Volunteering in Athens, Greece
Solidarity 4 Inclusion is a European Solidarity Corps (former EVS) project.
Full title: Solidarity4Inclusion – Solidarity for more Inclusive Societies
Project Number: 2018-1-EL02-ESC11-004634
Hosting Organization: NGO CIVIS PLUS
Sending Organization: SEAL CYPRUS
Location: Athens
Volunteers to be sent by SEAL CYPRUS: 2 people based in Cyprus (not necessarily Cypriot) up to 30 years old.
Main Activity Duration: 5 months
Start Date: 11/03/2019 (possibility to postpone the start by 2 weeks)
End Date: 10/08/2019
Financial conditions: The host organisation will cover the cost for accommodation, food and travel and will provide pocket money to support the living cost in Athens. The volunteers will be covered by an insurance plan.
Project Summary
In recent years, Greece goes through the rough path of financial crisis and crisis of values that affects vulnerable groups and especially young people, while it raises a series of problems and concerns to youth, such as unemployment, demotivation for active citizenship, lack of incentives to offer and volunteer. At the same time, the increased number of immigrants and refugees in Greece, in the latest years, has fostered the feeling of xenophobia, racism and nationalism in the country.
Athens is the center where the majority of migrants and refugees are gathered. Therefore, the need for support actions is more intense than any other region in Greece. This particular
project aims to promote the value of solidarity to society and especially to young people and
to highlight the value of volunteering and voluntary programs of the European Solidarity
Corps, by implementing specific actions in terms of the project. At the same time, the project
seeks indirectly to benefit vulnerable social groups, with a given emphasis to immigrants /
refugees, providing them with opportunities for creative occupation, strength and tools against everyday problems and skills for social inclusion.
In this way, volunteers will have the opportunity to make a significant contribution in
improving living conditions and integration for them, as well as to learn about those people’s
living conditions and problems. In particular, this project, intends to include volunteers in
actions for migrants, actions for young people via the usage of non-formal learning for
vulnerable groups, and other activities organized by the organization and aims at the
following:
– Combat discrimination and inequalities arising from national, linguistic and cultural differences.
– Promote and disseminate the values of multiculturalism and tolerance towards difference.
– Strengthen young people’s personal skills and employability, personal development and empowering their own commitment to work towards more inclusive societies with tolerance to the different
– Increase opportunities and therefore promote equal opportunities offered to the target groups of the project for active participation in society, personal, social and professional development.
– Develop useful skills in vulnerable social groups that will help them integrate, manage everyday life and develop professional skills. – Strengthen the sense of solidarity and foster cooperation among young people and the general public by removing the obstacles posed by differences and social stereotypes.
– Combat social isolation and social exclusion. This particular volunteering project is well planned to bring the maximum results with its implementation: on the one hand, the promotion of volunteering, and the development of young people into well-rounded personalities, useful for the society.
That is to say, it will contribute to the personal, professional and social development of the participants, as well as will give them useful professional skills and abilities to act as active citizens and contribute to the resolution of the problems in their local societies. On the other hand, the project foresees such volunteers’ actions and initiatives that will contribute to the social integration and support of vulnerable social groups and development of those skills that are useful for their future and ultimately create more favorable living conditions for them.
In order to maintain a multicultural environment in our volunteer team, we decided to involve 2 young Cypriots in our organization, who will come in contact with EVS or ESC volunteers from other European countries and volunteers from other organizations with different cultural background. The main characteristic in the volunteers’ profile, is their awareness of vulnerable groups and social exclusion, their keen interest in expanding their experience in volunteering and their will to explore new ways of intervening and contributing in such issues. During voluntary activity, volunteers will be actively involved and will take initiatives to design and implement actions towards solidarity, initiatives and events aiming at strengthening vulnerable social groups with an emphasis on migrants / refugees, promoting equality, adjustment and ultimately social integration for them.
Among other activities, the project foresees: organizing intercultural events, exploring good practices, networking with other NGO and organizations, creating a blog, disseminating and promoting project’s activities, promoting volunteering and volunteering projects in terms of European Solidarity Corps.
NGO CIVIS PLUS has managed to carefully organize a project management plan, tailored to the needs and characteristics of this particular project. The project consists of three stages of implementation: 1) Preparation (setting up practical issues, selecting participants, entering into agreements with partners and participants, linguistic / intercultural / preparation of participants before departure). 2) Implementation of the main voluntary activity. 3) Follow-up (including evaluation of activities, issuance of participation certificate and dissemination and use of project results). NGO CIVIS PLUS, as being coordinator and hosting organization, has developed tools to monitor and coordinate the project but also to manage potential crises in order to fully achieve the objectives of the project.
SEAL CYPRUS is the sending organization of the two volunteers. SEAL CYPRUS is an NGO located in Nicosia, which supports the development of people skills by providing tailor-made education, training and career resources. Through participatory teaching and learning methods, it encourages and empowers young and adult learners to acquire the knowledge, skills, but also those beliefs and values that are essential for their future.
The cooperation with our partners will be based on an internal agreement and the volunteers’ agreement, which both together define in detail all the aspects of the partnership, the roles and responsibilities of each organization. This means that our cooperation is based on a solid basis from the start. Frequent communication with partners, mutual respect, dialogue and active involvement of all organizations in each decision will help to resolve any problem, may arises during the project implementation.
HOW TO APPLY:
Send us your CV and a motivation letter to sealcyprus@gmail.com with the subject: Solidarity in Greece