OPEN CULTURAL CENTER (ΟΠΕΝ ΚΟΥΛΤΟΥΡΑΛ ΣΕΝΤΕΡ) ΑΣΤΙΚΗ ΜΗ ΚΕΡΔΟΣΚΟΠΙΚΗ ΕΤΑΙΡΕΙΑ

OCC is an association working for the integration and social inclusion of migrants and refugees in local host communities by offering non-formal education, sports and leisure activities, and various forms of legal and social assistance. The OCC promotes the inclusion and empowerment of migrants and refugees by engaging both host country nationals and third country nationals in our activities. OCC has set up four non-formal schools in refugee camps and urban areas during the last four years, and currently manages four spaces in the town of Polikastro where we provide services including educational early child development, language learning, sports and recreational activities, psychosocial support, legal and asylum support, and health assistance to the refugee community. OCC works in collaboration with Greek schools and supports the Ministry of Education with the process of enrolling non-Greek children in school based on their experience in the educational centers. The OCC also acts as a bridge between schools and refugee families, providing translators and transportation as needed. In addition to our regular programming, OCC manages special projects such as OCCycling (2018 - present), a bicycle sharing project which facilitates the mobility of refugees hosted in Nea Kavala refugee camp and improves their access to social services available in urban areas. OCC is a member of the Subnational Education Sector Working Group and the Anna Lindh Foundation, and participates actively in other humanitarian relief and inclusion networks such as Northgreece Volunteers. OCC has a team of 20 young people, composed of technical staff, volunteers and interns, who provide services 6 days a week to up to 100 refugees, migrants and asylum seekers. Volunteerism is a core value of the OCC and a vital resource for our work; theOCC has managed up to 100 volunteers and 20 interns over the course of each year. OCC also works on knowledge generation and sharing of best practices with other youth organisations. OCC is engaged in Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership projects and has co-directed two research theses on refugee integration and education that have been presented at the Istanbul Civil Society Summit 2017 (The Right to Education for Refugee Children and Teenagers, Lucía Gómez Martín Caro, 2017) and IASFM 2018 in Thessaloniki (The process of schooling of the refugee children in the Greek schools, 2018).