The Ambassador of Norway in Drama

On the occasion of the projects “The Mobile School Travels” and “Time to Talk”.

On Monday, April 4, the Ambassador of Norway, Frode Overland Andersen,

will visit Drama.

Accepting the invitation from the President, Aliki Tsiamoura, the Ambassador will participate both in an intervention of the three-year project “The Mobile School Travels” and in the Opening Day of the new “Time to Talk” project. Both projects are funded by the European Economic Area (EEA) financial mechanism, known as EEA Grants, with Norway, Island and Liechtenstein as granters.

AMBASSADORS SCHEDULE

Early in the morning he will visit the House of Open Hospitality of the Drama Ladies Union to get informed on the multi-faceted work carried out by the union. Then, he will attend the intervention of “The Mobile School Travels” project in the Roma camp of Filippos, whereas at 12:00 p.m., in the multi-purpose hall of the Municipality of Drama, the Opening Day of the new project of the Drama Ladies Union-House of Open Hospitality “Time to Talk” will be held, for which he will extend a greeting. A greeting will also be extended by the State Secretary of Labor and Social Affairs, Maria Syrengela, as well as on behalf of the grant manager by the program officer of the Active Citizens Fund program, Ms. Tzeni Lazarou.

SPEAKERS AT THE OPENING DAY

Presenters in this opening day will be Ms. Chatzifotiou Sevasti – Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work of Democritus University of Thrace as presenter, Ms. Antoniou Angeliki – Assistant professor at the Department of Archival, Library & Information Studies of the University of West Attica and lastly Ms. Ingunn Rangul Askeland, clinical psychologist from the Norwegian organization “Alternative to Violence”.

“Time to Talk” project identity

The “Time to Talk” project started in December 2021 and has a duration of 14 months. It aims at training Drama Ladies Union-House of Open Hospitality on how to support a gender-based violence abuser. The Norwegian organization “Alternative to Violence” with 30 years experience in supporting the abuser of gender-based violence will train the staff of Drama Ladies Union-House of Open Hospitality, as well as representatives of the Police of Drama and the Social Services of the Prefecture of Drama on how to manage the abuser and combat the causes of abuse. In addition, a university research for emerging forms of online violence will be carried out by the cooperating Universities, i.e. University of Peloponnese, University of West Attica and Democritus University of Thrace, whereas the project’s website will be updated and an online game will be created. Lastly, face-to-face informative workshops will be held with Senior High School, Vocational High School and Professional Training Institute students of the Municipality of Drama regarding the emerging forms of online violence.

Funding by and cooperation with the Norwegian Embassy

“The Mobile School Travels” and “Time to Talk” projects are funded by the European Economic Area (EEA), which consists of three granting countries and more specifically Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The Embassy of Norway in Greece sponsored a short video of the project “The Mobile School Travels” which was posted on social media, whereas on the same website and on the occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021, it hosted an interview with the president, Aliki Tsiamoura. Moreover, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Embassy of Norway in Greece organized the action “Orange Day” during which buildings throughout Greece were lit up orange, which is the color established by the UN to symbolize the fight against women’s abuse. Drama Ladies Union participated in this campaign as well, by lighting up the House of Open Hospitality in orange.

“The Mobile School Travels” and “Time to Talk” projects are implemented in the context of the Active citizens fund program, with Drama Ladies Union-House of Open Hospitality as implementation body. The €13.5 million Active Citizens Fund program is funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway and is part of the European Economic Area (EEA) financial mechanism for the period 2014 – 2021, known as EEA Grants. The program aims at fortifying and strengthening the sustainability of civil society and at highlighting its role in promoting democratic processes, strengthening citizens’ participation in society and defending human rights. The management of the grant of the Active Citizens Fund program for Greece has been jointly undertaken by the Bodossaki Foundation and SolidarityNow. For more information: www.activecitizensfund.gr

PRESS OFFICE OF THE DRAMA LADIES UNION- HOUSE OF OPEN HOSPITALITY