ATHENS - Combining art and volunteerism, ethelon hosted its second annual Kindness Revolution in celebration of the United Nation’s International Volunteer Day in December. Over 100 people in Athens and Thessaloniki took part in 12 different volunteer initiatives as part of the day-long programing with a focus on the arts.
Volunteers in Athens first gathered at The Cube Athens to chose which projects they wished to complete throughout the city. Some volunteers chose to express themselves through music, and volunteered with the group Οι Άγγελοι της Χαράς, to engage with retirees and older adults. Others performed choreographed dances with The Kyma Project, or sang while expressing the words in sign language to make the fun and music accessible to everyone.
Some volunteers took to the streets of Athens instead and documented moments of kindness in everyday life through photography and video, with similar activities taking place at the same time in Thessaloniki.
At the end of the day-long program, volunteers and participants left with their own unique understanding of the value of volunteerism, having chosen their own artistic mechanism through which they could impart a sense of community and belonging to those around them.
The Kindness Revolution is just one of the many volunteer-based programs ethelon provides as part of the non-for-profit organization’s mission is to develop and promote volunteerism in Greece.
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WORDS: Portes Magazine
PHOTOS: Ethelon