GREECE
Sustainability
High turnover rates of beneficiaries, long and complicated asylum
and migration procedures, legal uncertainty as well as the fact that
Greece, for many asylum seekers, is a ‘transit’ and not a ‘destination’
country, impede any effort to promote integration and provide sus-
tainable support. Many of the shelter residents, including unaccom-
panied and separated children, had no motivation to participate in
project activities, learn the Greek language or get involved in the life
of the local community.
LESSONS LEARNED
• Proactive information and awareness
strategies are crucial to building support
within the receiving community.
Proactive measures should be taken to pre-
vent fear and avoid conflicts with the local
community. Raising public awareness and
dispelling common myths about refugees is
essential to generating support. Host commu-
nities should be encouraged and motivated to
get involved in projects providing support to
refugees and asylum seekers and engage with
them directly.
• Ensuring access to formal education and
a focus on multicultural aspects are key
elements of integration.
A clear legal framework and clear policies
aimed at removing barriers and facilitating
children’s access to formal schooling are key
to their effective protection. Access to quality
education is essential for their social inclu-
sion and future development. To ensure the
successful inclusion of asylum-seeking and
refugee children in public schools, cultural
issues should be addressed. Some of the meas-
ures that could contribute to quality educa-
tion are: cultural sensitivity and inclusive
education training for teachers, the develop-
ment of support teams for educational staff,
the introduction of innovative education
techniques, and collaboration between vari-
ous actors.
71