Are you between 18 and 30 years old, living in Thessaloniki and interested in starting your own business?
Then MY SITE can help you realize your dream!
Read the detailed description here
Apply TODAY to be a part of our group!
Do you want to help a young aspiring entrepreneur realise his/her dream?
Apply to MY SITE project call for mentors for a training @Thessaloniki on the 24 & 25/07.
Read and download the detailed call here
Send us your application TODAY!
There are a lot of requests for free educational training, seminars etc you are sending us- especially on technology issues.
We at SolidarityNow and in our effort to better organize our future training initiatives, we invite you to participate in the following survey that will help us better understand your needs and better plan our future educational initiatives.
Fill in the online questionnaire – it takes no more than 5 minutes – and do not forget to regurarly visit the SolidarityNow website to get all the information neeed about the current, free training opportunities we have to offer you.
Begin preparing for a networking career with this introduction to how networks operate. Computers and the internet are now part of our everyday life. SolidarityNow collaborates with Cisco, the largest networking company, and gives you the opportunity to study and prepare yourself for networking positions building the skillset required to work in the field!
Who is this for?
The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Training Program is an introduction to networks, addressed to everyone.
CCNA Routing and Switching curriculum builds the skills you need to get hired and succeed in jobs related to networking computers, devices, and things. Whether you’re preparing for your first job or specializing with more study, CCNA is a great foundation.
Career pathways include: network technician, support engineer, network administrator, network designer, network engineer, and more.
The CCNA certification professionally prepares you for a career in technology, designing and implementing networks, interfacing and customizing Cisco networking equipment that all major companies use. This course is designed to prepare you for entry-level networking jobs. No prerequisites required.
The program includes:
Audience (Is this course for me?):
Anyone who desires a practical and technical introduction to the field of networking. Job roles include headend technicians, network operations centre (NOC) staff, network engineers, network administrators, and network help-desk staff.
Cisco Routing and Switching (R & S) covers many areas of networking. Starting from basic components such as wiring to more complex such as routing, switching, troubleshooting, wireless networks and security. In this course you will learn how to manage, set up and support corporate networks and recognize telecommunications communication protocols, provide the necessary security, support network users, and online security! Basic principles of IP network design and implementation, based on the TCP / IP protocols suite, focusing on new technologies such as IPv6, IoE and IoT.
This includes learning the architecture, structure, and functions needed to support the operations and priorities of Fortune 500 companies to small innovative retailers. You will even get the chance to configure a network yourself, such as a simple LAN (Local Area Network). After completing this course, you will have a working knowledge of routing, switching, network applications and protocols.
Completing this course you will be able to work as: IT Support technician, IT Administrator, Telecommunication Technician, Network Administrator, System Administrator, Network Administrator, IT Network Specialist, Network Engineer. In addition, you will have all the knowledge to advance your career as a network specialist.
Certification
After successful completion of this course you receive a Cisco Certificate of course completion.
In addition, those who have attended Cisco Certified Network Administrator – Intro to networking can easily continue with CCNA2 courses.
By completing the academic program you are eligible to sit for the CCNA Routing and Switching certification exams at an authorized Pearson VUE Test Center.
Duration
CCNA1 – Introduction to Networks is a 70-hour program. The schedule will be announced when the program starts. The CCNA 1 – Introduction to Networks course prepares students for the following:
Content:
Module 1: Lans, Wans, the Internet and the changing network Environment
Module 2: Router and Switch IOS, basic configuration, addressing Schemes
Module 3: Network Protocols and standards, data transfer in the network
Module 4: Physical layer protocols, network media, Data Link protocols, Media Access Control
Module 5: Ethernet protocol, LAN switches, Address Resolution Protocol
Module 6: Network Layer protocols, routing, configuring a router
Module 7: IPv4 and IPv6 Addressing, testing connectivity
Module 8: Subnetting IP Networks and VLSM, design considerations
Module 9: Transport Layer protocols, TCP, UDP, Port numbers
Module 10: Application Layer protocols and services
Module 11: Build a Small Network, design, security, performance, troubleshooting
Location
The lessons will take place at the Athens Solidarity Center, at Domokou Street 2 in Larissa Station.
Prerequisites:
Cost
Participation in the training is free of charge for all participants.
For more information, please email training@solidaritynow.org or cisco@solidaritynow.org
20 June, Kypseli Municipal Market – 22 June, Serafio City of Athens
On World Refugee Day, held every year on 20 June, we commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees forced to flee their home. Around the world, communities, schools, businesses, faith groups and people from all walks of life are taking big and small steps in solidarity with refugees.
In Athens, on the occasion of this year’s World Refugee Day, we join forces in two events-meetings where we will create, discuss, learn, make proposals, search for solutions, play, photograph and sing, all together, sending a strong message of solidarity and peaceful coexistence.
We are looking forward to seeing you all there.
We Create Together – We Live Together
20 June, Kypseli Municipal Market, 19:00 – 23:00
19:00 Screening of short films by and about refugees.
20:00 “Through the eyes of the protagonists,” discussion about photography and refugees, with projection of photo material. The discussion will be moderated by Thanassis Stavrakis, chief photographer of the Associated Press, Greece, Cyprus, Albania & North Macedonia.
21:00 African music and dancing by MANDELA GALS and GUMBOOT TRIO of the community Vana Ba Afrika. Polyphonic singing by GRUPI POLIFONIK VLLAZERIMI of the Federation of Albanian Communities in Greece. Siamand Soufizadeh will sing and play the guitar. The musical programme is coordinated by the Greek Forum of Migrants.
In addition, there will be workshops for children and a photo exhibition titled “Capturing the Light”, while the participating organizations and actors will be present to inform people about their activities.
The Food Truck of Giorgos Glynos will also make a stop at the Municipal Market of Kypseli, which will host Barshank Haj Younes from Syria in its kitchen. They will serve together Greek-Syrian street food, in the framework of the Cooking #WithRefugees festival.
You, me and those that came after – We are all citizens
22 June, Serafio City of Athens, 18:00 – 22:00
18:00 Greetings – Launch of events.
18:30 Open discussion – Launch of thematic parallel workshops, with the following topics: a) homelessness, b) access to labour market/entrepreneurship and c) integration.
20:00 Fashion show by refugee & migrant communities.
21:00 Theatre performance by a group of volunteers/students from Ireland (SCI Hellas).
A buffet with food cooked by refugee & migrant communities will be available, while various activities for children will be organized.
Moreover, during the event, visual information material will be screened focusing on the operation of humanitarian organizations, local authorities and refugee & migrant communities.
Refugee & migrant communities, in cooperation with the Greek Forum of Refugees, are in charge of the organization and coordination of the events in Serafio.
On Sunday, 23 June, at 18:00, a friendly football match will take place at the field in Rouf between the team of the Greek Forum of Refugees and HOPE Refugees team of the organization GI.
37 companies recruited beneficiaries of the organization’s Employability Service
Thessaloniki, June 11, 2019
“I just signed my contract today and I’m very happy. All the happiness on my face is thanks to you” – Linda, 40 years old from Cameroon, beneficiary of the Blue Refugee Center’s Employability Service who found a job in Thessaloniki.
Work, Confidence, Independence, Safety, Integration, and Acceptance are some of the new words learned in Greek by migrants and refugees who come to seek help and employment support at SolidarityNow’s Blue Refuge Center in Thessaloniki.
In line with SolidarityNow’s overall aim to support the integration and empowerment of refugees and migrants, despite the country’s economic instability and weak labor market, the Employability & Work Counseling Service at SolidarityNow’s Blue Refugee Center* in Thessaloniki succeeded in connecting migrant groups to the Greek labor market. Specifically, in the three years of the Service’s operation, 223 people have found work based on their skills, knowledge, experience and aspirations. Furthermore, 37 companies that collaborated with the organization, hired people who have been among the Employability Service’s beneficiaries.
“SolidarityNow’s Employability Service was designed based on the needs of people visiting our Centers. Our aim is to highlight and strengthen the different skills, as well as the cognitive and cultural background of our beneficiaries, so that they can respond to their new life”, notes Ioanna Fourkiotou, Director of SolidarityNow’s activities in Northern Greece and continues: “Most important of all is that this effort has been embraced by many companies and employers who have shown social sensitivity and hired these people, giving them a second chance in life”.
SolidarityNow wants to thank the companies and employers who have turned their social responsibility into practice and have collaborated with the organization’s Employability Service. We believe – and we are working towards this direction – that in the near future we will see even more companies responding and developing synergies as an integral part of their Corporate Social Responsibility and their recruitment policy.
Since 2016, a great alliance has been achieved among different stakeholders. And the heart of this alliance is in the heart of SolidarityNow’s activities in Thessaloniki, the Blue Refugee Center:
found work, mainly in the sectors of tourism and food service, but also as manual labor workers and interpreters.
All these were made possible through 2812 individual counseling sessions,
28 group training sessions and 3 thematic workshops.
“But above all”, as the Center’s employability team underlines “our beneficiaries believed in themselves and in their strength and started seeing life more optimistically”.
The inclusion of refugees and migrants in the Greek labor market and more broadly in the Greek society is a process with many difficulties -legal and bureaucratic- and therefore time-consuming. Furthermore, their lack of knowledge of the Greek language and the cultural differences coupled with high unemployment and discrimination are considerable barriers to entry to the labor market. However, these barriers are not insurmountable. SolidarityNow, through its Solidarity Centers and all its programs in Athens, Thessaloniki and Ioannina, as well as its specialized staff, strives to find a solution to all these difficulties and create the conditions for equal access and equal opportunities at work for Everyone.
*The Blue Refugee Center is supported by UNHCR GREECE and funded by EU.
Or how “The Resilient Roots Initiative” helped young refugees express themselves
Omar is one of the SolidarityNow beneficiaries who took part in the photography and radio trainings organized and completed by the organization under the program “The Resilient Roots Initiative”.
Radio, podcasts and photography are powerful tools of modern media. Words and images, if they are used properly, can express feelings, ideas, opinions and constructive criticisms. SolidarityNow chose this innovative way to train and enable its beneficiaries to jury the organization itself in order to help its evolution towards a more effective operation mode and a more efficient programs’ orientation upon their real needs.
“Through this seminar, we learned to express our thoughts and our opinions. I wanted to inform and prepare all the people who are leaving their country for what difficulties they will encounter“, Omar from Algeria confesses. Omar comes to the organization’s Blue Refugee Center and make use of the pro bono services. He is currently hosted in the Thessaloniki homeless dormitory along with other Greeks, refugees and migrants.
Many students already have very busy schedules because they attend school and Greek and English lessons, but these students still chose to participate in these seminars. “I always want to learn something new. Whatever I learn, I think it will be useful“, says another student of the seminar.
A total of 60 young people, refugees and asylum seekers from the organization’s programs in Athens and Thessaloniki, had the opportunity to attend these photo and radio trainings as means to help them express their needs and desires.
“The beneficiaries themselves have to express their needs”, notes Danae Kapralou, the project’s coordinator, adding that the notion of accountability is something missing in Greece. “It is important for people who are trying to build their lives here, to learn that only they can talk about their problem well”.
In Athens the “students” were all beneficiaries of the organization’s accommodation program; some of the youngsters live together at the organization’s Youth Hostel. In Thessaloniki, the students were beneficiaries of the Blue Refugee Center. In Athens the photography lessons were taught by the photojournalist Giorgos Moutafis and the radio trainings were held by the radio producer Katerina Kafetzi. In Thessaloniki, Alexandros Avramidis was the photo instructor and Christos Kiousis was the one who introduced them to the magical world of radio and podcasts.
Starting from today and for the next few days, we will share with you, through the SolidarityNow social networks, the students’ and teachers’ stories, developing a dialogue among them. We can all learn from these stories of other people improving themselves.
Follow the stories!
*Since July 2018, SolidarityNow has been implementing the pilot project “The Resilient Roots Initiative”. The program, co-ordinated by the CIVICUS network in partnership with Keystone Accountability & Accountable Now, aims to improve communication and interaction channels between SolidarityNow management and its beneficiaries. About 60 young people beneficiaries of the organization, from Athens and Thessaloniki, are involved in several activities.
* The Blue Refugee Center is supported by UNHCR and funded by the EU.
*The Youth Shelter operated by SolidarityNow in partnership with the Society for the Care of Minors and Youth in the framework of the organization’s Accommodation program, is part of the ESTIA- Emergency Support to Integration and Accommodation of the UNHCR GREECE and funding by DG-Home.
Another important learning initiative of SolidarityNow is about to begin, aimed at those who want to develop their digital skills and refine their knowledge on Internet, cyber-security, digital entrepreneurship and other contemporary themes.
In the form of online courses in order everyone form their own attendance schedule, these courses are provided free of charge by SolidarityNow, a certified CISCO Networking Academy, with two basic prerequisites:
If you are interested in attending one or more courses, enroll ASAP by following the link that accompanies the course you are interested in.
Entrepreneurship – Enroll here
Intro to cybersecurity – Enroll here
Cybersecurity Essentials – Enroll here
Intro to Internet of Things – Enroll here
Be your own boss – For enrollments, send en email to cisco@solidaritynow.org (subject: BYB101-S19)
#1 Get Connected Skills – Digital Literacy – Duration : 30 hours
Learn how to use a computer, connect devices and access search, email, and social media.
Get Connected introduces you to basic computer and Internet navigation skills.
The Solidarity Now Cisco Networking Academy® Get Connected course provides an introduction to the digital world with networks as a foundation for connecting people and things. The curriculum helps students understand how to use computers and connect to the Internet. Get Connected also explores the human network and introduces students to the world of social media. Students experience the fun and value of interacting with others through common software applications and tools.
You’ll learn how to:
#2 Entrepreneurship Course- Duration: 15 hours
Develop an entrepreneurial way of thinking to improve your job opportunities and advance your career.
The Entrepreneurship course uses interactive, online case studies to show how to apply network technology skills to start a business or advance your career.
#3 Intro to cybersecurity – Duration: 15hours
Learn how to protect yourself online and in social media while discovering careers in cybersecurity.
The Introduction to Cybersecurity course explores the broad topic of cybersecurity in a way that matters to you. Learn how to protect your personal data and privacy online and in social media, and why more and more IT jobs require cybersecurity awareness and understanding.
#4 Cybersecurity Essentials- Duration: 15 hours
Learn the fundamental principles, procedures, and practices of information and networking security.
The Cybersecurity Essentials course develops foundational understanding of cybersecurity and how it relates to information and network security. The course introduces students to characteristics of cyber crime, security principles, technologies, and procedures to defend networks. Through interactive, multimedia content, lab activities, and multi-industry case studies, students build technical and professional skills to pursue careers in cybersecurity.
#5 Intro to Internet of Things – Duration : 20 hours
Learn how the Internet of Things (IoT) and the digital transformation of business create new value and new job opportunities.
The Introduction to IoT course provides an overview of key concepts and challenges related to digital transformation. The course examines the evolution of the Internet and how the interconnection of people, processes, data, and things is transforming every industry. Note: Introduction to IoT replaces the Introduction to the Internet of Everything (IoE) course.
#6 Linux Unhatched- Duration : 8 hours
Establish basic knowledge that starts to build Linux expertise, a valuable skill needed for in-demand IT careers.
The NDG Linux Unhatched exposes new learners to the basics of Linux software installation and configuration, and introduces the Linux command line in a short self-paced course. Aligned to the Linux exam objectives found on the CompTIA A+ certification, learners develop basic Linux knowledge and whet appetite to further build Linux expertise by continuing with either NDG Linux Essentials or NDG Linux I.
#7 Be your own boss – Duration: 8 hours
The Be Your Own Boss course is a series of 8 modules on how to run a successful technology business and become a “technopreneur.” Each hour-long module includes an instructional video, insights from a noted technopreneur, and a quiz.
Busting 10+1 Myths
Raising questions – Giving answers – Busting Myths
The new SolidarityNow video that informs and raises awareness aiming to defend
LGBT refugees’ rights
Myth 1: Can you tell that someone is gay just by looking?
Myth 2: Does an LGBT person feel free in Greece?
Myth 3: Why do some LGBT people flee their home country?
One minute and seven seconds are enough to bust the 10 + 1 myths that surround the members of the LGBT community, refugees and non-refugees. Providing answers to the above questions, SolidarityNow, through the Bridging Rainbow program, seeks to break down myths against fundamental human rights and build a bridge towards respect.
“Bridging Rainbow”
The project “Bridging Rainbow” aims to raise awareness about the vulnerable social group of LGBT refugees by increasing the knowledge and understanding of all relevant stakeholders.
It also intends via targeted awareness actions to strengthen the collaboration among all stakeholders supporting the LGBT refugee community and act as an accelerator of social change facilitating this way the pathway towards the refugees’ and asylum seekers’ social inclusion and integration. To achieve this goal, busting myths and stereotypes about the LGBT community but also regarding refugees and asylum seekers is an extremely important step.
The Importance of Raising Awareness
Raising awareness and sharing information about issues that concern LGBT people is vital for ameliorating the quality of services available for LGBT refugees and asylum seekers for their identities to be accepted, understood and respected by all relevant stakeholders. LGBT refugees often face ignorance and insensitivity both in their own cultural communities and in the humanitarian sector.
At the same time, the Greek LGBT community isn’t always open to racial, ethnic and religious difference, which is another aspect of the intersecting identities of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers that must be respected. It is equally important to ensure that organizations about LGBT rights are well informed in legal and other practical issues, as well as in matters of intersectionality, inclusion and cultural diversity.
In order to respond to the above, the Bridging Rainbow program includes:
Did you know that
80 countries worldwide criminalize same-sex relations?
While most refugee populations flee their home countries due to conflict, political instability and natural disasters, LGBT refugees flee their homes simply due to their sexual orientation and gender identity for which they face persecution, discrimination and violations of their basic human rights.
Nearly 80 countries worldwide criminalize same-sex relations, while specific laws limiting the rights of the LGBT community may not exist in some countries, and governments often fail to adequately protect this group’s fundamental human rights in the face of abuses and violations. LGBT refugees and asylum seekers face numerous challenges throughout their displacement, including prejudice, unjust detention, sexual and gender-based violence, inhibited access to humanitarian services, and barriers to articulating protection needs during the asylum process.
*Τhe project is implemented by SolidarityNow and supported by the Municipality of Barcelona and the foundation ACSAR.
