Raising awareness actions implemented in Thessaloniki

At SolidarityNow we are celebrating one more year of the LGBTQI community Pride Festival, which takes place from 10^th to 18^th and 20^th to 25^th of June 2022, in Athens and Thessaloniki respectively and we declare our presence for an “unconditional” “lesson of acceptance“, inclusion, visibility and equality, such as the slogans in the two cities.

More specifically, SolidarityNow participates in the 10th Thessaloniki Pride Festival, which is dedicated to education with a demand to become more modern and inclusive. In the framework of the festival, SolidarityNow invites professionals who work in support of the LGBTQI refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, in the online training seminar that aims to inform, educate and train on issues related to the LGBTQI community of refugees and asylum seekers and on new methods and best practices.

The webinar* will take place on Thursday 23rd of June, 10:00-12:30. For those interested in participating, they can register here.

New edition of educational material

The new educational booklet developed by SolidarityNow under the title “Useful Guide for Professionals in the field of LGBTQI+ Migrants, Refugees, Asylum Seekers” will be presented during the webinar. This guide provides intelligible, grouped information and best practices that makes it a useful tool for the employees in the field, just as well for anyone who wants to be informed about the basic terminology regarding the LGBTQI+ community.

Walking side by side

Thessaloniki Pride Festival will end on Saturday 25^th of June, with the great parade in the historic center of Thessaloniki. The SolidarityNow team will be there to walk the path of acceptance, equality and love.

* The webinar is organized in the framework of the European program “Not Alone in Europe”.

Art, as means of expression and healing for refugees

SolidarityNow organizes an exhibition of artworks by young and adult refugees in order to honor the World Refugee Day on June 20^th and the following Refugee Week (20-26/6/2022). The artworks will be hosted from 13th to 20th of June, at the Refugees Museum of Thessaloniki along with photographic material by professional photographers and audiovisual material.

The content of the exhibition is comprised by paintings, poems, constructions and photographs created by refugee women and men, beneficiaries of SolidarityNow in the open accommodation structures, the organization’s Solidarity Centers, the “Homework and Creative Activities Centers” and the “Integration Learning Centers” in Northern Greece (Kavala, Serres, Drama, Vagiochori, Nea Kavala, Thessaloniki) where SolidarityNow implements the “All Children in Education” program with the support and funding from UNICEF Greece and “HELIOS” program as a key partner of the International Organization for Migration (IOM Greece) funded by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum.

This exhibition is the first action among many raising awareness actions planned by SolidarityNow in the framework of the overall celebration on the occasion of the World Refugee Day, organized each year by the Refugee Week global movement. This year’s Refugee Week title is “Healing“, conveying the message of mutual care as well as of the human capacity to start again.

Major supporter of this exhibition is the Municipality of Neapolis-Sykeon which provides the premises of the Refugees Museum to SolidarityNow. The exhibition will be open to the public every day from 13^th to 20^th of June, 13:00 to 21:00. The exhibition’s Closing event will take place on June 20^th, 17:00 to 21:00, with music happenings and children’s workshops.

Η μεγαλύτερη αερολέσχη στην Ελλάδα συλλέγει πόρους και υποστηρίζει το έργο της οργάνωσης.

Το SolidarityNow και το Skydive-Athens συνεργάζονται για το κοινό καλό, προσκαλώντας όλους όσοι ενδιαφέρονται, να λάβουν μέρος σε μια μοναδική εμπειρία και ταυτόχρονα να συμβάλλουν στο έργο της οργάνωσης.

Πώς;

Αν έχετε σκεφτεί ποτέ να δοκιμάσετε την εμπειρία της ελεύθερης πτώσης, μπορείτε να το τολμήσετε τώρα. Οι έμπειροι εκπαιδευτές του Skydive-Athens θα σας δείξουν τον τρόπο και μέρος του κόστους της εμπειρίας θα προσφερθεί από την αερολέσχη στο SolidarityNow για την υποστήριξη του έργου που υλοποιείται στο πλευρό των πιο ευπαθών συνανθρώπων μας.

Από 1η έως 30 Ιουνίου, το SolidarityNow και το Skydive-Athens θα σας περιμένουν να «κλείσετε μια θέση στα σύννεφα» και να μεταφέρετε το μήνυμα για την ανάγκη υποστήριξης των ανθρώπων που βρίσκονται σε ανάγκη ανεξαρτήτως προέλευσης ή άλλου κριτηρίου!

Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Προσφύγων

Η συνεργασία γίνεται πραγματικότητα καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια του Ιουνίου, του μήνα που αφιερώνει μία από τις ημέρες του στην Παγκόσμια Ημέρα Προσφύγων, 20/6. Με αυτόν τον συμβολικό τρόπο, το SolidarityNow και το Skydive-Athens αφιερώνουν τον μήνα στους εκτοπισμένους, στους ανθρώπους που εξαναγκάζονται να γίνουν πρόσφυγες από όπου κι αν προέρχονται.

Το SolidarityNow ευχαριστεί το Skydive-Athens για την πρωτοβουλία και την υλοποίηση αυτής της πρωτότυπης συνέργειας και δίνει ραντεβού στους αιθέρες!

*Το Skydive–Athens είναι η μεγαλύτερη αερολέσχη στην Ελλάδα και η μοναδική που λειτουργεί όλο τον χρόνο πετώντας αεροσκάφος 18 θέσεων με τουρμπίνα στα 14.000 πόδια (4200 μέτρα) σε μόλις 12 λεπτά. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skydiveathens/.

Active citizens fund: Announcement of the allocation of €661,387 in grants to support the strategic development of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)

Bodossaki Foundation and SolidarityNow, in their capacity as Fund Operator of the Active citizens fund programme for Greece, announce the organisations selected to receive grants in the framework of the 7th Open Call for “Organisational grants to support the strategic development of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)”.

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 new grant under the programme, budgeted at €661,387, concerns the strategic development of CSOs. For Greece, this is an innovative Call that differs significantly from the previous ones under the Active citizens fund programme, as it provides grants that will subsidise general actions of CSOs on the basis of their multiannual strategic plans / workplans rather than actions in the context of projects with a specific thematic focus. The new Call is part of a pilot initiative of the EEA Financial Mechanism, launched in response to the requests made by CSOs for making available grants to subsidise their basic operational requirements, thus helping them attain their strategic goals and fulfil their mission.

In response to the Open Call “Organisational grants for the strategic development of civil society organisations”, a total of 52 applications were submitted, of which 5 were approved.

The following is the list of organisational grants in alphabetical order, based on the name of the Project Promoter:

Project Promoter: Callisto – Wildlife and Nature Conservation Society
Project: 20 years of Callisto – The needs for strategic & organizational development

Project Promoter: Diogenis NGO
Project: Empowering Shedia

Project Promoter: Doctors of the World – Greek Delegation
Project: THinking AhEad: Organizational & Strategic RΟadmap 2023-2026 | Theo.RΟ

Project Promoter: EDRA – Social cooperative activities for vulnerable groups
Project: We focus on human!

Project Promoter: Special Olympics Hellas
Project: Enhancing the strategic organizational activities of Special Olympics Hellas

“Every child received individualized care, because every child is unique”

From September 2020 until March 2022, SolidarityNow provided care and support to 86 unaccompanied children, under the “Step-by-Step: Supported Independent Living Apartments for Unaccompanied Children aged 16 or more” program in Athens and Thessaloniki. The program (MIS:5063334) was funded within the framework of the National Program of the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund and the European Union and implemented with the support of the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors.

Empowerment and confidence

Building together with the children the foundations of trust and autonomy, elements necessary for their later life, the specialized staff of SolidarityNow provided the children with various services, such as psychosocial support, legal assistance, interpretation, escort to medical services. At the same time, specially designed actions were implemented -educational and recreational activities, vocational orientation courses- which contributed to the empowerment and development of life skills (soft skills). The aim of the above is the smooth social integration of children in Greek society, but also into adult life. Through these actions, we discovered and encouraged Ahmad’s talent for painting and comics, Mohamed’s love of football that led him to join a sports club, while we are proud of Javid completing his secondary education and dreams of helping others – he wants to get involved in the medical field. 

“Every child received individualized care because every child is unique. Each child has its own dreams, talents, skills, needs and experiences and we focused on exactly that. We built relationships of trust and security. We supported the children with love and care and together we achieved a lot. We focused and strengthened their positive elements, we supported them to discover their desires and talents; overcome experiences of the past; make dreams for their lives. They believed in themselves and their abilities and received the tools to walk their path and claim a better future, a better life. The life they deserve. We are very proud of these children and we thank them for this whole journey, for the precious moments and the strong emotions that we shared”, Giorgos Tsouros, Program Manager.

The next step

Upon the completion of SolidarityNow’s Step-by-Step program, most of the children were transferred to other semi-autonomous living structures with the assistance of the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, and those who became adults were transferred to ESTIA apartments.

The current geopolitical challenges and the expected increase in migration flows, create new conditions and priorities for humanitarian organisations and have called for the management restructuring of SolidarityNow. The position of General Manager, previously held by Prof. Antigone Lyberaki, is assumed by Mrs Marilyn Polena (economist), following many years at the organisation as Programme Director. Mrs Fay Koutzoukou (lawyer) will be taking on the role of Deputy General Manager while Mrs. Ioanna Fourkiotou, Regional Director for northern Greece and Lily Sklavi, Finance Director, remain in their positions.

The priorities of the new management team will be to continue the excellent work carried out by the organisation to date as well as the development of new interventions to support those affected by the continued economic crisis, the pandemic and global disruptions. SolidarityNow has supported more than 320.000 beneficiaries throughout its ten years of contribution to society.

Commenting on the new structure, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of SolidarityNow, Stelios Zavvos, stated, “On behalf of SolidarityNow’s Board of Directors, I would like to thank Professor Antigone Lyberaki for her work and dedication over the last five years as General Manager. I welcome Marilyn Polena and Fay Koutzoukou to their new roles as General Manager and Deputy General Manager of SolidarityNow. Marilyn, Fay, Ioanna and Lily are core and tested members of SolidarityNow’s team, with a longstanding experience in programme design and implementation. The new team will ensure the continuous quality of the interventions amidst the new contextual challenges to support our fellow citizens, enabling them to become self-reliant and take their lives in their own hands. SolidarityNow will continue the great humanitarian work carried out to date in the years to come.”