Sarrouy, Alix Didier. 2023. El Sistema Greece – Report. Lisboa: INET-md, NOVA FCSH. https://doi.org/10.34619/ijg8-jbks
This is a report about the El Sistema Greece, a non-profit organization based in Athens, Greece, that supports children, specifically young asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, using music education as their main tool. El Sistema Greece has been welcoming, caring for and teaching young asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and Greek youths by providing music education since 2016. As this report makes clear, the educational context is demanding, particularly with regard to social skills, pedagogical knowledge, emotion management and resilience. We find this to be true for all participants involved, including students, teachers, parents and caretakers, volunteers, directors, institutional partners and financers. ESG has proved its effectiveness, adaptability and resilience over the years. It is a dynamic organisation, capable of weathering instability and challenges, including: the changes in the macro management of asylum seekers at a national and European level; the fluctuations of the political and economic contexts in Greece; and the COVID pandemic. Actions and results are also impacted by the fact that Greece is perceived by most asylum seekers as a country of passage, not somewhere to build a future. ESG has been in the avant-garde of music teaching in refugee camps and in online classes during the pandemic.