In December 2013 the American ambassador visited the Day Centre and was informed of the living conditions of homeless people in Athens and PRAKSIS’ «ΣΥΝ ΣΤΟ ΠΛΗΝ» program. At the same time the Embassy donated large quantities of clothing, footwear, blankets and baby items for the visitors of the Day Center as well as turkeys for the Christmas meal of the beneficiaries.
The American Embassy funds the program PRAKSIS BUSINESS COACHING CENTER which targets the education, counseling and networking of 50 individuals with the purpose of their starting their own small business.
The financial crisis has overthrown everyday life for a large part of the population who are now facing severe livelihood problems. PRAKSIS Business Coaching Center (BCC) targets to support these individuals who have the vision, the persistence, dedication and abilities to start up a business and need a strong ally in their attempt. The educational program is based on each participant’s personal needs and the final target is the inception of a small of medium sized business.
PRAKSIS BCC is a centre of free provision of entrepreneurial education and counseling towards candidates wishing to acquire the knowledge and skills required so as to implement their entrepreneurial idea. The program offers integrated practical education and preparation so that the candidate can draft a complete business plan which will ensure the sustainability of his business in the best possible way.
The sponsors of the program PRAKSIS Business Coaching Center are the JP Morgan Chase Foundation and the American Embassy in Athens. Both sponsors believe in our vision and that by encouraging entrepreneurship and creating sustainable businesses, the Greek economy will stabilize and will, in turn, help the growth of individuals, their families and the local economy.
In July we successfully completed our first course of 30 participants. There was a wide range of business ideas, such as a centre for parents and children suffering from ASD (Autistic Disturbance), a sound recording studio, a centre of alternative therapies, cafeterias, centres for limb care etc.
The second four-month course has already began. The thirty best of the many applications have been selected, taking into account the financial as well as the social value of the business idea. In the following months, the participants will undergo practical and targeted group seminars, they will have individual meetings with their business counselors for making their idea a reality, as well as individual meetings with their coaches for their personal skill growth. At the end of the course they will receive guidance for accessing sources of finance for the initiation of their new businesses.
The educational program of BCC focuses on practical implementation, not merely on theory. Its methodology incorporates the international tendencies of business models with the Greek market reality.
• It is the only program which offers the development of personal skills through coaching, combining group education and start-up business counseling. It strengthens the positive elements of the participant and offers assistance with the possible weaknesses that obstruct him/her.
• Our counselors have more than 20 years of business experience each, domestically as well as internationally.
•After the conclusion of the program, the participants are guided through the sources of capital funding for their business initiation.
• All kinds of business start-ups are accepted at our program, not only those referring to technology.
At BCC we believe that the benefits from the creation of small, health businesses extend further than its owner and his/her family, since they support the growth of the neighborhood and the local economy.
Furthermore, in December 2014, the American Embassy provided 50 children’s books, 12 DVD movies, a DVD player, a 46’’ TV, a printer, two Amazon Kindles, a digital machine and two stands for brochures for the STEGI (+) Centre for Shelter of Vulnerable Populations and Unaccompanied Minors. Moreover the American Embassy donated a laptop for the needs of PRAKSIS.
In June 2016, the American Embassy in Athens supported the Day Center for the Homeless in Athens, by providing to its beneficiaries 20 boxes of clothing and footwear.