Rural Europe on the move English_chapt1_6 | Page 30

CHAPTER 2
13. At school for the first time. Learning Greek and Arabic
Refugees
welcome here!
14. Pilot initiative for the employment
of asylum seekers and refugees in Karditsa
Europe learns
from Karditsa
How to retain
youth
Two years later, I ask Vasileos This flexibility and growth are A problem plaguing much of
Bellis what happened since Forum part of the reason that the Karditsa rural Europe, of which Karditsa is
Synergies was in Karditsa. He tells me Ecosystem has become increasingly no exception, involves the loss
that in May 2019 a new Intercultural well-known internationally. In 2018, of young people to urban areas.
Centre opened, welcoming refugees Karditsa was selected as a partner Facing high rates of rural youth
and asylum seekers in Karditsa. for the European Social Economy unemployment and seeing more
Regions (ESER) event. exciting and profitable prospects in
“They come from Syria, Iraq and
many African countries. We show them
Karditsa hosted an event to
the cities of Greece and the rest of
what we have done. We are the only share the impact of the Ecosystem Europe, we lose our young people.
municipality in Greece running such a of Collaboration. It included the The Ecosystem is again taking these
centre. We only receive the rent for the participation of the European matters seriously. The Development
rooms from UNHCR. We offer language Commission and was an opportunity Agency has just recently begun
courses in Arabic and Greek for to assess what it had achieved since working with an international project
children who never went to school. We its inception. ANKA is one of the that aims to help unemployed youth
offer accommodation for 360 refugees organisations involved in establishing to access the labour market and
from Northern and sub-Saharan Africa. a training platform including videos promote entrepreneurship. The
They find work with local farmers with to foster elementary education project is in its initial phase and there
several more working in local firms. It for social cooperative enterprises is strong cooperation among the
was the outcome of a collaboration (KoinSEp), called ‘kalomathe’ – learn members of the Ecosystem searching
between the Municipality, ANKA and good/well. for the most innovative ideas to be
UNHCR. Soon the accommodation
supported.
will be transformed into a composite
integration effort. This is one
example of how the Ecosystem is
able to creatively adapt to changing
circumstances.”
26
“We offer language courses in Arabic and Greek
for children who never went to school.”
Vasileios Bellis