The project “Growing Up Safe: The Power of Stories and Narratives in Protecting Children” was launched in April 2025, implemented by Home-Start Hellas in partnership with Storymentor. It is part of the European initiative PREVENT – Preventing gender-based violence and violence against children.
The project focuses on the primary prevention of violence against children, by promoting positive attitudes and behaviors among children and parents and building relevant skills in educators. At the heart of the initiative lies storytelling, used as a powerful tool to foster emotional learning and cultivate empathy.
The project includes:
- Storytelling and story creation activities with children aged 5–12 in Athens, Piraeus and Kavala
- A series of podcasts featuring stories and experiences from parents and professionals
- Educational workshops for educators
- A public event to present the project’s outcomes
- Awareness and outreach actions through websites and social media
Through these activities, the project aims to build a supportive environment for children, grounded in understanding, respect, and safety.
The project “Growing Up Safe” is being implemented under the PREVENT programme by Home Start Hellas and its partner Storymentor.
The programme ““Preventing gender-based violence and violence against children” (PREVENT) aims to prevent and combat gender-based violence (GBV) and violence against children, by supporting Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) active in these fields, in Greece and Cyprus, and by increasing their knowledge, capacity and sustainability.
PREVENT is co-funded by the European Union through the Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values (CERV) programme, Bodossaki Foundation and NGO Support Centre, with a total grant amount of €2.3 million. PREVENT is coordinated by Bodossaki Foundation (Greece) in partnership with the NGO Support Centre (Cyprus).
