👥The team of OP "Youth Center Plovdiv" and the approved candidates were part of the implementation of the International Youth Exchange in Thessaloniki, Greece.
🎯The goals of our visit were related to the exchange of good ideas and practices, as well as the establishment of partnerships between youth organizations.
🤝 We met with the Municipality of Ampelokipi-Menemeni - City of Thessaloniki - Storm Clouds, where we shared more about the mission of the Center and all our activities aimed at the benefit of the youth society. For their part, they did not get to know local organizations that did not tell about the situation with young people in the country, about the difficulties and challenges and the opportunities they offer.
🚏Our first stop was the Roma Center - Κένtrο Κοινότητας με Παράρτημα Ρομά Δήμου Αμpelοκήπων Μeneμένης, which functions as a municipal structure. Its goal is to support the integration into the Roma community and provide them with a peaceful, sufficient and socially engaged life.
🚏Our next meeting is with the organization Faros, who are committed to the serious task of building a perspective for the future of children and youth who are migrants.
🚏The day after our visit, we were also able to touch InfinityGreece - a social enterprise that gives young people the opportunity to gain knowledge about secondary literacy and acquire digital and entrepreneurial skills.
🚏And the interesting story of the creation of WE by a group of friends, which we heard firsthand inspired young people to continue to dream and be socially and civically active. The organization offers sports services and functions as a concert hall, cafe and youth space, where artistic and circus performances and events take place.
🚏At the newly established youth center Επικεντρο Actionaid, we were shown around by their youth workers who showed us around their base and shared more about their educational activities tailored to the needs of the local youth community.
🚏On the last day of our stay, we also managed to meet Balkan Heart, United Societies of Balkans. Their main goal is to give a field for self-expression by organizing creative educational programs, seminars, workshops, cultural and entertainment activities and daily conferences for all ages, but with priority to adolescents.
🚏The last organization we visited with great curiosity is IHA - InterEuropean Human Aid Association - refugee assistance center. The accompanying current events bring us closer to such structures, and what is shared in this environment has an emotional impact and has affected each of the participants in the exchange.
🧩 All meetings took place thanks to our in-house Mary Drosopulos - a trainer and teacher with extensive experience in the field of youth work. She is also part of our committee for the renewal of the Council of Europe Quality Mark. We sincerely thank you for the opportunities, partnership and friendship!
💡The international youth exchange is implemented under the project "Youth Center Plovdiv - a powerful factor for local development" under the program "Local development, poverty reduction and improvement of the inclusion of vulnerable groups", financed by the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014-2021.