United by the same idea, as well as living in the city of Athens, we at the Athens Birthday Project are from three different countries and three different backgrounds: Iran, Germany, and Greece. This multicultural composition of our group allows us to have a wide global reach and a good cultural understanding of the people we want to help. Our aim is to integrate those who are outside our social fabric, those who tend to be marginalized, and those who are subjected to negative stereotyping, including refugees, and the elderly.
Our initial concept was to organize birthday parties for those who were unable to do so. We celebrated with refugee children in their own environment such as camps or squats in and around Athens; hence the name “Athens Birthday Project”. We were delighted at the extremely positive reaction these events had on the targeted group, giving a sense of normality. This helped us to recognize the potential benefits of enlarging the scope of this project to include other social activities.
We in the Athens Birthday Project believe that now is the time for a more inclusive community with equal opportunities for people of all walks of life, without prejudice regardless of gender, race, age, nationality, or cultural background. By working together we can develop successful networks to implement our vision. Science strives to increase life to our years, it is up to us to add life to those years!
