The long-term cooperation of EMFASIS with the organization DESMOS, a partnership which has existed for nearly as long as Emfasis itself has, continues this year by launching a new program called DESMOS FOR YOUTH. Through this program, 15 young men and women work for one year in public-benefit organizations of their choice to maximize the impact of their social contribution.
Thanks to the program, our volunteer Marianna Kallipoliti was chosen to staff the position of Head of Collaborations and Volunteer Management. This position aims on the one hand to create a network of collaborations with other bodies, in order to cover the various needs of the EMFASIS target group, and on the other hand to create a structured Volunteer Management program, with the ultimate goal of better use of the organization and the promotion of the concept of volunteering in general.
As the driving force of EMFASIS is its volunteers, priority was given to the design of this program, and Marianna participated in two all-day training seminars on volunteer management. Starting in January 2016, Marianna, assisted by the entire EMFASIS family, with new ideas and initiatives, managed to increase the number of active EMFASIS volunteers by 20%, as well as the average duration of their volunteer offer.
The DESMOS FOR YOUNG program has strengthened the synergies between Emfasis and other bodies or organizations operating in the same field. Specifically, EMFASIS started an official collaboration with “APOSTOLI Anthropos”, as well as with the street magazine “SCHEDIA”, and the total number of organizations with which we now cooperate includes more than 10 bodies.
Recently, Marianna visited London as an EMFASIS representative to participate in a European working group and study on the active participation of citizens in the public, under the auspices of Volonteurope and the European Civic Forum .
At the same time, EMFASIS was able to better respond to requests for voluntary offers from abroad. Highlights included the visits of students from the German University Hochschule Fulda, as well as 40 Psychology students from the Dutch University of Tilburg, who, after being briefed on the issue of homelessness and how to deal with it, participated in activities of the Mobile Units.
Hoping to continue our cooperation in the future, we would like to give a warm thank you to DESMOS for the employment opportunity it offered to Marianna, therefore maximizing the offer of EMFASIS to those who need us.
