from the Psychological Support and Counseling Service of the Athens Solidarity Center

The tragedy in the Vale of Tempe on March 1^st, creates undoubtedly a condition of national mourning that shows the extent of the collective trauma to which we have all been exposed. The collective trauma of injustice produces feelings of anger and rage, but also of betrayal that generates insecurity towards the institutions and the inadequate mechanisms that do not guarantee people’s safety. The common feeling is that there is no concern for the highest of goods, that of human life.

Dealing with this collective grief that recalls personal griefs and losses becomes manageable only if we allow ourselves to experience, recognize and share the emotions provoked.

The media exposure and detailed descriptions of the accident and the victims, worsen the trauma and take us away from the essence which is how to restore a sense of security through collective action.

The contact and connection with our closest people can be particularly beneficial since the feeling of a supportive network builds up the feeling of security and closeness.

Self-care is not an act of selfishness, but of protection. That’s why you need to find time for self-care even if you feel that this can’t be a priority.

Give time to yourself, your emotions and thoughts and allow the healing process of the traumatic experience, and of course if you feel you are at a dead end seek professional help.

The guilt that accompanies our thoughts, a co-responsibility in the context of how we have shaped the situation in our country, can become the motive that will lead us to collective actions so as to re-establish, practically but also in our conscience, trust, security and the sustainable functioning of the state towards its citizens.

* 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.

The Empower YOUth project aims to empower young people from all over Greece and especially those who come from vulnerable groups such as Roma, LGBTQI+, migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, people with disabilities, repatriates and young people from disadvantaged / remote areas, who wish to take the lead and bring positive change within their communities.

During the project’s first phase , 32 young people aged 18-25 from all over Greece will participate in two educational cycles (16 in each cycle) that will take place from 8 to 13 May in Athens and from 22 to 27 May in Thessaloniki.

The trainings will enable young people to: be trained in the tools needed to empower themselves, take an active role as ambassadors in their communities by bringing ideas and visions, but also promoting the positive changes they wish to see.

At the end of the trainings, participants will be able to submit proposals for small-scale actions that will be supported and funded by the project.

Distribution and meals as well as transportation costs for people living outside Athens and Thessaloniki will be covered by the project.

Register here, (scroll for English) by March 31st, 2023.

For more information, please contact: 

Georgios Tsitiridis (Thessaloniki), gtsitiridis@solidaritynow.org, Thodoris Bogeas (Athens), tbogeas@solidaritynow.org

The “Empower YOUth” project is implemented in the framework of  the Active citizens fund program, implemented by SolidarityNow and partnered  by the Norwegian organization NorSensus Mediaforum.

The Active citizens fund in Greece is supported through a € 13.5 m grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as part of the EEA Grants 2014 – 2021. The programme aims to develop the sustainability and capacity of the civil society sector in Greece, and to strengthen its role in promoting and safeguarding democratic procedures, active citizenship and human rights. The Fund Operator for the Active citizens fund in Greece is Bodossaki Foundation in consortium with SolidarityNow. More information: www.activecitizensfund.gr/en/

Today, February 24, 2023, marks one year since the start of the war in Ukraine, a historic moment for Europe and the world, which has shaken the global public opinion.

Today, one year later, the figures are shocking as the war in Ukraine created the largest refugee crisis in Europe more than 80 years after World War II. Only in our country, more than 80,000 Ukrainians have arrived, while 22,000 have received temporary protection status. Behind the numbers are human lives lost, families separated, and uncertainty regarding returning home.

Solidarity Now was from the very first moment on the side of all those who arrived at Greece from the war zone, responding directly to the needs of the new refugee population, composed mainly of women and children. Initially, the organization provided documented answers to the most frequently asked questions by the refugees through the “Guide for Ukrainian refugees” created on its website.

Moreover, a series of actions are implemented, and services provided, aiming at empowerment and smooth integration:

• 372 of our fellow human beings benefited from the services offered at the “Children and Female Friendly Space” of SolidarityNow and UNICEF, which was created in March 2022 in Promachonas, Serres. 95% of them are children.
• 272 children from Ukraine attend Greek courses through their participation in the program “All Children in Education” in northern and southern Greece, aiming at their smooth transition to the Greek public education system.
• 158 of our fellow citizens have been served by the social service of the Athens Solidarity Center with the main request to cover basic needs for: medical care (15%), asylum application in Greece (12%), housing and social welfare benefits (12%) and/or the issuance of legal documents (6%).
• 510 Ukrainians attend Greek language courses through the HELIOS Project.
• 146 have received support by the employability services provided by the Athens Solidarity Center and by the organization’s experts at the open accommodation sites in Serres and Kavala. 81% of them are women.
• 57 women have been supported by the “Female Friendly Space” of SolidarityNow, that operated until December 2022 in the open accommodation sites of Serres and Kavala.
• 31 children from Ukraine have attended robotics workshops at the Eugenides Foundation, as part of the Healing Play program implemented with the support of the US Embassy in Athens. The program aims to heal trauma through play.

*The programme “All Children In Education” is a UNICEF initiative, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by a number of partners, including SolidarityNow.

**SolidarityNow is a key implementing partner of the International Organization for Migration (IOM Greece), in the framework of the HELIOS project which is funded by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.

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

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

**** The implementation of “Healing Play” is supported by the US Embassy in Athens.

Solidarity Now, believing in the value and power of solidarity, stands dynamically by the side of the street magazine “Shedia” sellers in Athens and Thessaloniki. On February 9-11, SolidarityNow employees become “Sellers for an hour”, aiming to inform and raise awareness about the magazine’s work and the tangible support of the “man-seller” who fights for a better life.

In Athens, on Thursday, February 9^th at 13.00, SolidarityNow workers will wear the red vests at the Evangelismos metro station, while in Thessaloniki, on Saturday, February 11^th at 12.00, SolidarityNow will be with the seller of “Shedia” at the Tsimiski & Dimitriou Gounari street.

“Shedia” was first released on the streets of Athens in February 2013, the year that Solidarity Now was founded. Ten years later, Solidarity Now employees celebrate on the street with people of “Shedia”, hope, solidarity, and humanity.

We are waiting for you in Athens and Thessaloniki, to send together a message against poverty and social exclusion.

At this time of the unprecedented tragedy for our fellow human beings in Turkey and Syria, SolidarityNow, based on the universal value of solidarity, stands by the side of all those experiencing the loss and tragic consequences of the devastating earthquake.

SolidarityNow is already planning the transfer of humanitarian aid to the affected areas. As a first step, the organization’s experienced staff in crisis management will be directly in the field and will collaborate with local authorities and other organizations. Through this initiative and collective effort, the goal is to provide immediate and effective care and support to survivors and those in need.

“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”, Stelios Zavvos, Chairman.

Support our effort by making a donation.

The colorful mosaic, dedicated to Afghan women, found its “home”

SolidarityNow and the Greek organizers of a global artistic initiative under the auspices of UNESCO, presented yesterday to the public, the mosaic “Hanging by a thread”. The event for the presentation of the special colorful mosaic took place at the Athens Solidarity Center, where the project will be hosted after its donation to SolidarityNow.

The creation of this large scarf-like mosaic aims to symbolically embrace Afghan women and support the need for equal human rights. For this reason, the creators were inspired by the colorful local costumes of Afghanistan that were transformed into small works of glass mosaics. In Greece, 61 mosaic creations from 45 artists were collected and brought together by the three Greeks supervisors for the project, according to the guidelines of the inspirers and representatives of the International Project Madeleine Turgeon and Bady Essid Jaballah.

Among the creators, there are also women refugees from Afghanistan, who reside in the open accommodation structure of Thiva and are beneficiaries of the “Female Friendly Space” operated there by SolidarityNow, within the framework of the HARP program, with the support of the International Organization for Migration and the funding of the European Union.

Afghan women of all ages actively participated in yesterday’s presentation, each “guiding” the audience to its own mosaic, dancing traditional dances of their homeland and talking about their lives and dreams.

The event was honored with the presence of the organizers, Loukia Orfanou, Despina Georgiadi-Thessalonikeos and Mikelis Markidis, as well as artists who contributed to the creation of the work with their mosaics. In total, the initiative has spread to 45 countries on all continents with the participation of hundreds of voters.

*The artistic activity for the creation of the mosaics by the women beneficiaries of the “Female Friendly Space” of SolidarityNow, was carried out in collaboration with the team of the International Organization for Migration that is active in the camp of Thiva.

*Since August 2022, the Athens Solidarity Center is financed by EEA Grants, with ΣΟΛ Crowe and HumanRights360 as the fund operator, in the context of the “Local Development and Poverty Reduction” programme.

The “Local Development and Poverty Reduction” programme in Greece, financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, was awarded a total budget of 6,5 million euros as part of the EEA Grants 2014 – 2021. The program aspires to contribute to enhancement of social cohesion and reduction of economic and social disparities. The Fund Operator for the “Local Development and Poverty Reduction” programme in Greece is SOL Consulting S.A in partnership with Human Rights 360. More information: https://www.asylumandmigration-eeagrants.gr/ 

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