May 2019: The conclusion of the program AGORA Erasmus +, in Athens, Greece

 

 

The conclusion of the program AGORA Erasmus +, in Athens, Greece

 

Fotoessa proudly hosted, from 14 to 20 May 2019, the fourth and last transnational training of Erasmus+ AGORA program, co-funded by Erasmus+ Program of the European Union. AGORA, an innovative program on creative entrepreneurship for young people, promotes transnational and intercultural collaboration in social and creative industries. The AGORA program was taking place in partnership with STPLN, Swideas, In Place of War, and Fabrica de Pensule. Fotoessa welcomed in Athens a group of young and amazingly creative people from Sweden, Romania, England, and Greece and supported their grassroots creative projects.

During that week, Fotoessa organized targeted workshops on social, creative and cultural entrepreneurship, funding startups experts’ presentations, success entrepreneurial stories during the Greek financial crisis, access to case studies and also visits to groundbreaking cultural hubs and art incubators which gave the participants know-how and inspiration to cultivate their personal entrepreneurial projects.

Most of the activities took place at the Welcommon hostel where Nikos Chrysogelos presented to AGORA team the aspiring Welcommon project which combines modern models of sustainable tourism with empowerment and social inclusion activities, art, intercultural dialogue, and job integration.

Special and unselfish contribution to the successful realization of the training in Athens was made by meaningful and inspirational presentations of Spyros Tzortzis (Sociality) on digital communication, Natasha Apostolidi (Orange Grove) on startups’ support and management, Katerina Balamoti (The Heritage Management Organization) on funding management, Elena Lambrou (Municipal Kypseli Market) on urban regeneration and social entrepreneurship, Violetta Gyra and Elina Kioupaki (Kinitiras) on their socially responsible open art space, Vassilis Charalambidis (Romantso) on the Romantso open creative hub, Spyros Zonakis (Shedia) on their successful NGO supporting homeless people and social inclusion, Dr. Zoe Cournia (Bio Academy) on funding sources in the EU, George Likoudis and Kartimpelis Panagiotis (Spiti Art Bar) on their successful music and art space startup, and Elena Papadaki, holistic psychotherapist, on personal empowerment.

Finally, after a year-long creative and inspiring mentoring and four transnational meetings in Sweden, England, Romania and Greece, led by experienced organizations, the participants improved their skills in the fields of business and project development, financing, networking, collaborative project design and got a full grasp of the notions of social inclusion and diversity.