ACTIONAID HELLAS ASTIKI MI KERDOSKOPIKI ETAIRIA

ActionAid Hellas (AAH) is part of an international civil society organization that works with more than 15 million people in 45 countries, fighting poverty and injustice, educating people and supporting their communities to claim a life of dignity and a fairer world for all. Since its establishment in Greece in 1998, AAH mobilises citizens to change political and institutional frameworks and influence the collective value system to create a movement of active global citizens for a world free of poverty and injustice. AAH has 97 staff members and engages annually 140 volunteers at national level, while 60 volunteers have been/are involved in international humanitarian aid volunteering. Youth engagement and empowerment is a strategic priority for AAH, focusing on disadvantaged youth, and promoting their skills development and inclusion, and nurturing an enabling environment that invests in youth to drive change towards inclusive and resilient communities. AAH provides training on global challenges, job readiness support, leadership skills, youth inclusion through arts and sports, volunteering and mobility opportunities. In the field of volunteering, at national level AAH works to foster citizens’ engagement in solidarity actions. At international level, it runs a solidarity programme in Global South, giving the opportunity to volunteers around Europe to offer humanitarian aid support. At EU level, it brings together volunteers from different countries to raise their voice and co-design initiatives for social challenges. AAH provides capacity building on volunteer management to local and international NGOs, is a member of the Hellenic Platform for the Development, which coordinates Greek NGOs in the field of international development cooperation, education and humanitarian aid, and represents Greek NGOs in the European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development. AAH’s Country Director acts as the Vice Chair of the International Forum for Volunteering in Development (IVCO), which exists to develop good practice and enhance cooperation across the volunteering for development sector, while AAH organised the annual conference of IVCO in 2021 on the topic of Inclusive Volunteering for Global Equality. AAH was a research facilitator in UN State of the World's Volunteerism Report 2018, focusing on volunteering for community resilience and exploring how governments and actors can mitigate against potential harms to the most vulnerable. To foster a volunteering culture from an early age, AAH, through its Education department since 2000, works with schools, students and educators, training them on human rights and global citizenship through experiential methods. It equips youth and educators with knowledge and tools to enhance their life skills and encourage action for a more justice and sustainable world. AAH’s educational centre “A World Upside Down” (2009-2018) was the first global education centre operated in Greece. 6.000 schools and 300.000 students have participated in AAH’s educational programs and Global Action Week students’ campaign, which is coordinated annually by AAH. Since 2017, through its Community Center in Athens, AAH offers services to empower, mobilize and properly equip children, youth and adults at risk of social and economic exclusion living in Kolonos, one of the most underprivileged districts in Athens. A group of local youth is engaged in designing solutions and taking action for challenges they face in the community. People access skills development programmes, psycho-social support, accounting and employability counselling. AAH uses arts (theatre, carpentry, visual arts) and football as an accessible and collective means of expression and dialogue at community level, promoting civic participation. It runs an “Inclusion through Football” program for underprivileged adolescents, cultivating values of cooperation, respect and tolerance through mixed football teams (girls, boys, migrants, non-migrant, Roma). Up t