visit our website.

From March 8–12, any donation you make to LHR under 50 USD on our GlobalGiving page will be matched 50% — more information here.