EKO, the Entrepreneurship and Social Economy Group, is a non-profit organisation seated in Athens, Greece, with an extended network of partners across Europe, the Euromed basin, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
It is the founding member of the Euromed Network of Youth Organizations (Y-NEMO), as well as a founding member of the International Alliance for Peace and Development (IAPD) with members in European and MENA countries. EKO also supports the Observatory to Prevent Extremist Violence (OPEV) as an active member contributing constructively to prevent and combat violent extremism, organizing various events, info days and conferences to raise awareness on this matter.
Moreover, EKO is a member of the network of the Anna Lindh Foundation and is honoured to display the logo of the European Year of Cultural Heritage (EYCH) for two implemented Erasmus+ youth mobility projects. In addition, EKO has an EVS accreditation for sending and hosting volunteers, as well as coordinating EVS projects. In the new Erasmus+ ESC context, EKO maintains this accreditation for the planning and implementation of ESC projects.
Throughout its activities, EKO maintains a special collaboration with Art and Theater Tutors, constantly expands its network of partners and collaborations in Greece and maintains and further develops a youth club with active members and activities.
EKO`s primary mission is to contribute to the creation of an inclusive society, free from prejudice and discrimination, which will be in the position to develop and grow a sustainable living environment. Particularly within Greece, its major concerns refer to the challenge of: (1) youth and women unemployment and economic obstacles as a result of the crisis and (2) the xenophobic attitudes, cultural intolerance and exclusion created by the migration wave, as well as (3) multiple environmental issues which affect sustainable development at a local, regional, national and international level. EKO participates in the Sessions of the United Nations where its members work as presenters, panellists and chairs of several side events on Human Rights Council Sessions.
To achieve this mission EKO focuses on the following specific objectives:
• Empowering youth and women through non-formal education, training opportunities, life-long learning and fostering active participation and civic engagement
• Facilitating intercultural and interreligious awareness and solidarity, especially within Greece and Europe, as well as between Europe and MENA, by providing dialogue platforms, organizing cultural exchanges and tolerance training
• Strengthening cross-border civil society, through knowledge transfer and sharing of good practices, as well as through collaborative initiatives with its broad network of international partners
• Actively support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and environmental causes
