It is with great joy and pride that we announce the launch in February 2025 of the second cycle of the project "Safing: Building safe and inclusive learning environments".

With 3 different awareness-raising actions we bid farewell to 2025 and completed the first cycle of Safing!

Each of the 3 participating schools designed and implemented its own action and the participating children created their own awareness-raising materials, according to their unique concerns, interests and experiences as explored and highlighted during the circle’s workshops.

Last Autumn, the collaboration between Futuraskolan International (Sweden) and ELIX continued to flourish, bringing together young students for hands-on environmental and community activities in Athens. Over two visits, the students participated in impactful projects, including the Zero Plastic initiative on Ymittos Mountain and a creative school painting activity at the 22nd Primary School of Athens.

After 12 months of intense work, inspiring and truly constructive exchange, and a transformative process of co-design and co-implementation, the European Erasmus+ project ILEARN “Innovative Learning Environments for Adult Refugee Needs” as such has reached its completion.

In a world facing interconnected social, environmental and humanitarian challenges, volunteerism remains one of the most powerful forces for solidarity, resilience and sustainable change. With this understanding, the United Nations General Assembly, through Resolution 78/127, has proclaimed 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, widely referred to as International Volunteer Year - IVY 2026.

IVY 2026 is a global call to governments, organisations, civil society, communities and individuals to recognise, support and strengthen volunteerism in all its forms, formal and informal, local and global. The International Volunteer Year launched officially on 5 December 2025, on International Volunteer Day, and will be observed throughout 2026 at national, regional and international levels.

As the year draws to an end, we are gradually completing the thematic workshops with children that are taking place in the framework of the program “Safing: Building Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments”. More than 100 children, from the 21st, 22nd and 35th Primary schools of Athens, continued to participate in Safing in November and December 2025 and had 6 more sessions (reaching 8 or even 9 sessions in total) in the thematic units "Our team", "One class: Many children", and "We live the rights of the Child every day".

“From the moment the sun rises, children wake up to a world shaped by choices they didn't make. But every child, everywhere, also wakes with rights. Including the right to be protected, to learn, and to have their voice heard.”
- UNICEF, 2025

We are pleased to invite you to the ILEARN Closing Workshop, taking place on Monday, December 8th, from 10:00 to 16:00, at HIGGS (15 Victoros Ougko St., 10437 Athens).

This workshop marks an important milestone in the Erasmus+ Project ILEARN: Innovative Learning Environment for Refugee Adult Language Needs, a collaborative initiative dedicated to strengthening language learning environments for adult refugees through innovative, inclusive, and adaptable educational practices.

The program “Safing: Building safe and inclusive learning environments at school” has started and the first workshops were implemented with the participation of the amazing, multilingual and multi-talented students of the 4th, 5th and 6th grades of the 21st, 22nd and 35th Primary Schools of Athens.

This October 29th, 30th, 31st and November 26th you will have the opportunity to take part in our ILEARN training program online! Our team will offer four full days of online sessions where in the final day in November you will be  connected with students and teachers from Norway also working with students with displacement backgrounds.

Dråpen i Havet is collaborating with ELIX, the University of Bergen, and Second Chance School Kalamata to develop training modules and approaches tailored for educators and organizations working in adult refugee education. The goal of ILEARN is to enhance the quality of education, both internally and externally, by implementing modern methods and approaches. The project is supported through the ERASMUS+ Small-Scale Partnerships program.

ELIX had the pleasure of hosting the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange “Artivism in Action” in Kryoneri, Corinthia, from June 2 to June 8, 2025, with the support and co-funding of the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Programme. A total of 20 young people from four different countries came together to share an unforgettable Erasmus+ experience in an inclusive, open, and dynamic learning environment.

ELIX announces the launch of its new project, “SafIng - Building safe and inclusive learning environments”, which is co-funded in the framework of the Daphne-CHILD program by Eurochild and Terre des hommes (Tdh).
The Daphne-CHILD programme supports actions combating violence that affects children in nine European countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine), with a total budget of €1.3 million and a focus on the significant participation of children in the design and implementation of projects.

Since 2018, p²^multispace has been a unique meeting point in the heart of Athens – an open and inclusive space where people from all backgrounds came together to learn, express themselves, move, and build relationships.

For more than six years, we offered free activities, hosted seminars, youth exchanges, training programs, and welcomed visitors from abroad interested in learning more about refugee education in Greece.

Dråpen i Havet is collaborating with ELIX, the University of Bergen, and Second Chance School Kalamata to develop training modules and approaches tailored for educators and organizations working in adult refugee education. The goal of ILEARN is to enhance the quality of education, both internally and externally, by implementing modern methods and approaches. The project is supported through the ERASMUS+ Small-Scale Partnerships program.

From April 1st to 9th, 2025, ELIX had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange “Democracy: Make Your Voice Count!”, hosted by the Estonian NGO Noored Ühiskonna Heaks in the scenic village of Taevaskoja, Estonia.

ELIX proudly served as the sending organization for six young participants from Greece, who joined peers from Estonia, Italy, and Portugal in this rich intercultural and educational experience.

From the 2nd until the 8th of June 2025, ELIX has the pleasure of being the hosting organisation for the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange “Artivism in Action” in Kryoneri, Corinthia. In today’s world, pressing issues such as climate change, human rights, and inequality are more urgent than ever. However, misinformation, stereotypes, and cultural differences often hinder meaningful dialogue. At the same time, intercultural exchange is essential for promoting understanding, inclusion, and collective action.

ELIX had the pleasure of hosting the Erasmus+ Youth Exchange “Mind Matters: Intercultural Dialogue and Mental Wellbeing” in Kryoneri, Corinthia, from 3 to 10 April 2025, with the support and co-funding of the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme.

A total of 35 young people from seven different countries came together to share an unforgettable Erasmus+ experience in an open-minded, inclusive, and dynamic learning environment.

ELIX is super excited to launch an amazing Youth Exchange all about mental health and intercultural dialogue. With mental health challenges on the rise, it's more important than ever to promote understanding, empathy, and inclusion. Mental health is something we all face, but stigma, misinformation, and cultural differences often make it hard to talk openly about it. That’s why our “Mind Matters” exchange brings these two powerful topics together – creating a safe, open space for young people to dive into the connection between mental health and cultural exchange.

On October 9th, 2024, the slopes of Ymittos Mountain in Greece came alive with the energy of young students from Futuraskolan (Sweden) and Themistoklis School (Greece). Organized by ELIX in collaboration with SPAY (The Union for the Protection and Development of Hymettus), this tree-planting event marked an important moment in the ongoing efforts to restore this vital green space.