By Anna Taxeidi | Compliance Officer
A Scholar’s Profile - The case of ‘B’
"Dear Better Days, I'm very excited to receive this great news. Your support has always been helpful and I feel elated about the renewal of the monthly support for the next two months. My classes are going on well and I've been involved in other extracurricular activities on campus." - says ‘B’, upon receiving the positive answer regarding his studentship renewal by Better Days.
Since his arrival in Lesvos in 2018 as an unaccompanied minor, and after tremendous efforts and a long educational journey through the formal and non-formal educational systems, he was able to take the Greek National Exams which he excelled at. As a result he received a scholarship at an international university. ‘B’ has not only overcome life’s obstacles but is now an exceptional second-year college student with a GPA of 3.8 out of 4. Driven by his humanity and compassion, he plans to direct his studies in medicine, the humanitarian field or sociology.
Besides his academic success, he is also very popular amongst his fellow students. He has been included in his university’s International Honour Program and was elected President of the College Society, and Ambassador of the College. When he is not participating in committees, he plays rugby and works out at the gym.
We are motivated by ‘B’’s story. In early 2021, ‘B’ found out about our Gekko Kids program supporting displaced youth aspiring to higher educational opportunities, and sought to be granted one of our Studentships. He was awarded with the Gekko Studentship for two consecutive years, which makes a vital contribution to his student expenses in Athens. Thanks to your support and contributions, as of September 2022, we have managed to secure another 4 studentships for students like ‘B’ who are either preparing for the National Exams (scheduled for June 2023) or attending university/college in Greece. In addition, we have furnished educational spaces and equipped refugee students attending formal education across Greece with student material, IT and books.
In other news, during the last quarter of 2022, Better Days has invested in internal growth, capacity building and development in areas that will allow us to sustainably replicate Gekko Kids in Athens according to the highest quality standards. To achieve this, we have complimented our team with new members, who have extensive experience in the humanitarian field. Our goal for 2023 is to certify yet another program of Better Days with international quality standards.
As of January we are officially in the business of finding the space that will host our activities. Our team in Athens is viewing properties and talking to partners and prospective students to help us define the needs and expectations of our target group. We will be getting back to you with more exciting updates about next steps, which will include photos from setting up our space, an introduction of our new educational team and our Needs Assessment’s findings for 2023.
Attached you will find our Gekko Kids project profile, which provides you with an insight into our philosophy, methodologies, and plans for establishing Gekko in Athens. Remember to stay tuned to our social media for first-hand information about our operational updates!
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