OUR VISION

The vision of EDRA is to ensure that all people enjoy a better future, free of discrimination.

 

Towards our staff:

• We respect the personality and appreciate the worth of all our employees
• We provide excellent working conditions and offer equal opportunities to everyone, regardless of gender, age or health status
• We offer flexibility to our employees so that they can balance work and family life
• We encourage our employees to participate in lifelong learning
• We give all our employees the opportunity to freely express their opinion
• The administration of EDRA welcomes suggestions and complaints
• We strive to make ethical and just decisions

We actively encourage our employees to share our values. We want them to take pride in the organization they are working for, as well as the services it provides.

Towards society:

• We act responsibly
• We develop innovative activities and programs
• We maintain financial transparency in all of our activities and projects (independent audits by chartered accountants, publication of financial information)
• We adopt the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which constitute a universal call to act, in order to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people will be enjoying peace and prosperity by the year 2030

 

 

OUR MISSION

The mission of EDRA is to offer high-quality social services, in order to support and improve the lives of socially vulnerable groups.

 

OUR VALUES

• Our primary commitment is to our fellow human beings who find themselves in vulnerable situations: respecting diversity and other people
• Initiative: we identify with the socially vulnerable groups and the challenges they may face and intervene to provide support and solutions
• Constant improvement & Innovation: We strive to constantly improve the social services we provide and follow innovative methods
• Our organization adheres to the values of transparency and integrity: we build relationships with our beneficiaries and associates based on trust and we conduct our work in a just and transparent way
• Cooperative Spirit: we establish an extensive network of partnerships both at national and European level with public and private sector organizations

OUR GOALS

Mental Health

• To work towards the social integration of the beneficiaries of our supported residential facilities, as part of the deinstitutionalization program “Psychargos”
• To aid our beneficiaries in their everyday life and personal relations, as well as to promote their psychological and emotional growth and their level of independence. To do so, we follow a holistic model of treatment and rehabilitation through individualized interventions, with our beneficiaries being a priority
• To raise public awareness on mental health issues and fight the stigma of mental illness
• To implement projects in order to increase public awareness on mental health issues and combat the stigma and discriminations that people with mental health challenges often deal with

 

Intellectual disabilities

• To provide safe living conditions and a stable, pleasant home environment to people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorders, when their families struggle or are unable to do so
• To promote the social integration of our beneficiaries, by coordinating daily outdoor recreational activities and conducting educational programs
• To implement individualized interventions based on the needs, skills and desires of each of our beneficiaries, so that they can ultimately reach the highest level of functionality and by extension, enjoy everyday life in the community

 

 

 

Child and family support

• To provide counseling and educational services to children with learning disabilities and their families
• To inform parents and educators about the types of learning disabilities, their aggravating and mitigating factors, but most importantly about coping strategies and methods, in order to alleviate or reduce any negative impact on the psycho-emotional development of children
• To provide treatment interventions and special needs education to preschool-age children with special needs, thus supporting them in all areas of their development and enhancing their functionality level
• To offer support to parents, enabling them to balance work and family life
• To offer innovative recreational and cultural education activities to children

 

Social vulnerable groups

• To fight extreme poverty and social exclusion, by implementing programs targeted to support socially vulnerable groups (such as the homeless, people in poverty or at the poverty line)
• To provide information, as well as psychological and social support in order to empower our beneficiaries
• To promote the social integration of people from socially vulnerable groups by offering them educational programs and employment services

 

Training programs for all social groups

• To transfer up-to-date, high-quality knowledge and teach marketable skills to people from all social groups; in particular, to those most affected by the financial crisis and facing the danger of social and educational exclusion
• To collaborate with organizations that share the same values with us, creating a socially oriented education network
• To stay updated on the latest trends in non-formal education and the ever-changing demands of the labor market, in order to help our employees constantly updating their knowledge

 

 

The ultimate goal of EDRA is to develop projects both at local and European level, in order to improve the lives of socially vulnerable groups, leading to a more positive way of life for them, as well as changing the way society views and treats such groups.

  

 

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 WE ADOPT THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The United Nations General Assembly, consisting of more than 150 leaders from all over the world, including Greece, reached a historic agreement in September 2015 in New York, adopting the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by the year 2030.

As an organization working for the benefit of social vulnerable groups, EDRA Social Cooperative Activities for Vulnerable Groups embraces the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and seeks to create a better world for our children, a peaceful world where everyone can enjoy quality education and decent work, a world without the threat of climate change. Moreover, the world our organization strives to build, is one where sustainable development principles are followed and consequently, the needs of both present and future generations will be fulfilled. In other words, EDRA aspires to improve our world.

Our mode of operation, as well as each of our projects abide by the Sustainable Development Goals. We have defined two distinct categories of SDGs, since not all of them are directly related to our activities:

• SDGs directly related to the activities of our organization

SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 17

• SDGs partly related to the activities of our organization

SDGs 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16.

At EDRA we are committed to work diligently, in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, bring the change we envision and improve quality of life by 2030.

THE GOALS IN DETAIL:

Goal	Implementation of the goal by EDRA
1	We implement projects aimed at combating extreme poverty and supporting individuals and families, in or in danger of poverty and social exclusion (the homeless, the most deprived, uninsured people, people with disabilities, single-parent families, etc.). (Food and Basic Material Aid Centers of Ilion Municipality & Dafni-Ymittos Municipality, “Housing and Employment” Project)
2	Every day we provide balanced, nourishing and filling meals to people in vulnerable situations, including children. (Food and Basic Material Aid Centers of Ilion Municipality & Dafni-Ymittos Municipality)
3	We focus on promoting the mental health of our beneficiaries; we also launch projects targeted to raise public awareness and knowledge on mental health issues. In addition, we are committed to provide support to those beneficiaries with no access to the healthcare system, while we strive to ensure the health and safety of our staff. (Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centers, International Art & Mental Health Festival ARTMORE, Sport Event for Mental Health & Intellectual Disabilities, 1st European Sport & Physical Exercise Event for Mental Health, 1st European Art Festival for Mental Health - Nefele Festival, electronic health cards for our beneficiaries, health benefit cards for our employees, etc.)
4	We support lifelong learning and provide high-quality education to people of any social group, particularly to those most affected by the financial crisis and in danger of social and educational exclusion. We participate in projects aimed at educating on gender equality, recognition and acceptance of cultural diversity, etc. Moreover, we promote and support the continuing vocational training of our employees. (Level 1 Lifelong Learning Center certified by the National Organization for the Certification of Qualifications and Vocational Guidance, EU programs concerning women’s entrepreneurship, intercultural dialogue and training to provide sex education to individuals living with mental health challenges, EU programs targeted to improve the education and vocational training of immigrants, etc.)
5	We offer equal employment opportunities to everyone, involve our employees in decision-making and encourage them to assume leadership roles, regardless of their gender. (Human Rights & Equal Opportunities)
6	We ensure the efficient use of clean water in our facilities and projects. (Employee health and safety)
7	We strive to use renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources in our facilities. (Solar photovoltaic panels and pellet heating systems installed in our Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centers, conventional fluorescent lamps replaced by LED lighting in our various facilities)
8	We provide excellent working conditions and give equal pay to everyone regardless of gender, age or health status.
9	We provide access to information technology to our beneficiaries and we are constantly seeking innovation in our services. (E-learning program of Psycho-Educational Centers, electronic health cards for our beneficiaries)
10	We take action on facilitating the social and financial integration of individuals coming from social vulnerable groups, regardless of their age, gender, disability, race, nationality, descent, religion and financial or any other status. (Psychosocial Rehabilitation Centers, International Art & Mental Health Festival ARTMORE, Sport Event for Mental Health & Intellectual Disabilities, 1st European Sport & Physical Exercise Event for Mental Health, 1st European Art Festival for Mental Health -  Nefele Festival, electronic health cards for our beneficiaries, health benefit cards for our employees, etc.)
11	We carry out projects targeted to provide safe and adequate housing to people coming from social vulnerable groups who are in need of help (the homeless, the most deprived, etc.). We are actively seeking to reduce the use of paper in all of our facilities. (“Housing and Employment” Project)
12	We promote a way of life in harmony with nature, educating future citizens to become responsible consumers. We contribute to the substantial reduction of waste generation through prevention, reduction and recycling. (Environmental education project “Sto Vathos…KIPOS!” [“Garden In the Backyard!]”)
13	We are seeking to improve the energy efficiency of our facilities through renovations and efficient management of energy sources. (Solar photovoltaic panels installed in our nursing homes, conventional fluorescent lamps replaced by LED lighting in our various facilities)
16	Our organization operates with integrity and transparency at all levels: we share our financial information online/transparency program “Diavgeia”, we are subjected to annual audits by chartered accountants and submit financial reports, as well as budget estimates for projects funded by state resources to the Court of Auditors. We post annual or biannual reports of our activities on our website. (Registered in the European Transparency Register under ID:524950719942-02)
17	We are striving to establish partnerships with private and public sector entities as well as non-profit organizations in order to attain our goals. (EDRA is a member of prestigious national and European networks: president of the N.E.F.E.L.E. network [“Network of European Art Festivals for mEntal HealthEnhancement”], president of the ENALMH network [European Network of Active Living for Mental Health], member of EUFAMI [European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness],  board member of the Hellenic Federation of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health Organizations “ARGO” and member of the Federation of Voluntary Non-Governmental Organizations of Greece)