Following a week of activities
throughout Greece aimed at highlighting and promoting the contribution and
creativity of immigrants and refugees, UNICEF Office in Greece, the Network for
Children’s Right and Athens Comics Library celebrated the end of Refugee Week
Festival with an event dedicated to inclusion and diversity.
The event took place on Sunday,
June 26 at 6:00 p.m. at the Impact Hub in the heart of Athens. Representatives
of civil society, young refugees, immigrants and Greeks, and festival
organizers attended the event. The Ministry of Immigration and Asylum was
represented by Ms Geli Aroni, Head of the Integration and Support Unit for
Unaccompanied Minors at the Special Secretariat for the Protection of
Unaccompanied Minors.
The U-Report Greece platform and
the results of the poll on the Social Inclusion of
Immigrants and Refugees were presented during the event. Teenagers and
young attendees had the opportunity to register on the platform via Viber,
Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp and answer the questions of the poll, which ends
today 27/06.
In the discussion that followed, Dionysia Lampiri (Coordinator of the “Athens Coordination Center for Migrant and Refugee” and Coordinator of the Cities Network for Integration) stressed that "Municipalities can create more opportunities for the integration of immigrants and refugees in Greek society and despite the obstacles that exist, multiculturalism is an advantage for a society ".
Foivos Oikonomidis (Writer and screenwriter) mentioned that young people "… ..should create opportunities where everyone will come together, know each other and feel equal. At the same time, they should continue to put pressure and ask decision-makers for a more effective approach to the issue of integration. "
Afghan Community Vice President Hana Ganji pointed out the
importance of coexistence of different cultures with an important anti-racism
message, stressing that we must break the cycle of discrimination for the
benefit of children, who are the most vulnerable members of our society and
need support. Finally, Fridoon Joinda spoke about mutual care through
his own experience, sharing with the audience the story of his trip to Greece.
For him, mutual care is a process of ongoing healing and is achieved day by day
through community and collectivity.
U-Report Greece's collaboration with Refugee Week Greece aimed to
highlight the voices of young people who make a difference in their communities
and through their work enhance the coexistence of people and cultures by
promoting the message of mutual respect. U-Report Greece will be back soon with
a new poll for young people.
