JESUIT REFUGEE SERVICE - HELLAS

JRS Hellas is part of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), an international Catholic organization with a mission to accompany, serve, and advocate for the rights of refugees and others who are forcibly displaced. JRS programs are found in 50 countries, providing assistance to refugees in camps and cities, individuals displaced within their own countries, asylum seekers in cities, and to those held in detention centres. JRS Hellas (Greece) was set up in November 2015 and its action is focused on vulnerable people. In an effort to promote the social inclusion and integration of refugees and other forced migrants in Greece, JRS Hellas engages in projects that support people from the moment of first arrival and accompanies them in a process toward self-sufficiency and full participation in their new home societies, such as: - Pedro Arrupe Center is a Social Integration Center that aims to facilitate the integration of migrant, refugee, and disadvantaged Greek children into the Greek education system through an after-school mentoring program and collaborative cross-cultural activities. At Pedro Arrupe Center, the JRS team works with a family spirit. For many of our students, the Centre is a second home, a place in which they feel safe to be themselves, to express their concerns and thoughts, and to have someone listen to their problems. - The weekly Hub Community run by JRS Hellas (Greece) is a place where asylum seekers and refugees can come and participate in different projects and activities. The Tea Time, social event at JRS Hub Community, is a place where asylum seekers and refugees can come to sit and chat, while enjoying a cup of tea or coffee. It is a place to rest and to meet up with friends, familiar and new. JRS staff and volunteers offer a warm welcome and a listening ear. Together, they share one another’s troubles and joys, both the mundane and the exceptional. They look to care for one another by providing emotional support and a network to other services that offer practical assistance. The Μαγιστοριες (Magistories) run at JRS Hub Community is a non-formal education project for refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and Greek people. In partnership with the program Ideas Box of the NGO Libraries Without Borders (Bibliothéques Sans Frontières), Μαγιστοριες is a space where anyone can learn, teach and become more involved in Greek culture and the European way of life, while discovering the value of each culture and building bridges among different nations. - The Women’s Day Centre is place for refugees or asylum-seeking women and their children, especially those who are most vulnerable. The Day Centre provides them a family environment, safety, and well-being and accompanies them in their process toward autonomy and personal valuation. At the Women’s Day Centre, every woman and child can develop skills for the construction and implementation of a consistent Project of Life, with a focus on social (re)integration. - Many asylum seekers and refugees arrived in Athens with little to no personal possessions. With the desire dignify all vulnerable people, JRS Magazi is a free basic goods store, where migrants, refugees, and disadvantaged Greek neighbors can obtain free clothes, household goods, and toys for kids. - JRS Advocacy - an integral part of the work of JRS, both nationally and internationally, is advocacy for the rights of refugees, so as to share their voices and provide them better services and a more dignified life. In order to achieve these goals, JRS Hellas participates in meetings with other representatives from the central and local government and EU agencies, INGOs, and NGOs. JRS Hellas also works together with other JRS offices, as a network, to analyze relevant issues and policies as they arise, in addition to identifying problems and formulating common positions and recommendations for change.