Non-profits & Media advocating for good!

The project “Non-profits & Media advocating for good!” was implemented in the framework of the Active citizens fund, with HIGGS, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Open Knowledge Foundation of Greece and Journalism Initiative, in 2020-2023.

The project aimed to strengthen the advocacy and supervisory role of civil society in Greece. To achieve this, it offered a structured framework of experiential training and cooperation, for the benefit of representatives from 32 media and executives from 32 non-profit organizations in 4 cities in Greece (Athens, Thessaloniki, Patras and Komotini) on the basis of the existence in these cities of a vibrant community of NGOs and media and of significant social issues, in order to co-design and implement together advocacy actions.

During the project, 3 experiential seminars and consultation meetings were completed in each city. The seminars were attended by dozens of NGO representatives from all over the country, who were able to co-design and implement advocacy actions to bring about institutional changes to social problems in our country.

Το έργο “Non-profits & Media advocating for good!” υλοποιείται στο πλαίσιο του προγράμματος Active citizens fund, με φορέα υλοποίησης το HIGGS και εταίρους του, το Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης, το Ίδρυμα Ανοικτής Γνώσης Ελλάδας και την ΑΜΚΕ Πρωτοβουλία για τη Δημοσιογραφία.

Το πρόγραμμα Active citizens fund, ύψους € 12εκ, χρηματοδοτείται από την Ισλανδία, το Λιχτενστάιν και τη Νορβηγία και είναι μέρος του χρηματοδοτικού μηχανισμού του Ευρωπαϊκού Οικονομικού Χώρου (ΕΟΧ) περιόδου 2014 – 2021 γνωστού ως EEA Grants. Το πρόγραμμα στοχεύει στην ενδυνάμωση και την ενίσχυση της βιωσιμότητας της κοινωνίας των πολιτών και στην ανάδειξη του ρόλου της στην προαγωγή των δημοκρατικών διαδικασιών, στην ενίσχυση της συμμετοχής των πολιτών στα κοινά και στην προάσπιση των ανθρωπίνων δικαιωμάτων. Τη διαχείριση της επιχορήγησης του προγράμματος Active citizens fund για την Ελλάδα έχουν αναλάβει από κοινού το Ίδρυμα Μποδοσάκη και το SolidarityNow.

Final event of the project “Non-Profits & Media Advocating for good!” in Athens!

“How does a law change?” “How do I mobilize people?” “Are advocacy actions funded?” “Is advocacy for big organizations?” On the other side are important allies, the Greek media that communicate advocacy actions and assist in the implementation of ideas. But often suspicion and lack of communication is detected. The media are sceptical about the transparency of NGOs and the NGOs, for their part, do not trust the media and the validity of the information published. ...

Active Citizens Fund in Greece: Project «Non-profits & Media advocating for good!»

Advocacy is an internationally acclaimed tool for Civil Society, in its efforts to bring institutional change to important social problems. In Greece, especially in the periphery, advocacy activities are either limited or of limited efficiency, with exceptions in human rights, environmental or social welfare issues. This is attributed to 2 factors: Firstly, non-profit organizations (NPOs) in Greece lack knowledge and expertise regarding advocacy’s methodology and tools, in order to design and implement effective relevant activities Secondly, the negative image of non-profits in the media and the general public pose as an obstacle to the potential communication and collaboration of all parties for a good cause and their active participation to decision-making. Τhe project “Non-profits & Media advocating for good!” aims to strengthen civil society advocacy and watchdog role in Greece. To achieve that, the project offers a framework of experiential training and collaboration, benefitting 32 media representatives and 32 non-profits’ staff in 4 cities of Greece, selected based on that fact that they have both vibrant NPO communities and media as well as significant social issues, in order to co-create and implement together advocacy activities. ...