Velos Youth

Who we are

Velos Youth is a safer place in urban Athens, aimed at providing some structure and support to disenfranchised young people.

Velos Youth was founded in May 2017 after the example of services run by Refugee Youth Service in Calais, France and Ventimiglia, Italy, in line with the overall purpose of creating “safe spaces for children and young people on the move”.  The design and implementation of the Greek counterpart was the outcome of the work and vision of co-founders Jonny Willis, co-founder and manager of Refugee Youth Service, and Claire Irvine, experienced in community and refugee projects.

Velos Youth is a safer space in urban Athens, addressed to diverse young people aged 16-21. Velos Youth is a response to the changing outlook of vulnerable and precarious youth in urban Athens.  It provides a structure for a part of every day, with rules, routines, roles, but primarily principles.  It is geared towards catering for the needs of everyone, even if they do not fit to official or standard profiles or processes, and regards everyones needs’ as important and urgent, even when they fade into low visibility. It promotes human rights and the well-being and protection of young people. It does not operate as a parallel system of support, but converges with protection and welfare systems in ways appropriate, as an extra layer of support and access. Velos Youth is a space where needs are re-received, readdressed until some option comes out. It is a space that grounds young people to both the reality of their situation but also to the vitality of their aspirations and hopes. It is an experiential space, a convivial space, where practical aid and participation meet.

Young people at Velos Youth can have practical aid, individual support, participate in activities, build confidence, simply meet friends or make friends; they can take respite, reflect, or simply be, without having to justify their presence. And, yes, they can daydream, which should be regarded as an unalienable right of youth.