An alternative tour around the twelve-story buildings and their surroundings. A journey in the present that starts from the past and highlights the future of social housing in Thessaloniki. Because access to affordable housing is a key element in configuring cities, their social cohesion and above all supports a fundamental right.

Opening of a new Pocket Park in the Vardaris area. Participation has been a key in both its design and construction. Members and employees of the Self-Help Promotion Program, people from the neighborhood and friends of Vardaris joined forces. This effort created a new communal space for meeting, relaxation and creativity from, with and for the neighborhood itself!

The publications of the Heinrich Böll Foundation are known for their validity and completeness and have gained the trust of experts, becoming reference points in the relevant literature. On the occasion of our anniversary events, they will be on display throughout the day in special stands in bookstores of Thessaloniki, so that a wider public can get to know them and obtain them free of charge.

Through a hands-on workshop designed for all ages and genders, we aim to raise awareness about the importance of the bees on ecosystems and biodiversity, and of the challenges that they face. By planting bee friendly flowers (full of nectar and pollen), we create urban oases, suitable for these useful insects that are seriously endangered by pesticides.

An educational game for children and adults, focusing on energy and the climate crisis. It includes a quiz whose answers turn our earth... green, a workshop on how we can all together become a community that produces energy, and through “magic binoculars” we see how the climate is changing in Senegal!

We present our new publication, the “Atlas of European Mobility”, and discuss with experts how to tackle the energy crisis through sustainable mobility. We will also talk about the importance of railways and have a tour of the Railway Museum of Thessaloniki, which includes a carriage from the legendary Orient Express!

Our understanding of the refugee experience most often comes through stories told by non-refugees. 1000 Dreams is a project entirely authored by people with a refugee background and tells the stories of 1000 refugees across Europe. We will exhibit a selection of these stories coming from the LGBTQI+ community and offer an exhibition opening talk about refugee and LGBTQI+ dreams – and their rights and opportunities to pursue them.

In the second stop of the series of events “The Local SSE Initiatives are Discussing”, the Social Solidarity Economy initiatives of Thessaloniki decided to talk about communities and the commons. Terms that constantly reappear in one way or another, rallying people and trying something different in the here and now. However, where do the new and older initiatives stand today?

In this workshop, which takes place in Nea Paralia, a beloved public space of the citizens of Thessaloniki, participants are invited to “tell” stories of their daily life in their neighbourhood, but also to envision the neighbourhood and the city they want.

The two-day anniversary events will conclude with an event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the award of the Nobel Prize for Literature to the great German writer, whose name our Foundation bears. Theatre meets literature and political action, while the evening closes in a relaxed atmosphere with live music, networking and conversations in the cool and welcoming courtyard of the Goethe-Institut.