Category: ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ

ARTICLE | World Mental Health Day: Good mental health is not a luxury

Posted on Tuesday October 10th, 2023

of Eleni Panagiotakopoulou, Head of the Psychological Support Service of the Athens Solidarity Center of SolidarityNow

This year’s celebration of World Mental Health Day, celebrated every year on October 10, is about highlighting mental health as a fundamental human right. “Mental health is a universal human right”, is the motto for this year.

When we refer to mental health let’s keep in mind that we are not referring exclusively to psychopathology. Good mental health is not simply the absence of psychopathological, psychiatric or neurological symptoms. Good mental health is something broader and deeper, which concerns emotional and social life and characterizes the whole journey of a person’s life, from the first to the last steps.

As we remove stereotypes and prejudices around mental health, we find its great outflow in our daily life at all levels, even in that of physical health.

The targeting of this year’s celebration is very important.

Mental health concerns each and every one of us, every day and not just the day when (and if) we feel that we are really in danger.

It concerns everyone and not only the ones and not just those who have been diagnosed.

Access to mental health services is equally important to all human rights, such as health, education, employment, etc. Good mental health is not a luxury, it is not an option, it is not a solution for those who do not make it. It is our inalienable right.

*Since August 2022, the Athens Solidarity Center is financed by EEA Grants with ΣΟΛ Crowe and HumanRights360 as the fund operator.

**The Center is also supported by the Municipality of Athens.

Article | “A Guide to tomorrow: A guide of Education, Training and Employment for Professionals Supporting Unaccompanied Minors”

Posted on Monday October 9th, 2023

SolidarityNow participated in the creation and writing of the Educational Guide entitled “A guide to tomorrow”, which is an initiative of the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and UNICEF co-financed by the European Union. The Guide is only available in Greek.

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT | Humanitarian aid to those affected by the devastating floods in Central Greece

Posted on Sunday September 10th, 2023

At this time of unprecedented tragedy, following the extreme weather conditions over the last few days, SolidarityNow stands by the side of all those who have suffered immeasurable devastation.

SolidarityNow is already in the area of N.Ionia of Volos, where, in cooperation with the local government and other actors, has set up a power supply station and provided a helping hand to all those in need. The organization’s Emergency Response Team, in consultation and collaboration with local civil protection actors, went to Larissa and the area of Itea, in Palamas Karditsa, where they distributed necessary essentials, including water and food to stranded residents.

The Chairman of SolidarityNow, Stelios Zavvos, said: “In the wake of these tragic events, we must act with all our strength. We must stand next to our fellow human beings who experience loss and the terrible consequences of a tremendous natural disaster, making solidarity a reality and commitment”.

ANNOUNCEMENT | SOLIDARITYNOW ON THE SIDE OF THE FIRE VICTIMS

Posted on Wednesday August 23rd, 2023
Alexandros Avramidis, REUTERS

At SolidarityNow we express our deep sadness for the tragic death of 26 people, including 2 children, in Avanta near Alexandroupolis from the devastating fires, which are still ongoing in the wider Evros region. During these difficult times, with a sense of responsibility towards the immeasurable disaster experienced by our fellow human beings, we are supporting those affected, based on the universal human value of solidarity. A team of staff experienced in crisis management, are on their way to the area to assess the situation and the arising needs, with the aim of offering immediate and effective care and support to those affected, in close collaboration with the competent authorities.

PRESS RELEASE | The new project “Amaro Magipé” for the Empowerment of Roma Women and Youth, commemorates the International Roma Holocaust Day

Posted on Thursday July 27th, 2023

 

The project, called “Amaro Magipé”, aims to empower and involve women and young Roma in activities and trainings aimed to improve their socialization, skills development, access to information, violence prevention, psychosocial support, and empowerment. The project, which started in May 2023, is implemented by SolidarityNow, Lighthouse of the World, and the Cultural Educational Association of Roma Women, residents of Drosero Xanthi “The Hope”.

2nd  of August, Remembrance Day

The first events implemented through “Amaro Magipé” will occur on August 1st and 2nd, to commemorate the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day. The 2nd day of August was recognized in 2015 by the European Commission as the Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, as on the 2nd of August 1944, 2,897 women and children of Roma origin were killed in Auschwitz camp. This Holocaust was forgotten and unknown to most of the world for many years and it was only in 1985 that Germany acknowledged that the persecution of the Gypsies in World War II, which cost the lives of more than 500,000 people, was aimed at exterminating their race.

 “Amaro Magippe”, our project, on the side of the Roma

The phrase “Amaro Magipé” in Romani means our pride of our own work and achievement. SolidarityNow, in its 10 years of operation, stands by anyone in need and has always kept open lines of communication with Roma communities, associations, and clubs in Greece. With the aim of supporting Roma, SolidarityNow participates in the National Partnership 2021-2025 for the monitoring of the National Strategy and Action Plan for the Social Inclusion of Roma 2021 – 2030 and today, through the action “Amaro Magipé”, it proudly aims to identify mentors who will work in their communities, highlighting and solving chronic problems that plague the Roma. The geographical scope of the project include the settlement of Peleka in Katerini, Dendropotamos, and the Municipality of Pavlos Melas in Thessaloniki and Drosero in Xanthi.

The inaugural Roma Holocaust Memorial Event will take place on Tuesday 1st of August in Katerini and on Wednesday 2nd of August in Dendropotamos.

The events are organized in cooperation with the Municipality of Katerini, the Municipality of Ampelokipoi-Menemeni, the Roma Annex of Katerini, and the Roma Annex of the Municipality of Ampelokipoi-Menemeni. Participation is free of charge.

Detailed Programme

Tuesday 1st of August, 12:30

Ekavi Conference and Cultural Centre – 10, 7th Merarchias Street, Katerini

“Anti-Gypsyism & Social Representations: from the Middle Ages to Auschwitz and the Allattini factory of today” Urania T. Rapti, Psychologist, NFE trainer

“Storytelling through art and literature: the case of the Roma Holocaust in Europe”. Akrilenia Kappou, Iphigenia Anastasiadis, members of the Action Group for the Social Integration and Empowerment of Roma

Narratives by children of Peleka – Music – Exhibition of photos from the Roma concentration camps 1939-1944

Wednesday 2 August, 19:30

Agios Nektarios KAPI – Roma Annex Odysseos Androutsou 2, Dendropotamos

“Anti-Gypsyism & Social Representations: from the Middle Ages to Auschwitz and the Allatini factory of today”, Urania T. Rapti, Psychologist, NFE trainer

“The Roma holocaust in education”, Angelos Hadjinikolaou Teacher

Narratives of children of Dendropotamos – Music – Exhibition of photographs from the Roma concentration camps 1939-1944

Buffets with gypsy recipes – discussion about the gypsy cuisine

SolidarityNow is a non-profit organization founded in 2013 to respond to the needs and ensure the rights of the most vulnerable groups in society. The organization’s vision is to improve people’s lives and empower them to claim a more just and inclusive society. From 2013 to date, SolidarityNow has supported through its actions and programs (housing, psychosocial support, legal aid, interpretation, education, child protection) more than 350,000 vulnerable people to claim a life with dignity and prospects.

The Youth Center “Lighthouse of the World” is a place of protection and creative employment for the youth of Dendropotamos. Through its constant and uninterrupted struggle, it has not only highlighted the problems of the region but has found innovative solutions in areas such as education, health, and employment. The “Lighthouse of the World” is constantly by the side of all those who need it and illuminates the path to development and evolution. https://farostoukosmou.com/el

The Cultural and Cultural Association of Roma Women of Drosero Xanthi “The Hope” is a Non-Governmental Organization founded in June 2006, on the initiative of 20 Roma women.

The desire and need of these women were to create an institution through which they could express themselves collectively as Roma women, with rights and obligations within Greek society. https://drosero.eu/

The Action entitled “Amaro Magipé: Actions for the Empowerment of Women and Young Roma” implemented under the project Small Grant Scheme 1 “Empowerment of Women and Young Roma” of the Program “Social Inclusion and Empowerment of Roma” benefits from a grant of 199.909,69€ from the EEA Grants (Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014-2021) and from national resources, representing the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway to a green, competitive, and inclusive Europe.

The project entitled Amaro Magipé benefits from co-financing of 199.909,69€ from the EEA Grants (European Economic Area Financial Instrument 2014-2021), represents the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway for a green, competitive and inclusive Europe, and from national resources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE | The Athens Solidarity Center’s Final Event for the completion of the EEA Grants funding period

Posted on Friday June 30th, 2023

In a warm atmosphere, an event full of stories, emotions, and numbers was held on Thursday, June 29th at the organization’s Athens Solidarity Center (ASC), in the presence of the Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis. The work carried out at the Center by the side of the most vulnerable was presented through human stories and data, covering the period August 2022 – May 2023. The event was attended by representatives of the civil society, the local authorities and other stakeholders.

The above-mentioned period is the third grant by the EEA Grants funding mechanism for the Athens Solidarity Center, which ends in July 2023. It is worth emphasizing that the Centre started its operation in 2014 due to the EEA Grants funding that saw and recognized in it the potential and the need to implement such a project.

Since 2014, the Athens Solidarity Centre has been continuously on the side of the most vulnerable, providing free social welfare services -legal, social, accounting, psychological and employability- to all those in need without discrimination. In the reporting period, a total of 1,965 people benefited from 7,336 individual sessions.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of SolidarityNow, Stelios Zavvos, welcomed the audience and underlined: “The work we are implementing at the Athens Solidarity Center is not only reflected in numbers. It is part of the overall humanitarian work of the organization, which through its actions supports our most vulnerable fellow human beings to live a life with dignity and prospects. We are proud of the 350,000 people we have helped in total to date. This would not have been possible without our partnerships, such as the one with the Municipality of Athens, which has always been at our side since the beginning of the Center’s operation. Today, I would particularly like to thank the representatives of the EEA Grants and the donor countries as well as the Mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyannis, for their valuable support of our work. I wish the same for the years to come.”

Mr. Christian Halvorsen, Deputy Head of Mission, Norwegian Embassy in Athens, said: “The Center is a shining example of solidarity in action. I was here in 2013 when the space was still being formed before it started operating, and I am sure that people who have passed through here have countless stories to tell about how their lives have been changed. I am particularly pleased that Norway through the EEA Grants has been one of the first donors/supporters of the Center.”

On behalf of the EEA Grants Fund Operator, Epaminondas Farmakis, Director of the EEA Grants’ “Local Development and Poverty Reduction” and “Asylum and Migration” Programs in Greece, said: “I would like to congratulate the team of professionals at the Athens Solidarity Centre for ten years of successful operation and for the imprint of their work on the lives of so many people. The support of the Center is a very important program of the EEA Grants and is based on the effective collaboration among all the parties involved.”

The support of the Municipality of Athens and its close cooperation with a civil society organization was praised in a statement by the Mayor of Athens, Mr. Kostas Bakoyannis, who said: “The Municipality of Athens embraced the initiative for the creation of Solidarity Centers through a difficult time for the country and for our city from the very beginning; and continues to do so steadily during the 10 years of SolidarityNow’s operation. Our goal is to remain a supporter of such civil society initiatives. I would like to congratulate SolidarityNow for the excellent collaboration over the years and for the great work it is implementing through the Athens Solidarity Centre, which I hope to continue with the same strength and energy in the future.”

Highlights of the period August 2022-May 2023 follow briefly:

– Expansion of the social groups receiving support by the Center (ex-prisoners, people over 50, LGBTQI+, Roma, undocumented people).

– Immediate response to the needs of the displaced from Ukraine, with support in the registration process at the asylum service, labor market access seminars and psychological support.

– 27% of the beneficiaries of the Employability Service entered the labor market.

– 25% of the Center’s beneficiaries are single-parent families.

– 169 people gained access to social benefits.

For the end, the event’s participants had the chance to watch short videos of beneficiaries narrating their stories and how they were supported by the Center’s services and people. Among them was Idryssa, from Côte d’Ivoire, one of the victims of torture who benefits from the Center’s services in many ways. Today, with the coordinated efforts of the Center and other organizations, Idryssa got international protection, and works legally in Greece, being a great example of strength and inclusion.

* Since August 2022, the Athens Solidarity Center is financed by EEA Grants, with ΣΟΛ Crowe and HumanRights360 as the fund operator.

**The Center is also supported by the Municipality of Athens.