Sector

Carmen 4 all – Children’s Opera House

The educational cultural program Carmen 4 all, is an original action of the Ladies Union of Drama – House of Open Hospitality. The aim of the program is the smooth introduction of children to the world of music and specifically opera through lessons in vocal music, kinesiology and experiential workshops. The philosophy of the action is based on the educational program of the Royal Opera House of London, “Create and Sing Carmen”, in which the staff of the organization have been trained. The program is aimed at children from 5 to 12 years of age, both from the general population and from vulnerable social groups (low-income families, Roma and refugees), while the participation of children with no musical experience is encouraged.

The final target is to create the opera “Carmen” by the children and then present it to the public of Drama and to hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, special education schools.

The Carmen 4 all program was supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Ioannou F. Kostopoulou Foundation, while it was supported and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Mobile School interventions

The program “Mobile School Travels” was launched in February 2017. The program came to Drama after a request from the Agency to the Belgian Mobile School Organization. It is aimed at children aged 5 to 8 years old, living and working on the street and children belonging to socially excluded groups.

The aim of the “Mobile School” is to psychologically empower, explore and utilize the abilities of these children, as well as to strengthen their self-esteem. Also, communication with the children’s parents, as well as raising awareness in the wider society remains a key concern. The activities of the “Mobile School” are supported by volunteers of various specialties, such as social workers, psychologists, teachers, who through street work interventions work with the children and their families. For the overall effort made to acquire the “Mobile School”, the volunteer team of the Ladies Union of Drama received the “Islands of Quality” award, in November 2017, by the President of the Hellenic Republic. In December 2018, the “Mobile School” received the BRAVO award in the field of quality education. In September 2019, a specially designed van for the needs of the mobile school was purchased and provided to the organization by the Panos & Cressida 4 Life Foundation.

StreetSmart application

In the context of the “Mobile School” action, the volunteer team of the mobile school of the Ladies Union of Drama-House of Open Hospitality, after the preparatory work carried out in 2018, has in its hands the StreetSmart application, in which it records the incidents with which the “Mobile School” comes into contact in each intervention. This application was created to facilitate the Street workers’ work in order to be able to collect information on the spot. The application was created in the framework of an Erasmus project and involves organizations which working on “Mobile School” action and organizations related to street worker in general.

Platform StreetSmart Play

StreetSmart Play is a new online free play platform where youth workers inspire each other. Browse the database of engaging games shared by youth workers from around the world … and inspire your colleagues with your own creations. Youth workers must constantly work creatively to surprise children and young people with new activities. StreetSmart Play makes possible the quick and easy searching and sharing games, making every good game idea worth so much more and allowing it to be played anywhere.

Social Tutoring Centre

The Social Tutoring Centre officially started its operation in 2015. The aim of the Social Tutoring Centre is twofold. On the one hand, the tutorial learning of children through the lessons and on the other hand,the psychosocial empowerment and socialization of students through parallel activities. The children are selected according to strict economic and social criteria, while the whole activity is supported by volunteer teachers and tutors. The lessons are held during lunch and afternoon hours, on weekdays and weekends in a specially designed area. The volunteer teachers keep a logbook and a curriculum book, so that the hours, lessons and attendance of the students are consistently recorded, while discussions with parents are held at regular intervals to keep them informed about their children’s performance. At the same time, the main concern of the Social Tutoring Centre is the psychosocial support to the children through creative activities. The purpose of the Social Tutoring Centre is that all children have equal opportunities in education.

Student Care

The Ladies Union of Drama – House of Open Hospitality in the framework of student care covers the accommodation of female students studying at the IHUI, Drama branch. Specifically, they stay at the hostel House of Open Hospitality that the organization has. It is worth noting that the students stay completely free of charge and all their needs are covered. Also, the accommodation of Dramian students studying in Thessaloniki is covered in cooperation with the Philoptochos Brotherhood of Men of Thessaloniki. Finally, the NGO “Panos & Chrysiida – Help the children” contributes by offering a monthly financial assistance to children of beneficiary families of the organization.

Sustainable Urban Development Program

The project concerns the provision of services to 35 beneficiary women with counseling – information, training and skills certification activities. The objective of the services provided to the beneficiary people is to develop women’s entrepreneurship and improve their skills in order to enable and motivate them to enter the labour market.