ELIX - Conservation Volunteers Greece

ELIX - Conservation Volunteers Greece is a non-governmental not-for-profit organization which promotes voluntary service and education since 1987. Our main goal is the personal development of individuals as citizens of the world through active participation. Social service, environmental protection, cultural heritage conservation and culture promotion are the main thematic fields of voluntary projects. ELIX organizes workcamps where participants learn traditional restoration craft and techniques, offer voluntary work to the hosting community, organize and participate in cultural and fun activities, share ideas and cultures. ELIX organizes training courses for youth workers and young leaders and a lot of local activities addressed to volunteers throughout the year. ELIX is active in the sector of non-formal education and offers opportunities to all citizens to participate in projects in Greece and abroad. ELIX has many years of experience in the youth field and is one of the first organizations in Greece to be running youth programmes since the birth of Youth in Action Programme. ELIX has implemented youth exchanges, training courses and seminars focusing on human rights, intercultural learning, social issues and peace education. ELIX has also been running short-term and long-term volunteering projects such as European Voluntary Service and European Solidarity Corps, being a sending, a hosting and a coordinating organization. Furthermore, the essential core value and scope of ELIX work is social inclusion, with a particular focus on children and young people. In particular, ELIX has been implementing educational projects which benefit local children coming from families with economic difficulties, as well as children and young people with disabilities. By doing so, ELIX has developed significant know-how in providing recreational/ educational activities for children from neighbourhoods and families affected by the financial crisis, by providing non-formal education programs through music, theatre, painting and games. ELIX had a very strong response to the 2015 refugee crisis. Given its long history in implementing social programmes, the strong spirit of volunteerism that guides its work and the comparative advantage of its non-formal education knowhow, ELIX responded quickly to the refugee crisis in Europe by offering integrational projects through education and recreational activities, for children and their parents. The aim was to provide non-formal education and homework support to refugees and migrants children, as well as their parents, in order to contribute to their smooth integration into the formal education system through innovative educational methods. An extensive network of learning centers were used in collaboration with local authorities and with the support of teachers, interpreters, social workers and psychologists. Building upon the previous experiences that ELIX has with involvement in a variety of different projects, the organization has developed its capacities in order to lead large scale project proposals, having significantly professionalised its organizational and managerial skills.