The following were present at the conference: Maria Moudatsou, forensic psychologist and member of the NGO Praxis, Michalis Marioras ,lecturer at the Theological School of the University of Athens and Danae Bezadakou – Managing Director of Navigator Shipping Consultant sLtd and president of the Greek iforUMentoring network.

According to Danai Bezadakou, "NGOs can very well function as means of supporting people in various fields. iforU is a non-profit organization to empower and support young female entrepreneurs through Mentoring & Networking. It is very important to understand the importance of giving people the opportunity to work. In the iforU organization we create pairs of mentors and mentors who work together in one-to-one sessions, and in this way we can see and evaluate how the mentees develop with the end of time. This is a way to support and encourage women in the field of entrepreneurship, while increasing their quality of life."

Maria Moudatsou, in her turn, explained to the audience how NGOs are designed and what their role is in society. As she said among other things, "as in the case of Praksis, an NGO whose goals are creation, implementation and fulfillment of humanitarian and medical action, NGOs usually operate as a complement in areas where government actions are insufficient or the government is unable to manage any existing social problems. NGOs must work in collaboration with other organizations, as a pressure lever of society and the government to achieve positive changes. NGOs work to prevent the escalation of existing social problems by intervening in them by providing support, advocacy and support to target groups and people in need. In Greece, Praksis has established medical units that provide medical services to the most vulnerable social groups.

Immigration is a visible part of life in Greece and has acted as an accelerator of social crisis in the country. Clashes between Greeks and immigrants are very common these days in Greece. According to Michalis Mariora, "we should not think that the legal recognition of the existence of immigrants is enough. We should move to the next level, co-existence.”

The lecturer of the Faculty of Theology of the Greek Academy of Athens also emphasized that "discrimination between people living within a society has different levels and the problems that arise through coexistence can manifest both through verbal racism and through violence. We need education and training in order to build a good relationship between all members of society. When we know each other it is easier to coexist. During the political, economic and social crisis we are living in, it is very important to talk about intergration and how to coexist with others."

The "Youth Leadership –the Exelixis Institute" in collaboration with Michalis Marioras, is expected to start intercultural courses to promote a more democratic society. The exchange of information and information about

From the Press and Communication Office