New Opportunities for Cooperation: Meeting with the NGO IASIS
During our visit to Athens, we met with representatives of the NGO IASIS — the organisation’s representative Stefanos Alevizos and his team.
IASIS is one of the largest organisations operating in Greece, with more than 400 staff members and 62 programmes.
The organisation’s work
Mental health and well-being are among the organisation’s key areas of work. IASIS runs a wide range of programmes aimed at preserving and improving mental health, providing psychosocial support and empowering people. Its innovative approaches are also notable, including theatre initiatives and various methods of mental health support.
The organisation’s work also covers support for and empowerment of women, child protection and support programmes, services for children and families, day care, and environmental initiatives.
We were especially interested in learning about the organisation’s funding model: a significant share of its programmes is implemented with state funding or support, in particular through cooperation with the Greek Ministry of Health.
Prospects for cooperation
During the meeting we also discussed possible areas of cooperation, prospects for exchanging experience, and opportunities to strengthen links between international networks.
IASIS representatives told us that they plan to hold the Connect to Protect international conference again next year, in November. They also proposed holding a separate panel discussion on network cooperation within the conference, which could be organised and moderated by the Child Protection Network, with the Network’s member organisations also invited.
This will be a good opportunity to present the experience of Armenian civil society, discuss the challenges and successful approaches of network cooperation, and develop international partnerships.
We thank the IASIS team for their warm welcome, for sharing their experience and for discussing new opportunities for cooperation. We are confident that such meetings are an important step towards strengthening child protection systems and developing international cooperation.
