By Yannis Vitsos – ENIL’s ESC Volunteer
I’m currently sitting at my desk, at ENIL’s office, looking at my to-do list for this week. I have to do some research on good practices regarding sexual and reproductive rights in Europe, film a couple of videos for ENIL’s social media and finally start working on my personal project – a documentary on disability and queerness.
But, wait. How did I get here? Let’s have a look back.
Ever since I was a kid, I loved talking about different things. I just didn’t have anything specific to talk about. But, once I actively joined the blind community in Greece and started forming my disability identity, and once I found my feet within the queer community, I knew there was a lot to talk about.
I started hosting various podcasts and writing short Facebook posts on these topics. Later, I even got my degree in journalism, which gave me the chance to sharpen my research and storytelling skills. After that, I worked on Greek TV, advocating for disability rights. And eventually, I settled on making videos for social media, where I kept shedding light on various disability issues, and started opening up about my queer identity, in intersection with disability.
My social media started to grow, reaching thousands of followers and millions of views, spreading the message for real inclusion and equal social participation even further.
And then, came the need to take my advocacy to an international level.
Former ENIL’s ESC volunteer and current Head of Communications – and one of my best friends, Christos Meletis, used to talk to me a lot about his experience with the organisation and inspired me to follow the same route.
The applications opened, I went through the interview process, I was accepted and here I am today. Advocating for the things that matter to me the most, and feeling that I get the chance to improve the lives of disabled people all over Europe even in the slightest, while living my best life in Brussels.
So now you know how I got here, and I just crossed one thing off of my to-do list.
