20.07.2022 EAEA members, employment

Harnessing the power of knowledge for employment and personal development: meet Odyssea

Recently, Odyssea became an associate member of EAEA. Odyssea is a non-profit organisation based in Athens, Greece, that supports young vulnerable people in gaining access to employment opportunities in society. Programme Manager Thodoris Kostoulas gives insight into the main activities of the organisation and its future plans.

Odyssea provides tailored vocational and life skills training combined with employability services that bridge young people with the world of work. In an interview with EAEA, Programme Manager Thodoris Kostoulas shares their current and upcoming activities, and explains why the organisation joined the network.

This article is part of EAEA’s campaign to introduce its members to the wider adult education community.

What does your organisation do? 

“Our vision is to build a world where everyone can thrive by realizing their full potential”, says Kostoulas. “Our mission is to ensure that all people have equal opportunities in society by harnessing the power of knowledge for employment and personal development”.

Why do you think it’s important to be a member of EAEA?

“Being part of EAEA is really important for our organisation; we have an opportunity to more efficiently contribute to advocacy action across Europe. By joining the network, we can share common practices, challenges and new ideas. Finally, we can be active part in joint activities and programmes that can shape Europe’s future”.

What are the future plans of your organisation?

“Odyssea is on a tipping point of growing both on a national and a European level. Having established a successful model within our premises in Athens, we are exploring our opportunities for expansion in other regions of Greece with the collaboration of other organisations or governmental bodies. More specifically, we envision our new locations in Northern Greece or Eastern Aegean Islands that are in great need of digital and green transition.

At a European level, we are growing our institutional projects funded by the EU. We see of great importance the collaboration within EU projects, as well as the expertise and knowledge to grow and exchange good practices with other countries. At the same time, we are in collaboration with partners outside Europe for projects that are targeting the Bangladesh and Africa marketplaces and small manufacturing spaces”.

Text: Dimitra Kladia, EAEA
Photos: Odyssea

#MeetEAEAmembers #EAEAmember

Text: Dimitra Kladia, EAEAPhotos: Odyssea

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