Byron Action 2021-22

Being a volunteer is an integral part of life as a student at Byron College both in and outside the school community. Our students play an active role in community service projects, fund raising and volunteerism within the Athens area which reinforce collective responsibility and a deeper understanding of modern Greece which for many of the student body is their adoptive or host country.

Academic Year 2021-22

Greek Wildfires Project 2021-22

Horrified by the devastation cause to the natural environment and communities in Greece during the devastating wildfires of August 2021, our student Ambassadors have launched a fund -raising project to help the municipality of Northern Evia.

The first stage of their project was to visit the area and meet local people whose livelihoods and homes had been wiped out by the fires. They also met with forestry workers and local councillors so that they could assess the needs of the community with the aim of being able to direct where Byron College help is most needed. The project will include other groups visiting the area and actively getting involved in the regeneration.

Christmas 2021 Shoe Box Appeal

All secondary form groups organized a collection of goods to create ‘shoe box’ presents to be distributed to refugee children attending a community centre in Athens.

Christmas 2021 Medicine Appeal

Every year we support the local municipality Koinoniko Pandopoleion (with donations of food and/or medicine).

Year 8 Global Perspectives fund raising initiative for Faros.

Last year our fund- raising activities for Faros, an NGO that supports unaccompanied refugees in Athens, included buying a washing machine for their centre in Athens. This year, as part of their project work, year 8 students raised enough money to buy them a second washing machine as well as donating Christmas gifts.

"As part of their Global Perspectives class, year 8 students were asked to think of, plan and execute a project aiming to support refugee children and teenagers that have come to Greece unaccompanied. They decided to pack presents for the boys hosted in FAROS refugee center in Athens using donations of new products varying from toys to everyday necessities. We are proud to teach such empowered students every day!"

Previous charity initiatives have included:

• Raising 1,400 Euros for the Mother Teresa centre for single mothers in Athens and the Mother Teresa hospice for the homeless. The money was raised through used toy sales at school as well as donations gathered at private events organized by Byron College parents. Food, clothes and toys were also donated to the Mother Teresa centre for single mothers.
• Proceeds from our 2019 summer production of The Amazing Journey of Alma raised funds for Friends of the Child and the Christmas production of Twelfth Night, funds for Kivotos.
• Our non-uniform day events and bake sales throughout 2019 raised a further funds which were donated to Make- a Wish, Smile of the Child and Faros.
• Faros and Horizon, NGO’s which supports unaccompanied refugee minors in Greece, are organizations which our students embrace by welcoming the youngsters into our school for shared sports and fun activities and by visiting their centre and taking part in shared STEM activities. During these events students, parents and staff donate food and refreshments and pay for the visitors transport expenses. In 2019 we also collected food, clothes and school supplies to help Faros with their work as well as gym equipment for the Horizon centre.
• Sixth Form fund raising efforts, including the sale of Valentine’s Day roses and Christmas chocolates, raised over 500 euros which were donated to the children’s orphanage, Protipo Ethniko Nipiotrofio and Kivotos.
• The 2019 Poppy Appeal raised 153 Euros for war veterans and Year 4 students donated and planted a tree at St Peter’s, in Athens, to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the end of the First World War. The 2020 Poppy Appeal raised 250.56 Euros despite the Secondary School students being on lockdown.

• The 2021 Poppy Appeal raised an even greater amount. Our student Ambassadors attended the Remembrance Sunday service at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Faliron and our British Embassy Students presented the wreaths to all the dignitaries paying their respect at the memorial.
• In 2019 we also collected food supplies for local families in collaboration with the local municipality (Koinoniko Pandopoleion). Our 2020 Christmas appeal was for donations of food and medicine to be made to this local initiative which supplies food and necessities to families in need within the area. A further food donation was made to Kivotos by the Parent teacher Association. These donations to Kivotos continued into 2021, with food donations from the PTA after the 2021 Bonfire night celebrations at the school.
• In January 2020 we launched an on-going appeal for donations to help WIRE, an Australian NGO treating animals injured in the wildfires in Australia. The Primary school held bi-monthly bake sales to help raise funds. In six weeks, through these bake sales and generous donations, we raised a staggering 1,937 euros.

Volunteerism extends to participating in on-site and off- site. Throughout 2019 our older students regularly volunteered their services to Anglican Church of St Peters assisting in their fundraising church bazaars, the harvest festival celebration and the summer strawberry tea. Sixth formers also regularly volunteer at a soup kitchen in the centre of Athens. These participations have had to be restricted due to COVID for the school years 2020-21 and 2021-22.

In- School Volunteering.

Our sixth form students are actively encouraged to play a positive role in the learning experience of younger students. On World Book Day, they enjoyed reading stories to our primary students in their classrooms and we run mentoring schemes with sixth form students volunteering to spend some of their free study periods mentoring Year 7 students to assist in their transition from Primary to Secondary school.

We continue to encourage students to volunteer within the school in activities such as assisting in the organization and running of conferences and tournaments and reading with younger students.