Pedro Arrupe Center

Περιγραφή

Pedro Arrupe Youth Center

The “Pedro Arrupe” Youth Center is a social justice project, started by the Institute of Humanities of the Jesuit Fathers in Athens, on the initiative of Fr. Petros Hong, in 2011.

The financial hardships that afflict families, the unequal access of children to learning opportunities that depend on the financial capabilities of each family, but also the forced long absence of parents from home because of their work, pushed the Jesuit fathers, in the context of their social action, to offer a space for children of primary and secondary education of Greeks and immigrants, with a structured program of study and personal development.

Today the number of children who come to the Youth Center is 150. Since 2015 the Center operates under the auspices of JRS-GREECE as a place of remedial teaching, after the children’s school hours. Continuous supervision and assistance of children in the study of their school lessons is provided, with the help of volunteer collaborators. The purpose of the Youth Center is also to help children and young people to build their personality, to develop their talents and interpersonal relationships, in a humane environment.

Children of families living on the edge of poverty are provided with daily meals.

Our general goal is to open the horizons of children and young people in three key areas: “I know – I open – I believe”. More specifically, we seek:

• To get them to know themselves through creative activities, such as music, theatre, dance, crafts, foreign languages.
• To develop their interpersonal relationships harmoniously.
• To learn and apply the concept of respect for their fellow human beings.

The Center operates from Monday to Friday, from 15:00 to 19:00 and its operation is based on the generous offer of its volunteers, who offer their time, and the donations of ordinary people who believe in our work.