Happy Children Happy Youth Camps
A volunteer organization that, in its 89 years of operation, has hosted 15,850 children with the help of 3,550 Greek and foreign volunteers.
The Camp, every summer, offers accommodation and creative workshops for all children, regardless of origin, nationality, religion, gender, age, family, and financial status.
The camp is organized and operates exclusively by volunteers and has no employees.
In order for the camp to take place every summer, funds are raised through events organized by the volunteers and donations in money and materials made to the camp.
During the winter, the volunteers organize motivating creative activities and entertainment for children from orphanages, earthquake victims, refugees, or children living in underprivileged or remote areas.
Beyond the camp for the children, educational seminars are organized, creative groups for theater and magazines operate, hiking trips, excursions, and youth exchanges are organized for the volunteers. Finally, work is done by the volunteers to improve and maintain the camp’s facilities and equipment.
Who are we?
The Happy Children-Happy Youth Camps are an organization with more than 80 active volunteers that organizes camps for the psychosocial support of children and implements, completely free of charge, programs for children and youth based on motivational activities in aesthetic education (theater, music, shadow puppetry, puppet theater, photography, painting, drama games, crafts, and constructions).
A core group of 30 experienced volunteers, supported by 50 young people, manages the present and creates the future of this effort. These people, who believe in the timeless values of the work such as love for children and people, the certainty of the many talents of each individual, democratic institutions, equality of all people, and freedom of speech and thought, host children of different origins, ages, genders, and religions without discrimination, and organize or support activities for the young people who participate as staff members in the camp.
The Happy Children-Happy Youth Camps dream, in a world that is becoming increasingly impersonal and harsher for the economically disadvantaged and their children, to host more children in more modern facilities, with better programs. These goals will become achievable thanks to the volunteer effort and the knowledge of many people who, with enthusiasm, imagination, and love, will create small human communities for children and youth and spaces that will provide the opportunity for expressing the skills and emotions of the people who will collaborate during the winters and live harmoniously during the summers in the camp.
HAPPY CHILDREN HAPPY YOUTH CAMPS
VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATION
Association, recognized (Decisions: 15662/64 and 3706/99)
ISO 9001/2015 Certification: For the provision of accommodation, catering, and psychosocial support services for children and adolescents.
ISO 22000 Certification: For the processing and distribution of food at the Camp’s facilities.
Founder: Father George Pyrounakis (1910-1988)
Offices: Hevden 14, 10434 Athens
Tel.: 210-3226019
Fax 210-3257801
Facilities: Erenias 6, 19600 Agios Georgios Mandra, Attica
Website: kataskinosi.gr
e-mail: kataskinoseis@yahoo.com, kataskinosi@gmail.com