One Happy Family - Community Center

One Happy Family - Community Center One Happy Family is a community-based, non-profit association supporting people in refuge situations

Introduction to One Happy Family (OHF)

One Happy Family (OHF) is a non-profit association supporting people in refugee situations in Greece. OHF aims to improve welfare and skills, facilitate self-development, participation and community building. With the core value «WITH them, instead of FOR them» OHF strives to be a peaceful, colourful and active place where people can have and achieve goals.

To achieve it’s purpose, OHF manages a community volunteer program and together with partner organisations, the Victoria Community Center, a multifunctional space in the center of Athens. Victoria Community Center

The Victoria Community Center is a safe space outside the camps where displaced people can hang out, read, talk, play, get a warm meal, meet other people facing similar challenges and access much need services. Whereas OHF is responsible for the general management and facilitation of the spaces, as well as for some core activities related to the center itself, various services are offered by specialist organisations;

Legal help (European Lawyers in Lesvos)
Medical help (Doctors without Borders, SAMS)
Info Point and Social Service (Lighthouse Relief and Meaalofa)
Psycho-Social Support (International Rescue Committee)
Language Classes/ Employability Support (A Drop in the Ocean)
Women and Kids, Tailor Space (Glocal Roots)

OHF strives to keep the space flexible and to adjust activities according to the needs of people living in Athens. The centre has several floors, with offices, classrooms, and a café, and offers as well outdoor areas (yard, balconies, and rooftop). Victoria Community Center is located in an area in Athens close to where many refugees/migrants live. History of One Happy Family – from Lesvos to Athens (Short version)

In Spring 2017, a group of volunteers and displaced people started a new project on the island of Lesvos to offer displaced people a way out of the lethargy and misery of everyday life in the camp. Community-building, participation and empowerment were important principles of the project. From the very beginning, the team met at eye level and displaced people were perceived as people with a wide range of skills, knowledge, dreams and wishes. In a very short period of time the beautiful One Happy Family Community Center was set up. Throughout 2018 and 2019 the Center played an important role in the humanitarian aid and emergency response on Lesvos and at the end of 2019 around 1’000 people walked daily to OHF to learn Greek or English, play volleyball, sew in the Women-space or attend on of the many other projects. People enjoyed the food, a cup of coffee or tea as well as the possibility to spend time in a safe environment. Unfortunately, the circumstances on the island got a lot rougher for people on the move as well as NGOs in 2020 due to Riots, an arson case at OHF, Covid and Covid-measures by the government. In September 2020, a fire burned down camp Moria completely, leaving thousands of people from the camp on the streets. The OHF team tried to support wherever possible and adapted it’s daily routine to what was needed the most. However, after the new camp of Mavrovouni was set up and the Covid-regulations continued, it became clear that our projects at OHF had to adapt. OHF continued to support their community volunteers, opened the community center whenever COVID restrictions allowed it and created a free online shop. In parallel, the year-long-thought to move to Athens became a reality. In 2020 one of our coordinators set up a Community Volunteer Support Program in Athens which gained more impact in 2021. OHF also started to partner with more organisations in Athens and supported additional community volunteers, all while creating an atmosphere of “coming together, learning from each other”. This led to the creation and opening of the Victoria Community Center in April 2022.

The project One Happy Family (OHF) comes to an endIt is with a heavy heart that we have let go of OHF a little more and ...
24/11/2024

The project One Happy Family (OHF) comes to an end

It is with a heavy heart that we have let go of OHF a little more and more in recent months.

After the end of our activities in spring, the main focus was on making the transition to a Victoria Community Center (VCC) without OHF as smooth as possible.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved once again for their commitment!

It was amazing to know and see that this place should and can live on without OHF and that it is still there for people to come together. This made it a little easier for us to say goodbye.
We continued to contribute to the building costs and other bills until October and our long-time team member Akis was still on site part-time.
However, we have now withdrawn from everything and handed it over to the organisations that are still active in the VCC.

We wish the organisations and the Victoria Community Center all the best and lots of success!

***

We would like to draw your attention once again to all these various projects that are still active at the VCC in Athens. They too are not in a comfortable financial position at the moment and are dependent on any help they can get.
So if you would like to continue to support the Community Center and its existence, we can only encourage you to support these organisations.

Glocal Roots: Community Cafe and Women’s & Kid’s Space, overall management of the building
Drop In The Ocean Dråpen i Havet: Non-formal Education
MVI Medical Volunteers International e.V.: Primary Health Care
Vasilika Moon Meraki Vasilika Moon - La Luna di Vasilika Onlus: Social Services and Welcome Desk
Syrian American Medical Society- SAMS: Paediatric Services
Meaalofa Foundation: Housing and Social Work
ELIL European Lawyers in Lesvos: Legal aid
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency: info point for services around Athens
Just human - Menschlichkeit grenzenlos: Social Work

There is another project that is also close to our hearts and you are very welcome to support:
The Boat Collective

"The Boat Collective" is a community-led, inclusive, non-nationalistic, anti-racist, q***r art collective known as "the boat”, originating from self-organised theater classes in the Moria Camp on Lesvos by a group of people from all corners of the world. In October 2023, the Boat Collective opened "The Boat Art Center" in Kipseli in Athens offering a safe and accessible community-led space for creative expression, learning, and community building in the neighborhood.
The goal of the boat collective is to improve well-being and mental health through art and community and participate in positive political and social change by uniting communities and neighborhoods through art!
They want to make art accessible for everyone, therefore everything, materials, lessons and events in the art center are for free, based on donations and volunteer work.
At the moment they have regular painting, dancing, music, theater and yoga lessons, they host regular concerts, film screenings and give space for political discussions and activities. They also collaborate with various other organisations and collectives.
Support is crucial for the long-term goals, and you can help by donating, spreading the word, volunteering, attending events, or becoming a member of the collective. Your support will ensure the continuity of the boats activities and goals of community engagement, artistic development, learning, activism, and empowerment.
For more information and to get involved, visit their website and social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube).
Thank you for supporting The Boat Collective and The Boat Art Center!

***

And now it's time to say THANK YOU to you all once again!

But actually, there are no words with which we, the OHF team, can thank YOU, the huge OHF community.

It is overwhelming to know that over these many years, the One Happy Family has grown more and more, people from all over the world have met, supported each other, learned from each other and built a community together that will continue to exist even after the end of this project!

We wish you all the best, keep the spirit of OHF in your hearts and we hope to meet you again sometime!

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