Athens opens a Creative Activity Centre for children

Primary school students from vulnerable families will receive support from the Greek capital

On 7 June, the Municipality of Athens announced that over 2,000 children from vulnerable families will soon have access to a Creative Activity Centre. More specifically, the Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis signed an agreement with the Archbishop of Athens Mr. Ieronymos to turn the home of the martyr Lela Karagianni into a centre for primary students between the ages of 6 and 12.

What will the new establishment offer?

According to a press release by the municipality, the Creative Activity Centre has been developed with the primary goal of helping children who come from families that are socially or financially disadvantaged. Commenting on this, the Archbishop of Athens noted that “there is no better way to honour yesterday than to prepare for tomorrow.”

Taking this further, the centre will offer educational support, innovative creative activities, as well as entertainment. What is more, it will enrich children’s skills whilst offering the care and support they need. In other words, the Creative Activity Centre will prepare children for the future by equipping them with vital skills from a young age.

As previously mentioned, the centre will be located in the home of the martyr Lela Karagianni, a Greek resistance leader who was executed by German occupation troops in World War II. As such, the centre will house a permanent digital exhibition to teach students Karagianni’s story of resistance and self-sacrifice.

“The cooperation of the Municipality of Athens with the Church has proved that together we can do a lot with our joint actions, we create a capital of care and care for everyone every day. We do it because we join forces. A big thank you, especially to our Archbishop who has embraced this cooperation,” Mayor Bakoyannis expressed his satisfaction with the agreement.