Amala collaborates with the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum to support access to education for unaccompanied minors
Amala has joined forces with the Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum to support capacity building for professionals at all sites that host unaccompanied minors around Greece. These unaccompanied minors are refugee youth under the age of eighteen who have become separated from both parents and are not cared for by another family member or legal guardian. Elissavet Karamichail, our Education Coordinator and Greece Programme Coordinator, has been part of the organising team for this six month programme and will be leading workshops on how Amala short courses have the potential to support displaced youth, particularly unaccompanied youth, to develop life-skills and become changemakers in their communities.
Elissavet Karamichail, Amala Education Coordinator and Greece Programme Coordinator
The programme focuses on capacity building and providing resources to sites hosting unaccompanied minors; many of which are often understaffed and struggle to meet the needs of displaced youth. Education in particular is often overlooked due to more pressing needs such as shelter and safety. As of July last year, Greece hosted 4,558 unaccompanied refugee and migrant children, many of whom are housed in identification and reception centers (hotspots) such as Moria on Lesvos island or in open reception facilities on the mainland. The UNHCR estimates that 1,005 unaccompanied children in Greece are homeless or living in precarious conditions. The programme workshops are therefore designed to help practitioners on the ground (i.e. people working in refugee centres and receptions) become more resilient in dealing with the challenges that unaccompanied minors face, but also to provide them with the tools and knowledge to strengthen non-formal education opportunities.
Amala has been running short courses in Greece since 2017, and we have seen very significant numbers of minors unable to access formal schooling. Of the 37,000 refugee youth currently in Greece, only 8,000 were enrolled in formal education during the school year 2019-2020 (5,000 less than the previous year). Many who are able to enrol are severely deprived of ongoing support, such as help with Greek language etc., which leads to high drop out rates. Through workshops, Amala hopes to share our experience and expertise on non-formal experiential learning to fill this gap in refugee education in Greece. Workshops will focus on building inclusive classrooms, and most importantly how to encourage learners to develop agency, engage meaningfully with the world and go on to create a positive impact in their lives and their communities.
“This is an important collaboration and we are grateful to be able to work alongside so many experienced colleagues in the field, to learn from them, and join together to better support one another in our commitment to providing displaced youth with access to educational opportunities,” said Elissavet, Education Coordinator and Greece Programme Coordinator at Amala. “Participating in workshops will also allow us to continue assessing the needs on the ground and have a clearer picture on how our programmes can meet those needs.”
Read more about the programme and other organisations involved in the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum’s Press Release here.
