Cooperative member

Location: Trikala, Greece 

Web site:

Civil no-profit society that promotes the values of social solidarity and social economy, as well as social integration of people threaten by social exclusion (unemployed, people with mental health disorders, etc.).

It will open, at the beginning of 2007, a Daily Centre for immigrants with mental troubles and a Mobile Unit for Mental Health.

Goals

Primary goal of the society is to promote the values of Social Solidarity and Social Economy

In particular it aims at:

• The support of activities of local communities, local authorities and municipalities, cooperatives, social collective bodies and volunteers’ organizations.
• The social integration/ reintegration, as well as the quality improvement of the lives of people who are threatened by social exclusion (unemployed, people with special needs, people with mental health disorders, drug addicts, immigrants/ refugees, roma people, as well as women threatened by social exclusion due to gender discrimination) and the combating against negative social stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination that the above mention people experience.
• The sustainable development of regions that are spatially marginalized (mountainous regions, disadvantaged rural regions, degraded urban areas, regions with sensitive ecosystems).
• The promotion of health in general, and of mental health in particular, as well as of social care.
• The establishment and operation of psychosocial rehabilitation units and other community mental health and/ or social care units
• The designation of culture as an important element to overcome local inequalities and discriminations
• The designation of social solidarity and social economy as the main gear to overcome social and spatial inequalities and discriminations
• The creation of conditions necessary and capable to promote social entrepreneurship as means for the socio-vocational integration/ reintegration of socially vulnerable groups of people and for the combat against social and spatial discriminations
• The provision of any kind of aid (humanitarian, developmental etc) and the collaboration with developing countries, in order to contribute to the economic and social development of these countries.

Means to accomplish the goals

The company will pursue its goals by any legal mean such as:

• The development of contractual agreements with physical persons as well as private, public and social bodies in order to accomplish its goals.
• The carrying out of studies and researches and the undertaking of evaluation actions related to issues, activities, programmes and initiatives relevant to its goals.
• The participation to or/and the undertaking of the implementation of European or National programmes, initiatives and actions
• The formulation of working groups of interdisciplinary context for the monitoring of the problems of social economy bodies in our country and the drawing-up of proposals for their solution.
• The creation of a framework for the exchange of experiences and the transfer of know-how among the bodies of social solidarity and social economy, and the dissemination of relevant information and actions.
• The organization of conferences, congresses, training and educational programmes and seminars
• The publishing of information booklets and documentation, the creation of internet sites and hubs and the utilization/ development of multimedia and information, communication, training, educational tools
• The networking with relevant bodies of social economy in other countries, with emphasis to the countries of the European Union, the Balkans and the Mediterranean, the establishment of international collaborations and the participation to European and International Networks for the transfer of experiences, know-how, information to and from other counties.
• The exploration of innovative interventions and new methodological approaches for the promotion of the “third sector” of economy and the formulation of proposals addressing to central administrative bodies, local administration bodies, social bodies etc. for the accomplishment of its goal.
• The development and implementation of integrated actions for the provision of technical, technocratic and scientific support and empowerment of bodies active in the area of social solidarity.
• The undertaking of initiatives for the creation, establishment and operation of units, structures and systems of the wider sector of mental health, psychosocial rehabilitation and social care
• The formulation, development and implementation of training and educational packages and tools as well as of educational programmes
• The undertaking of initiatives for the sensitization of the public opinion and the promotion of social solidarity and of volunteerism