Description of organisation

The Cooperative Social Enterprise (CSΕ) Ap’ousia is designing indoors and outdoors social inclusion projects, using experiential learning methods and tools. The aim of our projects is the equal participation of all youth.

Our vision is the use of non-formal education as a tool that facilitates the creative interaction with all youth, regardless of gender, country of origin, religion, learning difficulties, level of cognition or socio-economic backgrounds. Ap’ousia designs, implements, monitors and evaluates educational and cultural workshops that promote creative dialogue inside the urban communities, explore new methods of learning and alternative approaches of art, empower collective learning instead of individual, enhance free expression and expand the safety zone of learning.

Our mission is to connect educational opportunities with gamification, and for this reason we design our activities and we craft our educational materials based on the needs of our participants and the core values of our an experimental nature. We aspire to create educational communities for children and adults with the aim of promoting creative dialogue and exploring new methods of learning and an alternative approach to the arts. The common ground of all Ap'Ousia's team members is the belief that well-designed fun, creative activities that are able to boost personal responsibility and active citizenship can play a key role in the educational process of a learner of any age.

Starting with the children, we see tham as equal members of a group, that they have spontaneous creative thinking, ability to form opinions from a very young age and are able to find solutions to problems and are capable to reflect experiences and the perseptions of the world around them. About youth, we plan activities that promote collective learning, boost safe learning zones, support experimental attitudes and empower free expression circles.

The basic principles that we follow through our programs are:
-experiential learning and creating opportunities for unexpected stimulus;
-tailor-made projects based on our participants' needs;
-horizontal approach in education;
-collectivity;
-social arts for inclusion;
-lifelong nonformal learning;
-self-education;
- social liberal learning conditions.

Inclusion topics

This organisation is willing to involve volunteers who face situations which make their participation in activities more difficult, from the following categories for different types of project:

• Cultural differences
• Educational difficulties
• Geographical obstacles