Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have no voice in the Greek mainstream media. They need to have a saying on what concerns them. We will train 15 people in media skills to be able to produce materials representative of their own views. They will shadow media professionals and set up their own media outlet. We will produce a toolkit and a short documentary of the training.

In the 4th, 5th and 6th Municipal districts of Athens

The 4th, 5th and 6th municipal districts of Athens are the most colorful and multicultural neighborhoods of the capital as well as the most run down. People who live there have low incomes, face difficulties in accessing decent jobs, or appropriately learn Greek and, as a result, they never receive the information that concerns them, nor do they get the chance to express their opinion publicly on the matters that concern them. Not having the right to vote, they don’t even participate in public consultations. Their opinion is hardly presented in the mass media. Refugees and migrants from third countries never have the opportunity to contribute with their attitudes, cultures and wishes to any public aspect of the social life in the city.

Through media education, we will support 15 refugees, migrants and asylum seekers of different cultural backgrounds, men and women, in evaluating the information available on the media on topics of their concern to enable them to express their own/their communities’ stands publicly in an unmediated way. The training (critical thinking, communication skills, media literacy) will be done by media professionals, who will support them in the practical implementation. In Greece live about 550,000 migrants from 60 countries and a growing number of refugees or asylum seekers, the majority of whom reside in the Athens area and its most run down districts, namely the areas we will work in. Also there are 60 registered communities of non-Greek people most of which are established in central Athens.

The project includes two phases:
1. A 100-hour training and job shadowing where critical thinking, communication skills and media literacy will be taught by professional media individuals (trainers and mentors). Job shadowing will take place in media outlets to learn on the spot publishing /broadcasting/creating own media products.
2. The establishment of the REMAIN journalists’ own media outlet where they will produce, respond, actively challenge, and positively deal with matters of policy, governance, social affairs, gender issues, cultural identity, citizenship and community life.
The methodology will be collated in a toolkit to be used for future same content trainings in different languages (English, French, Arabic, Farsi) and a documentary.

1. One toolkit on the methodology used during the training of the REMAIN journalists. The toolkit will be produced in the English language both digitally and in hard copy –in as an environmentally friendly way as possible. It will be uploaded on SCI Hellas website and disseminated through all of SCI Hellas’ social media. Similar projects around the world will be mentioned and offered as a pool of inspiration for further study and practice. This toolkit will ensure the proliferation of the impact of the project. Translations in other languages by volunteers will be encouraged through a social media campaign.
2. The REMAIN journalists will set up their own media (website, blogspot, podcast series)

Active participation of all inhabitants and not only the citizens of a city is at the core of any democratic society. Therefore, it is very important for everybody to have a voice and be able to be heard publicly. To do so effectively and to the proper end gaining the right skills is essential. It is only in this way that we will be able to acknowledge and bridge cultural differences.

SCI-Hellas is a member of the international Peace movement SCI. Our main aim and mission is to promote a culture of peace by organising international volunteering projects with local and global impact. Our core values and principles are social justice and sustainable development, where all the people can live together in mutual respect and without recourse to any form of violence to solve conflict. Therefore, we are working on projects that bring these principles in life and we collaborate with members of vulnerable groups whom we empower to take life into their own hands and defend their rights in a manner that will bring everyone closer bridging all gaps generated by sociopolitical agendas.

trainers compansation: 10000
trainees compansation: 15000
website, publications, leaflets: 3000
staff cost (project coordinator, administration, finance officer): 8400
rent training room: 1000
materials: 500

If this project idea is realistic
If there is any other organisation who implements similar project, which are the difficulties they have faced and how they overpass them