Hi, my name is Linos Vigklas and I am the director of the Second Chance School of Volos, Greece. Our school offers intensive lower secondary school courses to adults – immigrants and refugees among them – who have not finished basic education and do not have the necessary qualifications and skills to adapt to modern vocational requirements.
Anyone aged over 18 who has dropped out of school is now able to complete its compulsory 9-year education and continue to the next educational level. As we follow an open and flexible curriculum, we have the opportunity to implement various projects and workshops in a local, national and European level. We have implemented and participated in many European projects (Grundtvig, Youth, Erasmus+ etc.), many of them focusing on the social inclusion of immigrants and refugees.
Two years ago we organized an International food festival in Volos with the participation of people from 17 different countries. The event was a big success, it was included in the EAEA Grundtvig Award publication as a good practice and empowered and inspired us to continue our work with immigrants and refugees.
So, we are currently running a new year long project in partnership with the Department of Early Childhood Education of the University of Thessaly and NGO ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth to respond to the refugees’ additional need both for social networking and for cultural and educational offers through a series of well-planned non-formal activities.
candorefugees.home.blog 