On March 8 and 9, 2023, the Kick off meeting of the European program UpCare “Upskilling social care professionals in local authorities to prevent gender-based violence” was held with great success and participation at the Town Hall of the Municipality of Acharnes, under the coordination of Ethos HUB. 

Gender-based violence and especially violence against women is a major problem in Greek society. UpCare is a program approved by the European Union (EU) and the State Scholarships Foundation (IKY). Through UpCare, the health professionals of the Municipality of Acharnes and Municipalities around Valencia, Spain are given the opportunity to train and upgrade those skills that will contribute to their empowerment and resilience in dealing with incidents of gender-based violence on a daily basis. Furthermore, it will be an opportunity for personal development and training in legal and psychological issues related to gender-based violence.

It is worth mentioning that the first day of the kick off meeting was open to the public and thus apart from representatives of Ethos HUB, Horizon: Center of Research, Technology & Innovation, Fundación MUSOL and the Municipality of Acharnes, health professionals (social workers, sociologists, speech therapists, psychologists, nurses, health visitors) of the Municipality of Acharnes participated as well. Officials of the Municipality of Acharnes, such as Mayor Spyros Vrettos, also honored us with their presence.