Greece
Small Businesses Consulting
Greece Business Brigades give volunteers the opportunity to take part in the economic transformation of refugee and migrant communities. Migrants and Refugees face serious challenges when integrating into the local society and are financially excluded. On brigade, volunteers will work directly with clients to provide practical, effective consultations that help them grow their businesses. To further ensure sustainability and lasting impact, volunteers will deliver financial literacy workshops to provide migrants, refugees and local community members with lasting knowledge.
Business Brigade –
7 Day Sample Schedule
On the first day, you will arrive and get settled into your compound. Your coordinator will introduce you to your Brigade staff and then you will get to work preparing for your Brigade. The next day you learn more about the business program in Greece and get to know their clients for the first time, getting to know them personally and engage in a community-wide cultural exchange. The following days volunteers will administer financial literacy workshops in the morning and meet with their clients in the afternoon to gather additional information about their business using our consulting methodologies. Every evening volunteers are provided guidance from our local business professionals and/or our Professional Consulting mentors with the opportunity to reflect as a group to discuss what was learned and develop their business recommendations. Finally, as consultants, the volunteers will present their deliverables to clients and receive their feedback. You will also have a short cultural activity in Athens. Finally, on the last day, you will be taken back to the airport to catch your flight home.
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00am | Airport Pick up and Transport to Lodging Facility | Breakfast | |||||
| 8:00am | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Breakfast | Departure from Lodging | |
| 9:00am | Transport to Athens | Transport to Athens | Transport to Athens | Transport to Athens | Transport to Athens | Airport | |
| 10:00am | Athens Center Walking Tour | Client Meeting & Store Visit | Client Meeting & Store Visit | Workshop | Visit to Acropolis slopes and Acropolis Museum | ||
| 11:00am | |||||||
| 12:00am | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | |||||
| 1:00pm | Lunch | Lunch at African Restaurant (GB Business Program Client) | Lunch at restaurant run by local NGO for the promotion of refugees’ employability | Lunch | Lunch Traditional Greek Taverna | ||
| 2:00pm | Guest Talks by Experts on Greek/EU Economy | Client Meeting & Store Visit | Client Meeting & Store Visit – Presentation of Deliverables | Guest talk by Experts on Refugee/Migrant Issues | Plaka neighborhood walk and shopping | ||
| 3:00pm | |||||||
| 4:00pm | |||||||
| 5:00pm | Settling in & Neighborhood Walk | Greek Language Lesson | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | Transport to Lodging Facility | |
| 6:00pm | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | Dinner | ||
| 7:00pm | Dinner | Reflection/Preparation for Client Meetings | Reflection / Preparation of Deliverables | Reflection/Preparation for Workshop | Reflection | Final Reflection & Celebration | |
| 8:00pm | Welcome Meeting / Orientation Talk | Rest | |||||
| 9:00pm | Rest | ||||||
| 10:00pm | Lights Out/Quiet Hours | Lights Out/Quiet Hours | Lights Out/Quiet Hours | Lights Out/Quiet Hours | Lights Out/Quiet Hours | Lights Out/Quiet Hours |
| Day 1 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Airport Pick up & Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 8:00am | |
| 9:00am | |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | Settling in & Neighborhood Walk |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | Dinner |
| 8:00pm | Welcome Meeting / Orientation Talk |
| 9:00pm | |
| 10:00pm | Lights Out/Quiet Hours |
| Day 2 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | |
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Transport to Athens |
| 10:00am | Athens Center Walking Tour |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 2:00pm | Guest Talks by Experts on Greek/EU Economy |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | Greek Language Lesson |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Reflection/Preparation for Client Meetings |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
| 10:00pm | Lights Out/Quiet Hours |
| Day 3 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | |
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Transport to Athens |
| 10:00am | Client Meeting & Store Visit |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | Lunch at African Restaurant (GB Business Program Client) |
| 2:00pm | Client Meeting & Store Visit |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Reflection / Preparation of Deliverables |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
| 10:00pm | Lights Out/Quiet Hours |
| Day 4 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | |
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Transport to Athens |
| 10:00am | Client Meeting & Store Visit |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | Lunch at restaurant run by local NGO for the promotion of refugees’ employability |
| 2:00pm | Client Meeting & Store Visit – Presentation of Deliverables |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Reflection/Preparation for Workshop |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
| 10:00pm | Lights Out/Quiet Hours |
| Day 5 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | |
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Transport to Athens |
| 10:00am | Workshop |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 1:00pm | Lunch |
| 2:00pm | Guest talk by Experts on Refugee/Migrant Issues |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Reflection |
| 8:00pm | Rest |
| 9:00pm | |
| 10:00pm | Lights Out/Quiet Hours |
| Day 6 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | |
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 9:00am | Transport to Athens |
| 10:00am | Visit to Acropolis slopes and Acropolis Museum |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | Lunch Traditional Greek Taverna |
| 2:00pm | Plaka neighborhood walk and shopping |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | Transport to Lodging Facility |
| 6:00pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Final Reflection & Celebration |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | Rest |
| 10:00pm | Lights Out/Quiet Hours |
| Day 7 | |
|---|---|
| 7:00am | Breakfast |
| 8:00am | Departure from Lodging |
| 9:00am | Airport |
| 10:00am | |
| 11:00am | |
| 12:00pm | |
| 1:00pm | |
| 2:00pm | |
| 3:00pm | |
| 4:00pm | |
| 5:00pm | |
| 6:00pm | |
| 7:00pm | |
| 8:00pm | |
| 9:00pm | |
| 10:00pm | |
Costs and Fundraising
In order to participate in a Business Brigade, all volunteers must meet a Donation Goal by fundraising as part of their commitment to a Brigades Chapter. This is not considered a payment for a specific trip, but support towards Global Brigades’ Holistic Model.
Once a volunteer meets a set Donation Goal, they are eligible to join us on the ground to see their fundraising efforts put into action by participating in a Business Brigade.
When a volunteer participates in a Business Brigade, the volunteer’s ground transportation, food, lodging, and emergency insurance are all covered. The funding that the volunteer raised also supports all the necessary costs for program implementation, such as community bank capitalization, supplies, coordinators, translators, and support staff.
Airfare is not included in the standard Donation Goal. However, Global Brigades’ travel team can work with volunteers to book airfare and incorporate the airfare expense into the volunteer’s Donation Goal.**
Donation Goal Details
The donation goals listed are for volunteers joining an existing Global Business Brigades (GBB) Chapter on a university campus with a brigade group size of at least 10 volunteers.
Scholarship opportunities are available for volunteers to meet their Donation Goal by starting or referring a new chapter. Once a volunteer meets their Donation Goal, they have up to 1 year to participate in a Business Brigade.
Safety
Volunteer safety will always be our absolute top priority. Global Brigades recently engaged Askari International Security, an industry leader in international risk assessment, to complete a comprehensive risk/safety assessment of all brigade operations. A full explanation of safety precautions and procedures can be found on our “Safety & Insurance” page.
A Quote from Askari International Security
“I was asked to review Global Brigades safety and security procedures for their operations in Central America. I always use a “litmus test” by assessing whether I’d be happy to send my own daughters (late teens early 20’s) on one of their events. The answer was a resounding yes. I hope I was able to help them improve their processes and procedures, but what was already in place was good, but better still was the culture of safety and security. All the staff were concerned with safety and security and keen to improve. Nothing can ever be 100% secure or safe, but with Global Brigades I can genuinely say they care and take things very seriously.”
– Bryan Hemmings, Managing Director, Askari International Security
Safety Highlights in Greece
- Global Brigades is an active member of OSAC (the Overseas Security Advisory Committee) and receives up-to-date security and safety briefings from the U.S. State Department;
- Full-time local Global Brigades medical personnel on-call at all times;
- Adherence to the IVPA standards of international volunteering.
Lodging Facilities
Global Brigades does an annual safety review of all lodging facility partners each year. Lodging facilities provide pillows, bedsheets and towels. Facilities have showers, toilets and sinks with running hot water as well as potable filtered clean water.
Business Brigades are assigned to lodging facilities based on proximity to the partner community they will be working with.
To Spiti (The Home)
‘To Spiti’ lodging facility is run by our GB Greece team for volunteers. It is located at the center of Athens, opposite the city’s second-largest public park, Pedion Areos (meaning Fields of Mars). This is a safe and lively neighborhood filled with shops, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, office and residential buildings. Take note of the neighborhood’s eclectic architectural mix, spanning from neoclassical (like ‘To Spiti’) to Art Nouveau and modern styles.
Novus City Hotel
Novus City Hotel is one of the current tentative lodging facilities for Brigades in Greece. Global Brigades has done a safety review of this hotel. It is located right at the Center of Athens, only 5 minutes by foot from the GB Athens Clinic and in a vibrant neighborhood.
Brown Kubic Hotel
Brown Kubic Hotel is one of the current tentative lodging facilities for Brigades in Greece. Global Brigades has done a safety review of this hotel. It is located right at the Center of Athens, only 10 minutes by foot from the GB Athens Clinic.
Change lives. Become a Chapter President.
Schedule a Call About Starting a Brigade
Do you want to speak directly with someone about leading a Business Brigade? Schedule a call to speak with our team!
Schedule a Call