At the end of June, the Observatory visited smaller municipalities of the Cyclades, and in particular, the islands of Kythnos, Folegandros and Kimolos.
On Thursday, June 22, a field survey was carried out in the Municipality of Kythnos during which interviews were conducted with:
a) the Deputy Mayor of Social Protection of the Municipality of Kythnos, Mr. Antonis Kokiasmenos,
b) the Social Worker of the Community Center of Kea that also serves Kythnos, Kyriaki Kourtidi, and
c) 4 beneficiaries of welfare allowances.
The interviewees emphasized the absence of extreme cases of poverty and/or inequalities on the island alongside the need to support the training of the Community Center executives to better serve the beneficiaries on both islands. They also highlighted the importance of a personalized approach to social protection in small societies that are suffering the consequences of macro-social and economic changes to which they have difficulty adapting, among other reasons, due to the aging of the population and the low level of education.
Subsequently, a survey was carried out in the Municipality of Folegandros (June 26-27, 2023) during which interviews were conducted with:
a) the Mayor of Folegandros, Efthalia Papadopoulou, and
b) the Social Worker and Coordinator of the Community Center of Thira that also serves the island of Folegandros, Ms. Vasiliki Giannakopoulou.
The main issue that emerged from the interviews was the absence of extreme poverty cases on the island. The interviewees stressed the need for continuous effort to maintain social and other infrastructures and highlighted the need to ensure a sustainable model for the development of tourism activity at local level.
Regarding the operation of the Community Center of Thira, the resolution of important issues that improved the service of the citizens – beneficiaries, the orderly operation of the Community Center and its cooperation with other local bodies, as well as the organization of new actions, were discussed. Issues concerning the rest of the islands served by the Community Center of Thira (Thira, Anafi, Ios, Sikinos) were also discussed, for which individual challenges were highlighted, such as the need to resolve issues arising from the unbalanced tourism development but also the need for measures to support the elderly.
Finally, on June 28-29, 2023, a survey was successfully completed in the Municipality of Kimolos during which interviews were conducted with:
a) the Mayor of Kimolos, Konstantinos Ventouris,
b) the Social Worker of the Community Center of Milos which also serves the island of Kimolos, Irini Andrioti, and
c) beneficiaries of social allowances who highlighted various difficulties they face in terms of access to care and social support.
A key result of the survey was the absence of cases of extreme poverty on the island. However, as shown, there is a need to support people, mainly elderly people with health problems, at the level of psychosocial support. According to the interviewees, despite the existence of digital means, remote support is not sufficient and it would be particularly useful to have a person on the island who would work permanently in this sector. As shown, efforts are being made to develop a sustainable tourism model that will provide employment for more than 2 months to the residents of Kimolos. For the interviewees, of great importance is also the completion of projects in critical sectors, such as water supply, as a result of climate change which seems to affect the possibility of primary sector activities.
In addition, the proper operation and efficient cooperation of the Community Center of Milos with other local bodies were emphasized. We also discussed issues concerning the other islands served by the Community Center of Milos (Milos, Sifnos, Serifos) and the need to support them in terms of infrastructure.
The Social Inclusion Observatory would like to warmly thank the Community Centers of Kea, Thira and Milos, the Municipalities of Kythnos, Folegandros and Kimolos as well as all the participants in the survey.
(Text and photos: Georgia Tseva)
