Promote intercultural dialogue in the Greek society
Similarly with the activities undertaken by the public radio television company to promote intercultural dialogue in the Greek society, some activities of the Department of Social Integration at the Greek Ministry of Interior may profit from the resources from the European Union Fund to integrate third country nationals through projects aiming at intercultural exchanges and the familiarization of citizens with the multicultural aspects of their society.
During the period 2009 – 2010, on the designated “Day for Immigrants”, celebrated on 18 December 2009, three festivals were held in Athens, featuring music, cuisine and works of art. The festivals, which cost 62.374 €, were attended by 500 people. Sports events, such as an 8 km race, a cricket match and a football game, where both local people and immigrants participated, were included in a second project at the town of Volos. The cost was 90.000 € with participation varying from 120 to 500 participants.
During the period 2010 – 2011, a workshop for immigrants on painting, photography and theatre was funded with 129.590 € to run for a duration of three months, followed by an exhibition of works produced by the participants. 60 people attended the workshops and 800 people attended the exhibition and a theatrical performance. The project “Day for Immigrants” was repeated in two other cities (Thessaloniki and Xanthi). Looking to the future, the European Commission has already approved the continuation of the above project, a day for immigrants, a museum educational project for immigrant children, the joint creation of works of art by Greeks and immigrants and sports events for the same purpose of social integration and intercultural exchange.