European Voluntary Service in EDRA: 2007

24/12/2007

Christmas and New Year

EDRA and its EVS volunteers wishes to all of you HAPPY CHRISTMAS and MAY 2008 BRING HAPPPINESS AND A FAIRER WORLD!

11/12/2007

Our people working with EVS...

We started working with EVS back in 2005. It all started with Kostas Spatiotis, a former EVS volunteer that is working in our organisation. Kostas is now the Coordinator of our EVS activities and therefore responsible for more or less everything concerning EVS. He is also a trainer for EVS related subjects such as on arrival, mid term and pre departure seminars but also, mentors and organisations trainings.

Maria Dinou is the mentor of our volunteers. Maria is assisting our public relations but has also taken the responsibility of mentoring the volunteers, helping them with their integration to the project and the local community and also arrange practicalities. She is the person of our volunteers.

Maria Tsalmatza and Vivi Tsarouhi, who are both Psychologists. are the persons of reference in the working place for the volunteers. They are the ones arranging the programme within our structures and the ones that will tell you how, what, when with who?....But on the other, hand they are the ones that will discuss with you your ideas of...what, how, when, with who!!! Finally, but not least, we need to mention that Maria Kerasoglou is the President of the Board, and we are happy to have her by our side, as she is one of the people of EDRA that supports EVS in any way she can! Also, Alexandros Oikonomou that is our structures' manager (another psychologist :) who like Maria supports greatly EVS and is at the moment promoting EVS to other mental health organizations where we can be the Coordinators! (which means more great projects for you!)

03/12/2007

Our EVS in the Panattic Sport Event for Special Needs

09/11/2007

The EVS house

Our volunteers have recently changed accommodation. The new house is situated in the centre of Athens in the old neighbourhood of Thisio!! A place full of young energy that is 10 minutes walk from Akropoli, 1 minute from metro station, 20 minutes walk from the Constitution square and...I won't go on...in the middle of everything. The house is 120 square metres and has three rooms, a kitchen, a living room, one bathroom and one small WC. It can host up to 6 volunteers - 2 in each room. It is on the first floor and it has balconies on both sides. It is also equiped with all electrical appliances...fridge, kitchen, washing machine, TV, DVD player. Soon we will put some photos for you to have a better idea!

15/10/2007

An introduction

EDRA is operating in the fields of mental health and intellectual disabilities. Our vision is to see these individuals destigmatized and integrated to the social and occupational environment.
How? We are operating a day care centre with creative activities and two mental health residences where the service users are offered an alternative way of life comparing to public services. Our activities are taking place in a professional context with the care of professionals. Throughout the year we are running, participating, organising workshops seminars, holidays, different arts groups.
Concerning EVS we are a host, sending and coordinating organisation. Within this environment we welcome EVS and local volunteers to offer their enthousiasm and will to be part of our family!

We have been working with EVS since 2005. Since then a lot has happened...and that lot has helped us all (us and our volunteers) to take a step further in life on a personal but also profesional level. It all started when one Greek ex-EVS (Kostas) decided to join us and start EVS in EDRA. A great idea that was going very well with our local volunteer movements.

Since then we have received Monica from Spain, Emine from Turkey, Liis from Estonia, Charlene from France, Miranda from the Netherlands, Isabel from Spain, Mieke from Belgium, Helena from Spain, Lydia from Austria, Fransesca from Italy, Mara from Latvia, Brice from France, Aleksandra from FYROM, Carine from France and we are soon expecting Ana from Spain, Jorge from Portugal, Marco from Italy, Sophie from the UK and Karoline from the Netherlands...not to mention we are currently looking for another 3 volunteers to start in February-March of 2008. And that's not all. We have also sent Christos and Dimitris to Spain, Olga and Chrisi to the UK, Giorgos to Denmark and Maria to Italy.

We have coorganised one EVS contact making seminar in Greece (Disabling Disabilities) and one EVS training in Finland (Disabling Disabilities II) and of course we have participated in a number of trainings related to youth work and NGOs, locally and internationally. This is just an introduction. Stay with us to hear our volunteers stories, see photos of them, us and our structures, see the EVS house and our activities!