ELIX Conservation Volunteers, Greece

In the 14th episode of the Daphne-CHILD Grantee Spotlight Series, Aliki Tzatha from ELIX Conservation Volunteers Greece discusses their SafeIng project – transforming entire school ecosystems into safe and inclusive communities for children with refugee, migrant, Roma, and special education needs in Athens.

The project confronts a Greek school culture shaped by frontal teaching and the absence of participatory practices, where violence along lines of race, class, gender, and appearance goes largely unchallenged. Working with 9 to 12-year-olds across three primary schools, ELIX delivers structured workshop cycles grounded in human rights education, democratic deliberation, multilingualism, and social-emotional learning – training teachers in tandem and gradually co-creating a classroom code of conduct with the children themselves. The work extends to parents and local communities, as illustrated by a schoolyard wall painted with "good morning" in over 15 languages: a simple act that turns children's hidden home identities into something to celebrate.

This podcast is part of a series aiming to showcase the vital and innovative work of our grantees in the Daphne-CHILD programme as they combat violence against children across Europe.