Empower Refugee Literacy & Mental Health in Athens

This summer, we were joined by five volunteers from the ESSEC Business School and one from the University of Sorbonne in France. These volunteers supported the Education and MHPSS programming of Fáilte, including coordinating Children's Activities, leading English sessions and making connections with the Failte community. Each of the six volunteers was able to use their time at Failte as part of their graduation requirement at their universities. In total, we have welcomed 25 volunteers in 2025 to Failte from 9 different countries. As a volunteer-run organisation, we are so grateful for the support we receive from volunteers around the world.

As an entirely volunteer-run organisation, we are proud to offer a variety of activities and special events based on the diverse backgrounds of our volunteers. Here are just a few examples of some of the activities that were initiated, planned and implemented by our volunteers so far in 2025.

Origami and Calligraphy with Volunteers from Japan

In March, we hosted a volunteer group from Japan who shared traditional Japanese arts, crafts and snacks with individuals at Fáilte. These volunteers led sessions in drawing Japanese calligraphy and creating origami figures to individuals from around the world. They also had the opportunity to learn about the work of Fáilte in the Athens community. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with this volunteer group.

CV Workshop with Business Students from France

In May, five students from ESSEC Business School joined us as volunteers, where they helped with leading English lessons, compiling statistics for our annual report and supporting with the daily running of the Centre. During their time at Fáilte, they also planned a CV workshop, where they supported individuals in creating and writing CVs to assist with employment searches. These students were able to use their volunteer experience as a partial requirement for fulfiling their degree at ESSEC.

Music Lessons for Refugee Week with Voice Teacher Vivi

For this year's Refugee Week Greece, we were delighted to be visited by Vivi, our voice teacher who teaches online as a part of our Music Programme. Visiting us from the U.K., Vivi and her sister Ella joined us for the week to share their artistic talents; Vivi taught guitar and voice lessons, while Ella led art sessions. We are so grateful for our volunteers who support Fáilte through creative and performing arts.

For more information regarding our programming, please visit our website: www.thefailtecentre.org