U-Report celebrates its first year of operation in Greece.

U-Report celebrates its first year of operation in Greece.

The global platform for youth participation, U-Report Greece, celebrated its first year of operation in Greece, with an event dedicated to the right of teenagers and young people to freely express their opinion on issues that concern them.

ATHENS DECEMBER 14, 2022: After a year filled with polls, activities and workshops all over Greece, UNICEF Greece Country Office and the Network for Children’s Rights  organized an event dedicated to the important moments from the platform’s first year of operation in our country.

The event took place on Tuesday, December 13 at 12:00 pm at the "Antonis Tritsis" Amphitheater, of the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Athens, where the program’s milestones and achievements during 2022 were presented, with the aim of empowering and promoting the participation of young people in matters concerning themselves and their communities. Representatives from municipalities of Attica, members of civil society, students of Athens High Schools and High Schools and representatives of youth organizations attended.

The event started with Mrs. Lina Antara, the Program Coordinator from UNICEF Greece Country Office, talking about supporting young people and adolescents in developing skills and abilities that empower their participation as citizens, which is one of the main program goals of the UNICEF Greece Country Office. Ms. Antara referred to current and future programs that focus on promoting social inclusion and participation, as well as using innovative tools such as U-Report to reach the most excluded groups of young people and teenagers.

Furthermore, the Network for Children’s Rights, the implementing partner of the Program, presented the most important polls and activities implemented in 2022,  making reference to the educational workshops that took place and their important role in the dissemination of the U-Report platform in Greece, as a tool for young people's participation and inclusion in society.

The event was also welcomed by the Ombudswoman for the Child, Mrs. Theoni Koufonikolakou, who, focusing on Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, spoke about the right of children to express their opinion freely, stressing that institutional bodies must listen to children about issues that directly affect them.

A productive discussion followed with the participation of three young U-Reporters, Mario Arambatzis, Facinet Camara, as well as the representative of the youth organization WeFor, Georgia Anagnostaki. The U-Reporters emphasized the importance of young people's participation in public affairs, but also the need to empower them through educational activities and experiential workshops, so that they can fully participate and express their opinion freely on all issues that concern them.

U-Report Greece will continue in 2023 to give voice to young people on important social and political issues, with the aim of promoting their participation as active citizens.

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