Dec 05 2020

Refugee faces (No2) from Welcommon Hostel: The story of Nasadore (freedom and democracy)

By Nikos Chrysogelos | Actions | No Comments

Refugee faces (No2), from Welcommon Hostel. The real stories of refugees

The story of Nasadore (freedom and democracy)

During COVID – 19, we – the social cooperative Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal – are hosting about 50-60 homeless vulnerable refugees in our innovative and inclusive WELCOMMON HOSTEL. Additional to accommodation and interecultural courses we already offer to them, we want to aware the citizens of the real problems and needs of the refugees, therefore we will present the real stories of them.

If you want to support our work, go here: www.gogetfunding/welcommon

“One day she came to prison to visit me in secret. Her father and her brother didn’t know and they would beat here if they were aware. She brought a ring, gave it to me through the fence and said: „I want you to be my husband.” It’s a very difficult idea in our country [for the woman to propose] and she challenged the ideology for me. She loved me as much as was needed to do it.

It was love from the first sight. I met her through a friend while she was studying in high school. On the first date we just walked on the street and she was very shy. She was afraid that someone could see us so we were hiding from people.

When I got to prison she waited for me. She came to court and waited for five hours just to see me for three minutes. Then she waited for me for six years. When I left we got married and now we are expecting a baby.

I remember the poem by Richard Lovelace which I read in the cell:

Stone walls do not a prison make,

Nor iron bars a cage:

Minds innocent and quiet take

That for an hermitage.

If I have freedom in my love,

And in my soul am free,

Angels alone, that soar above,

Enjoy such liberty.

Except for my wife and family I don’t have many good experiences from my country. They put me in prison there only because I wanted democracy and freedom. I’m looking for a new home for me and my family, I want to belong somewhere and start a new life in a place which respects human beings, which doesn’t look into my religion, my ideas. We are only humans and we can accept each other.

I stay in the WELCOMMON HOSTEL now and it’s a good place. We have English, German and sport classes and I found migrants like me. We met the teachers from France, Germany, Poland and we had a good experience with them. Last weekend one of the volunteers noticed that my leg was infected. She hurried to the pharmacy right away and bought medicine for me. And she didn’t want any money for that. Now the leg is better and it’s all because of her.”

Nasadore’s wife is still in his home country.

He lost the engagement ring from prison during his travel to Europe.

The bracelet (on the pictures) is another gift from her he managed to keep.

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Nov 23 2020

WELCOMMON HOSTEL: we offer accommodation and education for refugees in Athens during COVID-19

By Nikos Chrysogelos | Actions | No Comments

About the Welcommon project during COVID-19

For the past 2 weeks Greece has been in lockdown (again), which means that everyone is supposed to stay home. Unfortunately some people don’t have a home and if it wasn’t for the Welcommon Hostel’s decision to remain open, a number of refugees would be left living (again) in the streets. In WELCOMMON HOSTEL we host 50 people during this lockdown-2.

Today, we are looking for funding or donations. Go to https://gogetfunding.com/welcommon/ to support two social projects:

Housing of vulnerable refugees in the Welcommon Hostel during COVID-19 and especially lockdown2
Providing intercultural classes and activities (language skills, job preparation, art therapy, etc.)

Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal was founded as a social cooperative in Athens in 2014. Born out of a desire to promote social and green innovation and economy, climate protection, energy transition, environmental awareness, intercultural dialogue, welcome refugees – providing safe accommodation and social inclusion. The WELCOMMON HOSTEL is an innovative hostel with social and green impact created and run by our social cooperative since July 2018, initially intended to be self-financed by tourism, and with a vision to bring people from all over the world together, by providing educational and intercultural activities for refugee communities in Athens, local Greeks and travelers. As a cooperative we don’t share profits, if there is we invest it in new jobs, social, climate and green activities. For 1,5 year (September 2016 to Ferbruary 2018) Anemos Ananeosis provided accommodation in dignity, empowerment and non-formal education for more than 600 refugees in the WElCOMMON, a centre for refugees based on the “empowerment through building communities” model.

What’s the problem and how are we addressing it?

As of June 2020, even the sustainable tourism collapsed and at the same time thousands of recognized refugees and asylum seekers in Greece have been facing eviction from the greek government / EU funded accommodation, as a result of a new government plan, which has already left many refugees homeless in the midst of a global pandemic. This includes many vulnerable asylum seekers, such as survivors of sexual violence, torture and ill treatment, the elderly, and people with chronic diseases, pregnants and mothers with new borned babies.

The vision for the Welcommon Hostel, opened in 2018, was to be a sustainable solution to host all the travelers. If you’ve ever come into the Welcommon you probably felt that it is a special place, a place where you can meet people, learn from them… it is a community. Special place, people, values.

Five floors of the seven storey building can provide accommodation to up to 167 people.

Two floors of the Welcommon hostel are dedicated to our social activities, providing opportunities to guests, international volunteers and refugees to collaborate and learn together. Our hostel is also a place for social and cultural exchange. Here, Greek locals, refugees, volunteers and tourists come together to eat, to drink, to discuss or to play card games.

Housing of vulnerable refugees during COVID-19

With the current situation in the camps and the streets of Athens and during COVID-19, it became vital to offer emergency and long-term accommodation for refugees, not only lessons. This is why we are open for collaboration and looking for resources, common projects and/or donations to finance this initiative. Therefore, during this new lockdown we are hosting 50 people from Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, Palestine, Congo etc. Our objective is to find resources to host 60 to 80 people currently living in the street or in camps and support their return to society, focusing on vulnerable. Recenlty, we hosted the 51st newborn baby (and her family), and soon we will host the 52d one, since September 2016.

Accommodation to volunteers

We offer accommodation to volunteers coming from all over Europe and the world – some of them #EuropeanSolidarityCorps participants – to participate in our activities and provide the space for the intercultural lessons and activities. Since 2016, more than 330 volunteers participated in organising non formal education language classes, art therapy courses and socializing events with over 1500 refugees. The aim is to promote social inclusion and support refugees in restarting their lives and help them to become more independent but also to promote collaboration, respect and learning each other.

Intercultural classes and activities during COVID-19 and lockdown

Our plan, is to provide accommodation for refugee communities, but also to help them with education, empoewerment and integration by providing educational and intercultural activities and job preparation even during COVID-19 and lockdown-2.

Our activities during COVID-19: The activities came to a complete stop during the Covid-19 lockdown-1 (March – May 2020) and restarted in limited capacity in June 2020 because of the small number of volunteers and lack of financial resources. Throughout the summer extra volunteers brought their enthusiasm and motivation to the project. From June to November 2020 (before the lockdown2) we offered the posibility to 110 refugees to participate in non-formal education, intercultural lessons. Most of the participants in the courses are teenagers and women.

Our activities during the lockdown-2: Since the 7th of November 2020, we had to cancel the courses for refugees from outside the hostel (camps and appartments) participating in the classes, because of the restrictions in mobility and of the health protocols. Our volunteers are re-organising the life in the hostel with activities, classes, daily chores, cleaning, etc… In the end, this lockdown is a good opportunity to get to know each other and to share our stories, our skills. We created a new schedule for the about 50-60 residents (refugees) of the Welcommon Hostel with different kinds of language classes (english, french, german, art) and projects for teenagers, children and adults! The children living in the hostel during COVID-19 and lockdown learn language, painting, maths with the help of our volunteers in the kids rooms! To make the best out of this lockdown and make it a productive time, the volunteers also organised all the resources that we have at the hostel to be able to be more efficient for the classes.

Why we need your help?

Since reopening the hostel in June, we have hosted in our hostel a few tourists by moslty refugees and asylum seekers, including many vulnerable cases, thanks to the collaboration with organizations such as Greek Council of Refugees, Greek Refugees Forum, women organisation DIOTIMA.

Unfortunately both us and other NGO’s active in Athens have limited resources, and can only manage to help a certain amount of people, while many more people, including many vulnerable refugees are still homeless, and living in streets of Athens.

But lockdown means no tourism, which means no income, which means it is difficult to pay the total cost (rent, bills, taxes and fees, cleaning material and personnel, laundry, staff, consumables. colors, papers etc). We need an amount – additional to what we can finance – of at least 450 Euro for 2 persons for a month, which means that we need your help!

We need your help to keep the project going!

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

To financially support us go to: https://gogetfunding.com/welcommon/

or direct to our bank accounts:

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

ANEMOS ANANEOSIS / WIND OF RENEWAL

Cooperative Bank of Karditsa

ΙΒΑΝ GR 7608900100003010003540200

Swift Code STKAGRA1

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ANEMOS ANANEOSIS / WIND OF RENEWAL

Piraeus Bank

IBAN: GR83 0172 0180 0050 1807 7868 253

Piraeus’s BIC code is PIRBGRAA

Don’t forget to send us (windofrenewal@gmail.com) your details. We need name, address, country, VAT No in order to be able to issue the receipt for your donation

And if you can’t donate, remember that sharing is caring! Thank you

#lockdowndiary #windofrenewal #welcommonhostel #socialwork #volunteering

Nov 18 2020

Refugee Portraits (No1), from WELCOMMON HOSTEL: The story of Hamid. Love is whenever I play with my children

By Nikos Chrysogelos | Actions | No Comments

Refugee faces (No1), from Welcommon Hostel. The real stories of refugees

The story of Hamid: Love is whenever I play with my children

During COVID – 19, we – the social cooperative Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal – are hosting about 50-60 homeless vulnerable refugees in our innovative and inclusive WELCOMMON HOSTEL. Additional to accommodation and interecultural courses we already offer them, we want to aware the citizens of the real problems and needs of the refugees, therefore we will present the real stories of them.

If you want to support our work, go here: www.gogetfunding/welcommon

Portrait n°1 : Hamid

“I’m from Afghanistan. I’ve been in Greece for one year and one month. Two months in Athens. The rest of it in Moria. I decided to come to Greece because our lives were in danger in Afghanistan and also for the future of the kids.

Love is whenever I play with my children. It makes me happier than anything else. Everything is a memory with them. There is a particular story about a moment when we were terrified but we also love laughing about.

We were on a way from Turkey to Greece. One day we were in a park and it was a cold day and we put our 1,5 year old son in a box to keep him safe and warm. We were resting and fell asleep and at one point my wife realized that somebody was trying to take the box with our child. It was a person cleaning in the park. We realized we need to be more cautious since then!

I would like my children to become football players. That’s the only thing I would like them to become in the future.”

What is the WELCOMMON HOSTEL and the WELCOMMON project

The WELCOMMON Hostel is an innovative hostel run by the social cooperative enterprise Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal. We provide safe accommodation, promote social inclusion and propose non formal education to travellers who needs it. To do this we use our 7 storeys building with its 167 beds and its 2 floors dedicated to education and intercultural activities. If you’ve ever come into the Welcommon you probably felt that it is a special place, a place where you can meet people, learn from them… it is a community.

We and various organisations are stepping up to provide emergency accommodation to as many families as we can in the Welcommon hotel during COVID-19. During this new lock down we are hosting a number of people from Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Algeria, Palestine, Congo. Many of them children, women, young refugees.

Since the creation of the Welcommon Hostel in 2018, the aim has been to be self financed by sustainable tourism. All was going well since the Covid crisis reached Greece in March 2020. With the collapse of tourism and the various crises that occured since the spring, we and our collaborators find ourselves in a position of financial struggle.

That’s why today we need your help to take some of the burden away. Anything you can give will help, from a single euro to larger donations, to help keep the Welcommon Hostel open and the people we host out of the streets this winter. To financially support us: https://gogetfunding.com/welcommon/

And if you are not able to give, sharing this to as many people as possible is also a great help!

#tellyourstory #refugeeswelcome #refugeestories #WelcommonHostel #daysofwelcommon #WindofRenewal #WithRefugees #socialinclusion #empowerment #Athens #LeaveNoOneBehind #erasmus #EuropeanSolidarityCorps

Nov 10 2020

Green Deal, European Youth Guarantee and youth employment: Opportunities and Challenges in Greece and Spain

By Nikos Chrysogelos | Actions | No Comments

Online Event

The European Green Deal and the reinforced European Youth Guarantee: Will they help to tackle Youth Unemployment? Opportunities and Challenges with focus on Greece and Spain

12th November 2020
Time: 2-3.30 pm CEST

The webinar is a collaboration of the World Future Council with the pilot projects GRÆDUCATION and EUKI YesClima and their partners. Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal is participating in the preparation of the event and the pannel of the discussion.

The event would like to discuss with participants and audience if and how a Green Sector offers a unique chance to involve young women and men endangered by economic exclusion, in particular by implementing the goals set out in the European Green Deal (EGD) and the corresponding National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). The online event provides a forum for EU parliamentarians, representatives of the national focal points of the Youth guarantee as well as young people and civil society working in this field to report on the specific situation in their countries. Best practices for measures, educational cooperation and policies will also be presented to initiate new ideas and to plan their implementation. The online event enables for discussions about the remaining tasks of the member states to develop programmes on how to (financially) implement the European Youth Guarantee in light of green recovery policies and the challenges of climate protection.

To be successful in reducing youth unemployment in light of the European Green Deal we will need strong European networks for an effective exchange of knowledge, sustainable cooperation and good policies. The online event aims to give an impulse to develop such networks and showcases some innovative policies.

Chair: Samia Kassid, Germany. Senior Programme Manager – Rights of Children and Youth, World Future Council.

Our Keynote Speakers
– Prof. Dr. Lina Gálvez Muñoz, MEP, Vice Chair of Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
– Max Uebe, European Commission, Head of Unit, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion B1 Employment Strategy
– Dr. Spiros Protopsaltis, Governor of OAED Manpower Employment Organization Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Vice Chair of European Network of Public Employment Services, Greece

A moderated discussion with
– Nikos Chrysogelos, Wind of Renewal: Youth unemployment, EYG and the challenges in Greece
– Silke Steinberg, FIAP, e.V.: GRÆDUCATION: a systemic approach for innovative, greennvocational training as change agent for labor markets (Best Practice)
– Afroditi Strati, Young Voice from Greece
– Ms Sandra García Lopez, Public Employment Service, Spanish Youth Guarantee Coordinator
– Dr. Silke Karcher, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety / EUKI (Policy Example) (tbc)
– Prof. Dr. Francisco José Sánchez de la Flor (Universidad de Cádiz): YesClima: Lifelong Education (Best practice)
– Mario Férnandez Ardanaz, Vice-President of the Provincial Government of Cádiz: Tackling Youth Employment in the province of Cádiz.
– Paula García Rodríguez, Young Voice from Spain
– Ian Menzies, Senior Education Officer, Education Scotland: Scotland’s Youth employment strategy: Developing the young workforce (Policy Example)

In our web-event we will discuss if and how a Green Sector offers a unique chance to involve young women and men endangered by economic exclusion, in particular by implementing the goals set out in the European Green Deal (EGD) and the corresponding National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs). The Green Recovery will create new business and service opportunities for which today’s youth will need to be prepared.The European Commission’s initiative to “reinforce the Youth Guarantee” aims to support young people in gaining work experience and developing skills as well as to boost employability for a green economy. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 crisis will worsen employment opportunities, and it is feared that young women and men are hit hardest being excluded from qualified work. The exclusion of (not only!) the European youth from economic activities will increase intolerably, particularly in regions with an already high youth unemployment.

Therefore, the focus of the reinforced Youth Guarantee should also be on employment in innovative, emerging professions that are important for a sustainable Europe and in Subscribe Past Issues Translate creating jobs with a focus on “Green Skills”.

Today, youth make up 37 % of the global working-age population, but account for 60 % of the total unemployed. According to OECD, global youth unemployment rate is three times higher than for adults. The youth labour market is highly sensitive to economic cycles and in times of economic crisis youth employment is hit more strongly by economic shocks than adult employment. Young workers are often “first out”. During the 2008 crisis, one in ten jobs in Europe held by workers under 30 were lost. In Spain, Greece and Ireland, half of working young people lost their jobs between 2007 and 2014. Twelve years after that recession and despite economic recovery across the OECD, youth employment rate stagnated since 2010 and never recovered to pre-2008 crisis levels. Economic crises force young people into long-term unemployment, inactivity and discouragement which affects their long-term career prospects. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth labour market outcomes will be severe in developed, emerging, and developing countries. Economies with high rates of informal employment are particularly vulnerable to shocks. The lockdowns and the spread of the virus mean millions of young people lack social protection, income benefit in case of sickness, and are at risk through inadequate access to universal health care.

The reinforced Youth Guarantee will play a crucial role to tackling youth unemployment in Europe, especially in countries like Greece or Spain. The World Future Council and its partners, the Diputación de la provincia de Cádiz, Universidad de Cádiz, FIAP e.V. (Gelsenkirchen), the Sekretariat für Zukunftsforschung(Berlin) and Wind of Renewal (Greece), welcome the Commission’s initiative to “reinforce the Youth Guarantee” and have submitted in May 2020 a memorandum to the European Commission advocating for adequate training of young people to create new jobs that are in line with the European Green Deal. On top prevocational and vocational qualifications must be improved and should form part of the educational system.

About the World Future Council

The World Future Council (WFC) works to pass on a healthy and sustainable planet with just and peaceful societies to our children and grandchildren. To achieve this, it focuses on identifying, developing, highlighting, and spreading effective, future-just solutions for current challenges humanity is facing, and promote their implementation worldwide. The Council consists of 50 eminent global change-makers from governments, parliaments, civil societies, academia, the arts, and the business world. Jakob von Uexkull, the Founder of the Alternative Nobel Prize, launched the World Future Council in 2007. It is an independent, non-profit organisation under German law and finance our activities with institutional partnerships and donations.

The World Future Council works on solutions to some of the most pressing challenges by finding and spreading exemplary laws and policies that have a proven record of producing positive impacts both for current and future generations, working with parliamentarians, policy makers and relevant stakeholders as well UN bodies at an international level. The World Future Council recognises the increased and urgent need of empowering youth regarding access to decent jobs, including green jobs. In 2019, the Future Policy Award, also known as the “Oscar for best policies”, highlighted exemplary laws and policies that foster enabling environments for youth so that they can develop their full potential, realize their dreams, and contribute to the success of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals. The Future Policy Award worked in partnership with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the United Nations Development Programme, with support of the Office of the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, the International Labour Organization, and Youth Policy Lab. www.worldfuturecouncil.org

GRÆDUCATION

IThe BMBF funded project GRÆDUCATION provides important solutions to this problem in Greece. Together with the Greek Employment Agency O.A.E.D. and the Greek Ministry of Education, FIAP e.V. and the German Greek Chamber of Industry and Commerce are initiating collaborations between German and Greek vocational educators to “green” technical training and qualifications. In addition, the focus is also on interdisciplinary, transformative aspects, which aim at the “green” empowerment of young people. www.fiap-ev.org, www.graeducation.org

EUKI YESclima

In the project YESclima (“Young Energy Experts working for climate-friendly Schools”, 2018-2020), 22 young women and men from Greece and the Spanish province Cádiz, have elaboratedg energy-audits and proposals to make school building more energy efficient, mainly with “smart” natural techniques and using solar energy. The project is managed by the University of Cádiz (leader), the Greek social cooperative enterprise “Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewals” (Athens), the “Sekretariat für Zukunftsforschung” (Berlin) and the Energy Agency of the province of Cádiz (all implementers). The project is integrated in the “European Climate Initiative” (EUKI), founded, and financed by the German Ministry for Environment, Natural Protection and Nuclear Safety. https://www.euki.de/euki-projects/yesclima/

Participants

We aim to reach out to policy makers, parliamentarians, EU-representatives, civil society, and youth working the field of youth employment.

Format

This is a virtual event held over Zoom. It may be streamed live on the World Future Council Facebook page. The event will be recorded and can be made available on the World Future Council’s website and Facebook page.

BACKGROUND

The BMBF funded project GRÆDUCATION provides important solutions to this problem in Greece. Together with the Greek Employment Agency O.A.E.D. and the Greek Ministry of Education, FIAP e.V. and the German Greek Chamber of Industry and Commerce are initiating collaborations between German and Greek vocational educators to “green” technical training and qualifications. In addition, the focus is also on interdisciplinary, transformative aspects, which aim at the “green” empowerment of young people. www.fiap-ev.org, www.graeducation.org

In the project YESclima (“Young Energy Experts working for climate-friendly Schools”, 2018-2020), 22 young women and men from Greece and the Spanish province Cádiz, have elaboratedg energy-audits and proposals to make school building more energy efficient, mainly with “smart” natural techniques and using solar energy. The project is managed by the University of Cádiz (leader), the Greek NGO “Wind of Renewals” (Athens), the “Sekretariat für Zukunftsforschung” (Berlin) and the Energy Agency of the province of Cádiz (all implementers). The project is integrated in the “European Climate Initiative” (EUKI), founded, and financed by the German Ministry for Environment, Natural Protection and Nuclear Safety. https://www.euki.de/euki-projects/yesclima/

Nov 04 2020

Webinar: “YESClima Young experts for climate-friendly schools in Mediterranean countries”

By Nikos Chrysogelos | Actions | No Comments

“YESClima:Young experts for climate-friendly schools in Mediterranean countries”

Final Event YesClima 2020 | GREECE“

5/11/2020, at 16.00-18.00

An online discussion on “youth work on climate protection and energy saving”, organized by Anemos Renovation in the framework of the EUKI YESclima program on Thursday 5/11, from 16.00-18.00 (the discussion will be in Greek).

The event, which will be broadcast on Facebook and YouTube, will discuss with specific examples how climate protection contributes to the creation of new quality, green jobs and reduces costs for heating and cooling of public and private buildings.

WHEN? -> at the 5th of November,

WHERE? -> in the WELCOMMON Hostel, an innovative hostel with social impact and a center for social innovation dedicated to promote green and circular economy and employment in green, social and cultural sectors

but also! in our online event on facebook & youtube!!

We would be more than happy to invite you to take part in this event, in order to exchange knowledge, experiences and good practises for more climate-friendly buildings and educational centers as well as for green jobs on energy efficiency and climate protection.

The program of the event is:

16.00 Greetings and description of the project carried out within the framework of EUKI YESclima by Nikos Chrysogelos (President of the Social Cooperative: “Wind of Renewal”)

16:10 Greetings by Francisco José Sánchez de la Flor, (Professor Titular de Cadiz University, Director of the Department of Machines and Thermal Engines, Superior School of Engineering. Universidad de Cádiz, Spain, project coordinator (English))

16.15 “Results of energy control project in 9 school buildings and a hostel within YESclima”: Dimitra Beleri, (architect), Ioanna-Athina Georgopoulou (building physicist).

16.35 “Experience from my participation in the YESclima project”: Agapi-Evangelia Tsampazi (Civil Engineer AUTh., M.Sc., Ecology Program Coordinator, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Foundation, Greece)

16.45 “Climate protection and energy saving in Municipality’s schools – the experience of cooperation in the framework of the EUKI-YESclima program”: Maria Androutsou, (Mayor of Agios Dimitrios)

16.55 “Climate protection and energy saving in Municipality’s schools – the experience of cooperation in the framework of the EUKI-YESclima program”: Alexis Mavragannis (Deputy Mayor of Vrilissia)
17.05 “From the level of the building we are now moving to the level of the neighborhood – interactions and new approaches at European level”, Michalis Goudis (Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Foundation, Greece, former communications manager of Housing Europe, the European Federation of Public and Private Michalis Goudis)
17.20 Discussion – Interventions, questions and answers (Q&A)
17.45 Closing by N. Chrysogelos

The event in Spain

Energy saving and natural heating – cooling systems

Natural heating and cooling methods use less energy and are frequently more economical. However, many educational buildings in Spain and Greece use expensive and energy-consuming heating and air conditioning systems instead of more efficient and climate-friendly solutions. The condition of most of the educational centres should be improved. It is a fact that more climate-friendly solutions are rarely used.

The YESclima project is an EUKI program that aims to train young experts in energy related topics, to carry out energy audits in primary schools and to provide advice to the municipalities involved in the project. With their practice and additional training, the project goal is to increase their chances of working while at the same time contributing to reducing emissions from heating and cooling in public buildings.

In the framework of the program “YESClima: Young people working for climate protection and energy saving” 11 young people from Greece, organized in 3 groups, after a theoretical training and practicing for 6 months, they acquired knowledge, skills and abilities so that they can work professionally in energy saving techniques in buildings. All three of the teams, firstly, visited 8 educational centers in Athens in order to evaluate their energy audits based on the existing equipment and newly acquired knowledge. After that, their task was to compose technical essays where the current energy behaviour of the buildings is estimated and elaborate on measures and techniques that could improve the the indoor climate and thermal comfort as well as provide data concerning the energy savings in the heating and cooling of buildings, and thus also economic savings for the local authorities that manage the schools.

In Greece this project is organized by the Social Cooperative “Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal” with the collaboration of two municipalities of Attica, Ag. Demetrios and Vrilissia, the University of Cádiz-Andalusia (UCA), the Provincial Energy Agency of Cadiz (APEC), the Sekretariat für Zukunftsstudien Berlin an der Freien Universität Berlin.

This project is part of the European Climate Initiative (EUKI). EUKI is a project financing instrument by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). The EUKI competition for project ideas is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. It is the overarching goal of the EUKI to foster climate cooperation within the European Union (EU) in order to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.’

Nov 01 2020

Lucile: volunteering during COVID-19 for social green innovation in Athens

By Nikos Chrysogelos | Actions | No Comments

I am Lucile, twenty-two years old and I am doing my second year of a master’s degree in international and humanitarian law in France. This summer I wanted to travel and be useful at the same time so I decided to spend 2 months as a volunteer with Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal in Welcommon Hostel! I found the ideal place where I could enjoy a beautiful city, meet great people, and help the refugees with organizing the activities and giving language classes.

I- About the classes
Because of Covid-19, the classes were limited to five students. In the beginning, it was a real challenge to respect the sanitary conditions and to guarantee a good atmosphere. The students had to keep a distance from each other, wear a mask, the most difficult thing was to talk with the mask… It wasn’t easy to teach with these circumstances but it wasn’t impossible either. I can say that, little by little, the volunteers and also the students, we all adapted to the situation.

Thomas, a volunteer, who had been in the project since March, created different level groups : beginner, intermediate, and advanced English speaker. I took care of three groups of “English beginners” and one group of “ french beginners”.

My first class was difficult because there were two families with children from different ages (ten to fifteen years old). Moreover, although they seemed to be all beginners, it turned out that some of them couldn’t read and write at all, the others were able to speak a little bit, and the third group was only able to read and write in english. And they all wanted to be in the same group.

Also, I had a real culture shock, because for the first time in my life I spoke and met people from Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey etc… They were speaking a lot in Farsi together and with the different dialects of farsi which made me a little bit confused at the beginning. In addition, they are not used to learning English.

So, Thomas and I had to find a solution which allows everyone to feel good, and which respects the sanitary conditions. We decided to divide the people into two groups of five : one with the children and one with the adults. Also, during the class, Sajad, one student, who could speak English and Farsi, helped me a lot. He did a translation between Farsi and English, which permitted me to understand much better the students and vice versa. Step by step, we put in place an organisation that worked and the classes became better for me and for my students.

I also taught French with another group of beginners. I was very surprised to discover that teaching your own native language can be sometimes so hard! I thought before that English was more difficult, but actually it’s completely the opposite. I had a group of five students who were very interested in French, so they were motivated and we could see a lot of things in two months! Such a pleasure to be a teacher with students who are interested in your class.

As a first experience, being a teacher was a big advantage for me. Before coming here, I had no idea how to organize a class, or how to teach… I didn’t know what to expect. Thanks to that, it was very easy for me to adapt myself to students’ needs. I was happy to be there, share my knowledge and have fun with my students. At the same time I also improved in english. As we had a lot of autonomy in our activities of how to organize a class, I let my creativity speak!

II- About the activities
Concerning the activities, it was a good opportunity to speak, to share the experiences between volunteers and refugees and to see beautiful places in Athens. For example, we went to Likavitos and Phillopapos. From the hostel, it’s easy to go there, and you don’t need any money. So everyone can go ! Visiting these places was a good opportunity to see the students in another context, out of the class, and discover beautiful views and monuments together. Also, with Tosia (another volunteer), we organised a treasure hunt in the National Garden. This means that students were in the teams of five/six (3 teams in total) and with the map the goal was to accomplish as many activities as possible in one afternoon. It was very fun to play together and experience a good team spirit.

Also, we organised a French and Afghan movie. We only needed a projector, one room, two old posters, pillows, a lot of popcorn and we were ready to watch a movie! It was relaxing and a warm moment that we shared together: with the reception staff, students, and the volunteers.

With some students, we also did game nights and played “Time’s up”, which is a rapidity game. This game is a perfect way to learn english vocabulary and have fun at the same time.

In the hostel, we also organised a “crêpes party” with my French students, in the idea of discovering a little of french culture. We prepared together the pastry, cooked and made them jump in a french way, and after all these efforts, we ate them all together! During this evening, we shared a good meal and played funny games. Such a good moment spent together !

I really enjoyed my stay here, in Welcommun Hostel ! Athens is a beautiful city full of colours and good vibes, and the Welcommon is a warm and welcoming place. The hostel is located close to the city centre, in Exarchia. It’s a beautiful place and it’s easy to go out and find a good beer or a good souvlaki. I met great people from different places with a different culture background. With the reception staff and the other volunteers and staff, I could see a true solidarity between us.

My volunetering was supported by the European Solidarity Corps Erasmus program as part of the project “Social Green Innovation for Youth” implemented by the social cooperative Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal

Oct 27 2020

Sifnos: leaving the local community out of the energy transition is not acceptable

By Nikos Chrysogelos | Actions, News | No Comments

– European Commissioner, Executive Vice-President of the Commission, Mr. Frans Timmermans

– European Commissioner for Energy, Ms. Kadri Simson

– Covenant of Mayors

– Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat

– REScoop.eu

– Media

TOPIC: PROVISION OF SUPPORT TO SIFNOS IN THE EFFORT OF ITS LOCAL SOCIETY TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT THE ENERGY TRANSITION

Dear all,

Sifnos is a small island in the Cyclades complex with a long tradition in the wise management of the natural and man-made environment. Having realized the need to jointly contribute to the reduction of pressures on the environment and climate protection, the society of Sifnos tries to be a positive example in the fields of recycling, reduction of plastic bags, preservation of natural and ecological wealth, preservation of traditional settlements and its cultural wealth. Having a long tradition in windmills, in the sustainable management of biomass coming from pruned olive trees and in small boats that are moving with the help of the wind, it is understandable that the local community seeks (once again) a turn to green, renewable energy.

Representatives of the local community have participated in many events in the European Parliament, while also conferences in Greece and other European countries, in order to gain experience and enhance the energy transition of Sifnos through collaborations, such as the European Federation of Citizen Energy Cooperatives REScoop.eu, the Covenant of Mayors, the Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat, research agencies and energy organizations. A few years ago, an energy cooperative was also created in Sifnos, in order to contribute to the energy transition of the island in a green future.

While, however, Sifnos:

-Participates in the formulation of its energy transition plan in a way that guarantees energy democracy, namely through a democratic and participatory process, so that all citizens of Sifnos have a say in how energy will be produced and employed for the needs of the island, but also for the residents themselves to have control over the investments that need to be made.

– Awaits the official response and comments to the application submitted to the Energy Regulatory Authority (RAE) by the Energy Cooperative of Sifnos for a renewable energy production project (the application is pending since 2016, without being officially rejected or without any final changes being proposed in this project),

the municipal authority accidentally finds out that 4 licenses for the production of energy from renewable sources on the island have already been granted through express procedures to companies that have neither a connection with Sifnos nor have informed the local community and the Municipality about their plans. If these plans are implemented, two companies will actually control about 80% of the electricity that the island needs today. In fact, responding to a relevant phone call of the Mayor, asking for official information, the following provocative answer was given: “the licensing process does not provide for an obligation to inform the municipal authority and the local community.”

Similar practices that leave the local community OUT of the processes of planning and implementing the energy transition have led to distrust and strong reactions on many islands with regards to RES investment plans imposed externally, instead of being the result of participatory planning and active participation of the local community. They also conflict with the European policy and legislation.

The authorities that provided licenses to the 4 investment projects provocatively ignored that:

– Sifnos is one of the leading islands at European level in terms of energy transition, having planned, in cooperation with European and national bodies, its transition to clean energy with the participation of the local community. All the relevant decisions have been taken after extensive dialogue, visits to other islands, cooperation with European bodies and in a unanimous basis by the Municipal Council of Sifnos.

– The society of Sifnos has realized the need to protect the climate, since, we, the islanders, are already experiencing the dramatic effects of climate change and we are particularly exposed to the climate crisis, the increase of the average temperature and the expansion of the desert zone to our region (these include the danger of desertification of lands that have been wisely preserved and supported the survival of the inhabitants for thousands of years, reduction of rainfall and reversal of the water balance), extreme weather events, which are connected with catastrophic consequences for the coastal zone and the island’s economy, dramatic effects on crops and the sensitive Mediterranean ecosystem of the island.

– Our island society has a long tradition in environmental protection and problem solving with the active participation of residents, it does not expect others to find and implement solutions for the island, as can be seen by: the wise agricultural practice followed for centuries, which today is discussed (in modern terms) in the context of the European strategy “farm2fork”, the network of thousands of kilometres of dry stone – a cultural monument and model of ecological practice for soil protection used to face climate crisis and to prevent floods, the wise management of the limited water resources (by collecting rainwater, reusing water and ecological management of springs), the bioclimatic design followed by the builders who constructed the traditional settlements, the emergence of important people distinguished in education, artistic activities and politics, which had innovative ideas, interest in the common benefit and good.

– The Municipality of Sifnos is a member of the Covenant of Mayors and is committed to proceed with the energy transition.

– Sifnos has been cooperating with the European Federation of Energy Cooperatives REScoop.eu for about 10 years.

–Sifnos has been selected as one of the six islands supported in their energy transition by the Clean Energy for EU islands Secretariat and for which the Agenda for Clean Energy Transition is being developed, in cooperation with the local community. Basic criteria for the selection of the islands – Sifnos being one of them – are “the active participation of the local community and the local authority of the island, the support provided from the professional and social bodies, etc.”

The 4 licenses mentioned above for the production of energy from renewable sources were given without giving the chance and the priority to the local community to develop its own clean energy transition plan. Neither has there been any information of the Municipal Authority and the Local Society, either by the companies that submitted the applications or by the public authority, as required by the European Strategy for Energy Transition, the Aarhus Treaty on Environmental Information, the European legislation (Clean Energy for All Europeans Package) and the recent “Memorandum of Split“

– On 25/2/2015, the European Commission presenting the Energy Union package stated that “most importantly, our vision is of an Energy Union with citizens at its core, where citizens take ownership of the energy transition, benefit from new technologies to reduce their bills, participate actively in the market, and where vulnerable consumers are protected”.

-The EU’s Clean Energy for All Europeans legislative package, especially Article 18(6) of the RED II, requires that “Member States, along with local and regional authorities when appropriate, develop information, awareness- raising, guidance or training programs to inform consumers how to exercise their rights as active customers, as well as practical aspects, including technical and financial, of developing renewable projects through self-consumption and RECs”. While Article 22 provides that “participants in energy communities are not treated unfairly and unequally”.

– The “Memorandum of Split”, co-signed on 24.06.2020 by the European Commission and 14 Member States, explicitly states that “The Memorandum of Split will provide the necessary support to the islands in preparing their transition programs, while it also promotes citizen participation, commitment and empowerment. In addition, the structured cooperation will facilitate the creation of energy communities on the islands.”. In this context, the “Clean Energy for EU Islands Secretariat” also provides practical assistance in Sifnos and other islands.

We would like to ask for your active support in our actions, which aim, on the one hand at the immediate revocation of the abovementioned licenses (information of relevant bodies, requests for review before RAE or even a court appeal[1], as decided by Sifnos Municipal Council, letters of protest to the Greek Ministry of Environment and the European Commission) and, on the other hand, at the promotion of energy investments by the local community itself in order to gradually achieve a fair and integrated energy transition of Sifnos with the participation of its residents: energy efficiency and zero-emission buildings (nZEB), production, storage, exchange and use of electricity from RES, transformation of the overall energy model (land transportation, ferry connections, heating / cooling, etc.).

We are at your disposal to discuss ways that you believe that could help our effort, so that Sifnos would lead its energy transition with the participation of citizens and will become a pioneer island of energy democracy, which will boost similar initiatives in many other islands that follow the current energy developments.

Yours sincerely,

Maria Nadali (Mayor of Sifnos)

Thomas Gozadinos (Chairman of the Environment Committee of the Municipality of Sifnos)

Nikos Chrysogelos (former MEP, President of the “WIND OF RENEWAL”)

Dirk Vansintjan (president of REScoop.eu)

[1] In order to implement the No. 124/2020 decision of the Municipal Council of Sifnos, the following requests for revision were submitted on 13.07.2020 before RAE against:

RAE decision no. 530/2020, which granted a license for electricity generation from a Hybrid Power Plant with a guaranteed power of 1 MW, consisting of a photovoltaic station with a power of 1.99 MW, at the location “Herronisos – Honi” (application no.: I-285246 / 13.7.2020),
RAE decision no. 531/2020, which granted a license for electricity generation from a Hybrid Power Plant of guaranteed power 1 MW, consisting of a photovoltaic power plant of 1.99 MW, at the location “Aspri Vigla – Andri” (application no.: I-285247 / 13.7.2020),
RAE decision no. 653/2020, which granted a license for electricity generation from a Hybrid Power Plant with a guaranteed power of 1.65 MW, consisting of a photovoltaic power plant with a capacity of 5,421 MW, at the location “Diavrouchas – Erina – Vigla” (application no.: I-285245 / 13.7.2020),
RAE decision no. 716/2020, which granted a license for electricity generation from a Hybrid Power Plant of guaranteed power of 0.5 MW, consisting of a photovoltaic power plant of 1.5 MW, at the location “Agios Symeon” (application no.: I-285244 / 13.7 .2020).

Oct 20 2020

Common Statement: Sustainable future with coops – EU Green Week

By Nikos Chrysogelos | Actions, News | No Comments

Common statement: A sustainable future – with cooperatives #EUGreenWeek

Tuesday, 20 October 2020

Scientists say that the next 10 years are critical to minimise the existential threat that climate change and environmental degradation pose to the world. Striving to be the first climate-neutral continent, the European Green Deal is the European Union’s commitment to work towards systemic change, rethinking our ways, striving for innovation and discovering opportunities through sustainability, including jobs and growth in the post-pandemic world.

On the occasion of the 2020 European Green Week (19-22 October) European cooperative movement welcomes this year’s theme titled ‘A new beginning for people and nature,’ and releases its statement on the necessity to consider cooperatives as key partners for the green transition. With sustainability embedded in its business model and governance, the potential of cooperatives in the implementation of the European Green Deal is showcased together with the sectorial members of Cooperatives Europe, including CECOP, EACB, Euro Coop, Cogeca, Housing Europe and REScoop.eu.

Climate action is also the theme of the 2020 International Day of Cooperatives. Cooperatives, through their values and principles are committed to sustainability across their businesses and local communities, leaving no one behind.

Discover the cooperative contribution.

Cooperatives are people-centred enterprises that are owned, controlled and run by their members, for their members, to realise their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations. As businesses driven by values, not just profit, cooperatives share internationally agreed principles and act together to build a better world through cooperation. Putting fairness, equality and social justice at the heart of the enterprise. Cooperatives around the world are allowing people to work together to create sustainable enterprises that generate long-term jobs and prosperity.

Cooperatives Europe is the cross-sectoral organization that represents +176.000 cooperative enterprises in 34 European countries. Together with our sector organizations CECOP, Cogeca, EACB, Euro Coop, Housing Europe and REScoop.eu, we welcome this year’s Green Week theme “nature and biodiversity”, which is particularly pertinent to attaining the green transition in a way that rebuilds the natural environment to ensure a sustainable for humans and other living beings.

Being prime examples of embedding sustainability in their business model and governance, cooperatives are in pole position to play a key role in the implementation of the European Green Deal, across all sectors of activity:

In the renewable energy sector
The potential of local communities and its citizens to create resilient systems has already been recognised by EU leaders in the Clean Energy for All Europeans Package through the concepts of citizen and renewable energy communities. By investing in and operating clean energy technologies and measures, energy communities are known to strengthen the social and economic welfare of their community whilst taking measures to reduce CO2 emissions and preserve the environment. They hence provide an economically sound model that tackles the exact challenges we need to solve to build a sustainable future for ourselves.

In the industry & services sector
The green transition will be led by radical production transformation. On production processes, the industrial cooperative business model, by its own nature, is able to integrate the circular way of production: the characterising features of the worker cooperative model (capital accumulation, intergenerational transmission, democratic decision making, concern for the community) allows industrial and service cooperatives to be natural drivers of the circular economy.

In the agri-food and forestry sectors
Sustainability is key for European agri-cooperatives’ long-term strategies. These farmer-owned enterprises are catalysts for implementing the Green Deal in the sectors in which they operate. With their investments and market driven strategies, agri-cooperatives allow the deployment of innovative, circular and sustainable actions that address the climate and environmental challenges, while creating economic, social and environmental value for farmers, consumers and rural economies. Agri-coops contribute to the achievement of the 17 UN SDGs.

In the consumer sector
Consumer cooperatives contribute to a balanced and sustainable food supply chain through countless initiatives and best practices, such as expanding assortments of organic products, bold action in fighting food waste and food losses, early adoption of renewable energies and energy efficiency measures, clean transportation, local sourcing and established partnerships with farmers’ communities.

In the banking sector
In Europe regional co-operative banks are a leading source of financing both for smaller and medium sized corporates as well as for households. Thus, they are enablers for key activities in the transition – such as mortgages for energy efficiency, installation of solar panels, biomass power, climatefriendly mobility, etc. More broadly, co-operative banks offer a range of social products. For a “typical” cooperative bank, a relevant part of its activities (measured as a share of the lending book) are in line with the Green and Social bond standards set by the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, in particular when it comes to finance education, social housing, economic inclusion or social inclusion.

In the housing sector
Housing cooperatives play an important role in delivering economic, environmental and social value for the communities and the local economies in which they operate. They are more likely to invest in energy renovation because of their long-term and non-profit calculation of investments. The “split incentive” dilemma that tends to hinder energy renovation investments in other housing tenures can appear as less relevant for cooperatives. The participative and engaged nature of housing cooperatives opens the opportunity to stimulate sustainable consumption patterns and behaviour amongst their members.

Conclusion Environmental, economic and social sustainability is the only way forward for the European economy. Within the cooperative movement, the environmental awareness and actions are ever growing, making our business model fit for a green and just transition. Cooperative enterprises thus play an important role in delivering economic, environmental and social value for the communities and the local economies in which they operate.

We, at Cooperatives Europe, stand ready to work with stakeholders from all sectors to implement the European Green Deal in a socially inclusive, environmentally sound, truly democratic and economically viable manner. We look forward to working together with you for a better future!

Oct 20 2020

6 weeks full of unforgettable experience with wonderful people

By Nikos Chrysogelos | Actions | No Comments

I was standing in front of people from different countries and telling them about Ukraine. I’ll never forget the children’s eyes when they were watching a video about the nature of my country and their happy smiles after trying our traditional food. It was an incredible moment, but now I’d like to tell you my story from the very beginning.

It started last summer (2019) when I decided to apply for AIESEC project ”InteGreat”, that tries to solve the 10th Sustainable development goal– to reduce inequalities. My attention was attracted by Welcommon Hostel in Athens, Greece that aims to help refugees and I became a volunteer for 6 weeks for the social cooperative “Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal” running the innovative Welcommon Hostel. It was unforgettable time that brought me lots of new acquaintances and valuable experience. Besides 14 refugees from Pakistan I met 16 volunteers from the United States, Italy, Turkey, India and China and each of them was so unique and special for me.

As a team we decided to create some intercultural activities for these children and teens refugees in particular, and just for every one who wanted to try something new. These activities included art classes, drama club, studying foreign languages and even photography classes. However, it was really difficult to be on the same wave length and find common ground, because we are so different, with our own visions, religions, beliefs and cultures. That is why we also created culture-party nights to represent various nationalities. And it was a great opportunity to have fun, and most importantly to learn more about world cultures and get to know each other better.

As an Ukrainian, I wanted to share with everyone our delicious traditional cuisine, music, dances, clothes, and give some inspiration for every person present there. Despite being the only Ukrainian, I did not feel alone, because the volunteer team was super fantastic and so helpful. We prepared traditional food varenyky and some sweets, talked for hours about Ukraine, watched photos, videos and even tried to learn a few Ukrainian words.

Besides Ukrainian night, we also had Italian night, and even Rice night to show how the same product can be cooked in different cultures. Moreover, the refugees organized Pakistan events for all of us.

Also, the project contributed a lot to my personal growth. Before it started I had written a letter for myself in the future to see if my expectations will be realized or not. I felt so enthusiastic and wrote about my wish to make a difference in these people’s lives, and change them as much as I could. And after the project I was surprised to see that the person, who I had changed the most was me. I have never travelled alone for such a long period so it was a cool challenge for me. Each refugee, each volunteer, hostel stuff, my room mates, all these great people made a huge influence and impact on me. I became more confident, learnt to work in a team, experienced new cultures, new life stlyles and what is the most important, I met a lot of amazing people. I am still in touch with lots of them and I’m so thankful that life has brought us together.

These 6 weeks full of unforgettable experience with wonderful people will stay in my heart for ever.

From the bottom of my heart with all the very-very best to every one, who was with me on this project and for every one who is reading it right now and is going to become a part of this trip just for a while.

Thank everyone for this great time

With love,

Cutie Kate from Ukraine

Oct 14 2020

A success story: Schools open to climate protection and energy saving Athens – Berlin

By Nikos Chrysogelos | Actions | No Comments

Thousands of students from 72 schools of Athens alongside with their teachers and parents expressed their commitment to climate protection. This commitment includes an integrated activity of information, education, training, awareness, research and provision of educational methodologies and tools which constitute the basis for future actions. The success story of the EUKI project “SCHOOLS OPEN TO CLIMATE PROTECTION AND ENERGY SAVINGS Athens – Berlin’’ #climateactionnow #climateaction #climateemergency #climateschoolsBeAth #education #energytransition #Athens #climateschools

An article @linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/success-story-schools-open-climate-protection-energy-chrysogelos/

A success story: Schools open to climate protection and energy saving Athens – Berlin

Thousands of students from 72 schools of the Municipality of Athens alongside with their teachers and parents expressed their commitment to climate protection participating in the project ‘’SCHOOLS OPEN TO CLIMATE PROTECTION AND ENERGY SAVINGS Athens – Berlin’’ supported by the “European Climate Initiative”. This commitment includes an integrated activity of information, education, training, awareness, research and provision of educational methodologies and tools which constitute the basis for future actions.

The aforementioned project, lasted from October 2017 to January 2020 and aimed to the complicity of the school community in climate protection. The main target of this project was, not only the energy footprint reduction of school buildings, but also to raise students/teachers/parents awareness and knowledge in the subject of energy savings and climate protection.

This project used the existing experience as it emerges from environmental educational programs both in Greece and Germany. It also propelled a more comprehensive approach which is the basis for future continuation and expansion of the project in schools:

· Institutions with various experiences and roles, from the two countries, collaborated in the project, adding their own know-how: The Municipality of Athens as coordinator, the social cooperative enterprise “Anemos Ananeosis /Wind of Renewal“, the German “Independent Institute for Environmental Issues / UnabhangigesInstitut fur Umweltfragen’’ (UFU) and the German Citizen’s initiative “Respect for Greece“.

· They also edified in climate issues by Greek and German trainers who already had significant experience from similar projects.

· 20 trainers then trained 240 teachers, of whom 197 took an active role in their school. In total 72 primary, secondary and high schools have supported their students in this program and posted the necessary ‘’testimonies’’ on a digital platform called “moodle“. This platform will be accessible to all members of the educational community who want to implement similar actions in the future.

· The educational community was supported for the entire school year 2018-2019, with methodological, educational information and tools. In addition, “energy suitcases/ tool boxes’’ have been given to them in order to apply the knowledge they gained in practice. More specifically, these “energy suitcases” included tools of measurement, observation and experimentation, thus combining different tools of environmental /climate education.

· The students were informed, sensitized and turned into active researchers, surprising all the participants for their commitment and interest. Their work was captured on both posters and rich material posted on the digital platform moodle.

· The students, teachers and school units participated in a relevant research that evaluated the implementation and catered, with good practices and suggestions, the project’s final Action Plan for interventions in the school.

· Last but not least, the project was a useful tool for intercultural education and inclusion of all the pupils, greeks and the ones with migrant and refugee backgroud, offering different roles and tasks to all of them based on their interest, skills and capacities, enhance the community building approach.

Tools for future actions

The imprint of the program not only in the educational but also in the wider community, constituted a legacy for future actions and projects:

· A website with all the necessary information and educational materials that are generally useful for the project.

· An educational guide on energy saving and climate change was part of the students’ training.

· A well-organized Action Plan for the Municipality of Athens usable in all its schools.

· A research on the application of the project in schools.

· 200 trained teachers of Athens’ schools on climate and energy saving issues, with training lasting 24 hours.

· 72 pilot projects were implemented in the framework of the project and will continue that have implemented this program and are willing to continue.

· Posters that capture their work (e-book of school posters)

· 15 educational suitcases with needed equipment borrowed from schools, in order to measure energy, brightness etc.

· A digital moodle platform on which all participating schools posted their work. In the future, this platform will be maintained and enriched by the work of other schools.

· Application of telematic systems in 5 pilot schools allowing remote or local energy management (an additional energy and money saving measure)

5 smart pilot schools

The 5 smart pilot schools of the Municipality of Athens are the first in Greece with artificial intelligence, providing the opportunity to:

· Record the energy consumption from electrical appliances and lighting fixtures.

· Secure and protect electrical appliances from high electrical load.

· Manage energy based on an environmental perspective.

· Provide security and comfort to teachers and students.

Special lessons learned

The majority of the participating teachers (both in primary and secondary education) and schools’ communities have expressed great interest to work on the axis of the project and achieve energy saving at school, improve factors that affect the quality of their daily life at school (such as the air quality in the classrooms) and deepen their understanding and awareness on climate change. The senior experts were in contact with the schools’ communities on a daily basis and they supported them in technical issues (i.e the use of the equipment) as well as educational (i.e. provide support in school events, propose educational ideas etc).

Some of the good practices that took place at the participating schools are as follow:

● The use of interactive methods of learning as well as of the tool-box makes the implementation of the project more interesting for the pupils. The project was different from other similar projects for climate awareness. “Climate Schools Ath.Be” project methodology is integrated and includes: collaboration between different partners in a more coherent way, training of trainers and exchange of good practices, collaboration between Greek and German experts for the production of an educational material and a methodology based on different experiences in both countries, training of the researchers and practical use of the tools (material, tool-box with appliances, assistance to the teachers etc).

● In several schools (esp. primary schools) students from the energy group conduct regular inspections during the breaks. They visit all the classrooms keeping notes on the users behavior (i.e. check if the lights are off, if the windows are open for ventilation etc). Then they make proposals to the users in order to change their habits. It is very inspiring that the energy inspection is implemented by school-mates, not by a third party.

● Students that participate on the project become ambassadors at their school for climate protection and climate action. They are responsible to raise the awareness on climate issues of the rest of the students via presentations on climate change and energy saving. Also they present them the equipment and guide them in using it.

● In many cases the participating school shares the same building with other schools. In several such cases the participating school engages the students of the neighboring schools (even nursery schools). One such school has distributed to all children bookmarks with a mascot reminding them to turn off the lights during break time.

● Several schools organise student contests in order to create the symbol of the school for energy saving. The students participated and draw several symbols.

● The energy groups have printed symbols that evaluate the users’ behaviour (i.e happy and sad face). In case of good evaluations they provide the users specially designed praises.

● Many schools are progressively replacing their fluorescent lamps to LED in order to save energy.

● The teachers have formed working groups and they exchange technical knowledge and educational tools in order to raise awareness. Some of them make weekly coordination meetings.

We have learned a lot from the interaction with the schools’ communities (both from primary and secondary education) that participated in the project:

● It is really important for the schools’ communities to check their gas and electricity bills and to correlate them with their activities in energy saving

● Pupils are able to find and formulate valuable information with the use of the project suitcases as: deficits in lightning, condition of air / ventilation, too warm and too cold areas, windows’ problems. Even a rough analysis done by engineers would not find all of this specific problems.

● Pupils enjoy to explore the scientific background of their living conditions. In the secondary schools they can learn a lot on computing, digital technology, correct metering and data analysis.

● Automatic controls in some cases don’t fit in the real situation and this could be changed.

● Workshops for instruction and explanation of the technical equipment and physics helps the user/housekeeper to operate the systems in a more economic plus comfortable way and to recognize in which cases the help of the building department is needed, saving time for both.

● A general system of energy management (calculating the amount of real energy consumption) would be helpful for all stakeholders of the project – for pupils and their activities, as well as housekeeper and Buildings Department.

Some special issues that were raised are:

● Some students with learning difficulties or of different cultural background (eg refugees) were attracted by the special equipment and they showed great interest to participate more and take responsibilities (i.e become “responsible” to teach the rest of the class on the use of the instruments) or/and be active member of the team (intercultural dimension)

● Some of the participating schools host a great percentage of migrant students. These students in general have learning difficulties especially because of the language barrier. In several such cases the migrant students showed great interest on the use of the equipment which acted as a way to incorporate them more in the project.

About the project

The project ‘’Schools Open to Climate Protection and Energy Saving, Athens-Berlin’’, was evaluated and selected for funding by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI), which is a funding instrument of the German Ministry of the Environment, Nature Protection and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). While it is also under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Education, Research and Religions.

The details of the project implementing bodies:

Municipality of Athens. The Municipality of Athens, participates in city networks and initiatives at both European and global level with the aim of raising public awareness on climate protection and climate change adaptation. An example of this kind of initiative is the ‘’European Climate Initiative’’, through which, the Municipality of Athens found important support for the implementation of the project .
Social Cooperative Enterprise ‘’Anemos Ananeosis / Wind of Renewal’, www.anemosananeosis.gr
German Citizens’ Initiative ‘’Respect fur Greece’’ e.V., http://xn--respekt-fr-griechenland-kpc.de/
Independent Institute for Environmental Issues ‘’Unabhangiges Institut fur Umweltfragen’’, http://www.ufu.de/

What is the European Climate Initiative (EUKI)

The European Climate Initiative (EUKI), reinforces the cooperation in a European level and aims to increase knowledge and awareness about the causes of climate change, as well as the ecological, economic and social opportunities linked to climate action. The German Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) established the European Climate Initiative (EUKI) to cooperate even closer in the development and implementation of EU climate policy. Through EUKI, climate actors can learn from each other; the initiative supports inner-European dialogue, the exchange of good practice, awareness raising, and knowledge transfer.

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A success story: Schools open to climate protection and energy saving Athens – Berlin

A success story: Schools open to climate protection and energy saving Athens – Berlin

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