The longstanding collaboration between EMFASIS and DESMOS, which began from almost the first day of our organization’ s founding, goes on this year, launching a new program named “DESMOS FOR YOUTH”. According to this program, 15 young people will work for a year with the charities of their choice, multiplying the maximum impact of their social contribution.

Thanks to the program, our volunteer, Marianna Kallipoliti was selected to staff the position of “Partnerships and Volunteer Management Administrator”. Firstly, one of the central aims is the creation of a partnership network with other institutions, so as to correspond more comprehensively and completely to the various needs of EMFASIS’ target group, and secondly the making of a structured Volunteer Management Program. The ultimate goal lies on the better use of EMFASIS’ live ware and the promotion of volunteerism in general.

Since the volunteers are the basic ingredient of our organization, it was necessary to give priority to the design of this program and for this reason Marianna participated in two all-day educative seminars regarding the volunteers’ management. Starting on January 2016, Marianna, assisted by all of the EMFASIS family, with new ideas and initiatives, achieved an increase in the number of the active volunteers by 20%, as well as the average duration of their volunteering period.

A positive consequence of the working place that was staffed through the program DESMOS FOR YOUTH, was the fact that synergies between EMFASIS and other NGOs or Institutions that operate in the same sector, were strengthened. To be more specific, Emfasis started official cooperation with “MISSION Anthropos”, as with “SHEDIA City Free Press” and thus, the number of organizations EMFASIS collaborates with, exceeds 10 at the moment.

Recently, Marianna visited London on behalf of EMFASIS, in order to take part in a European research team regarding the active participation citizenship, sponsored by Volonteurope and the European Civic Forum.

An additional result of this job position was the improvement of response in volunteer requests coming from abroad. In this way, more fellow humans were offered help, as there were more available resources –both in human and material terms. The visit from the German University Hochschule Fulda students was very touching, such as was the arrival of 40 Psychology students from the Dutch University Tilburg, who became part of a Mobile Support Units’ shift, after the seminar on “Homelessness and Street Work practices” they attended.

This link contains more information regarding the “DESMOS FOR YOUTH” program and one can find additional sources. Hoping to continue our fruitful cooperation with them in the future, EMFASIS would like to give warm thanks to DESMOS for the job opportunity they offered to Marianna, and therefore for the maximization of EMFASIS’ support towards those who need us.