News

Ten Foundations in Greece are re-joining forces to support small Civil Society organizations, with the aim of implementing original small-scale projects of maximum social impact, as well as developing skills that will contribute to their sustainability.

This is the first year that our Foundation takes part in the Points of Support Program and the thematic area we’ve chosen is the one of Sustainable Cities and Communities. The participating Foundations in the 7th Cycle of Points of Support are: John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, Bodossaki Foundation, Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation, A. G. Leventis Foundation, Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, Costas M. Lemos Foundation, Social and Cultural Affairs Welfare Foundation (KIKPE), The Hellenic Initiative Canada, Athina I. Martinou Foundation, Helidoni Foundation. The Bodossaki Foundation will also act as the Program Coordinator.

You can read more about the Open Call here. The inaugural event of the Program will take place on Monday 11 March, at 14:00, at the Cultural Centre of the Benaki Museum (138 Pireos & Andronikou).

Wanna cycle into history and art? The first network of bicycle-friendly cultural venues in Athens is underway for the many bike aficionados out there!

The “Cycle into History and Art” program comes to enhance urban cycling, filling an important gap in the city as each venue will now host specially designed, secure bicycle parking spaces, offering a solution to the ones who would like to use their bike to visit the site. Through the creation of a network of such spaces, cultural routes will then be established, which Athenians and visitors alike can follow.

Prominent destinations of cultural interest have already entered the network such as the National Gallery, the Benaki Museum (Pireos 138), the Kypseli Municipal Market, the Athens Municipal Arts Center, the Melina Cultural Center, the Museum of Folk Art and Tradition Angeliki Hatzimichali, the Plato’s Academy Digital Museum and the Municipal Gallery of Athens. And the list will grow, so stay tuned!

The initiative belongs to Cities for Cycling and is implemented with the sponsorship of our Foundation.

We would like to share with you an interesting new experience for social contribution and personal development!

Ecogenia – the nonprofit organization that mobilizes young people through community service projects to promote sustainable development and climate action in Greece – is currently in the process of finding the next team for their upcoming project on Mount Olympus.

With the motto "You offer – You’re trained – You get paid", Ecogenia invites you to a hybrid 14-week program on ecotourism and natural disaster management in Litochoro and the wider Olympus area.

Applications will be open from January 15 to February 25, 2024. You can find the full description of the program and job position here.

Here’s a new interview of the President and Co-founder of Helidoni, Dimitris Georgakopoulos, to Capital.gr. Dimitris is unfolding his life’s roadmap from the time he was studying in the U.S. till today. He talks to Eleftheria Piperopoulou about his major milestones;

◽ the establishment of Buildium and the 15-year course until its acquisition

◽ the creation of Outseta – an experiment in organizational design and purpose at the startup ecosystem

◽ his return to Greece, the impact investments through Helidoni Group and the philanthropic work of Helidoni Foundation.

To read the interview, click here.

In Spring 2024, the Ecogenia team will again be putting boots on the ground to lead their first disaster management pilot. This project will combine ecotourism program impact (trail maintenance and revitalization work) with disaster management (wildfire fuel reduction, fire breaks, community engagement). Litochoro will serve as the homebase for the project and will include work in the foothills of Mt. Olympus National Park.

Ecogenia’s next cohort members will be equipped with the essential skills in order to support local efforts in ecotourism infrastructure projects, as well as implementing community-based disaster preparedness and prevention.

The program is part of a strategic partnership with the U.S. Embassy Athens and in collaboration with the California Conservation Corps and the Dion-Olympus Municipality. For the month of November, Ecogenia has set out to raise €15.000 through their #PathToOlympus campaign. Every contribution, big or small, will take them closer to their goals for a resilient Greece and a protected Mt. Olympus!

https://ecogenia.org/donate/

The results of the first "Close the Food Cycle" pilot, a program designed and implemented by InCommOn, are very encouraging in terms of its impact to the local community (see relevant post).

The project aimed to inform and activate the citizens, businesses, students and local authority of Papagou-Holargos around the proper management of food waste, so as to gradually shift them towards adopting the separation-at-source habit and the use/expansion of the brown bin network.

The ICO team tested different tools and actions from a wide range of activities to explore what works best and concluded to a guide that can be applied on organic waste (and possibly other recycling streams as well) and be replicated to other Municipalities.

A big thanks to InCommOn for contributing to the transition to a more circular everyday life for all, through a series of inspired and effective programs!

Where do ancient knowledge, medicine, humanities, spirituality and art meet? How can we collectively create an ecological civilization?

In the framework of 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, the groundbreaking international symposium titled “How to Change Our Mind, to Change the World” takes place on 27, 28 & 29 September in the old IRIS factory, with the participation of distinguished speakers, researchers and artists from all over the world.

The central theme deals with the different ways of evolving, both on an individual and social level, towards a higher level of consciousness, in order to address contemporary global challenges and contribute to the protection of life on our planet. In parallel, the audience has the chance to participate in exciting discussions, experiential workshops and artistic activities.

The event is organized by the World Human Forum and is the first in a series of annual meetings aiming to re-establish Elefsina as a point of reference on a global scale in matters of consciousness, self-development and connection with the self, with others and with nature.

We’re very excited to be co-sponsoring the symposium and working closely with the World Human Forum's inspirational members!

Helidoni behind the scenes – “The purpose of life is a life of purpose”

Dimitris Georgakopoulos, our Foundation’s President and Co-founder, was invited by the Innovative Greeks to tell his personal story, from his journey to the U.S. 25 years ago until his return to Greece.

In episode 16 of the Innovative Greeks Talks, Dimitris recounts his life milestones & learnings, his values and life perspective, the reasons why him and his wife, Sarah, decided to found Helidoni.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBvTYsKkdcI

Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Pdc7cY

After 7 months of ongoing activities, InCommOn's “Close the Food Cycle” project at the Municipality of Papagou-Holargos came to its end.

During this time, the InCommOn crew has been spreading the message of organic waste behavioral change through a series of actions, such as: workshops, awareness actions and campaigns, community building activities at neighborhoods & playgrounds, meetings with businesses, and more.

The project involved all parties of the local community (citizens/households, businesses, schools, Municipality) and its objectives were to:

♻ inform and engage the community about organic food waste and the correct use of the brown bin.

♻ develop tools so that the Municipality can continue the project and adapt it to other streams of recycling or increase the intensity of actions in the field of organic food waste.

♻ create a pilot system that can then be adapted and implemented in other Municipalities.

Another wonderful partnership for our Foundation! This time with The American College of Greece (ACG), where we support them on the kick-start of the following project.

ACG joins forces with Healing Lesvos and the University of the Aegean to implement the "Lesvos Mission Blue Project" (LMBP); a research initiative that engages science and society to protect, preserve, and revitalize the Aegean Sea. It will focus on promoting the conservation of the Mission Blue Avlaki Hope Spot in Lesvos and on establishing Mission Blue as a lighthouse of education, sustainable development, and social impact. Additionally, the first Citizen Science Hub in the North Aegean will be created.

A team of ACG students and professors visited Lesvos as part of field activities. During their stay they:

✔explored and made a first attempt of mapping the biodiversity of the island, namely: environmental and ecosystem services mapping, coastal plant identification, geological exploration, birdwatching, testing underwater equipment for the monitoring of fish populations.

✔established contacts and collaboration with the Department of Oceanography and Marine Research of the University regarding the future steps of the LMBP.

✔worked closely with Eleni Atsikbatsis, founder of Healing Lesvos and of the LMBP.

✔interacted on coastal monitoring activities with students of the Lyceum of Petra, where they also organized an educational activity on the SDGs with an emphasis on the most relevant to the project.

✔linked social and humanitarian issues with ecosystems of the island through exploring the migration pathways that bring birds and humans in the island of Lesvos.