ABA & GLP | Innovation Field Notes
After a visit to a refugee camp in Greece, arts entrepreneur Anis Barnat noticed that the lives of migrant children lacked structure. They were not receiving enough support, education, and opportunity to recover from challenging backgrounds and navigate society and culture in their new host country. Responding to this experience, Anis founded El Sistema Greece (ESG) in 2016 with the goal of seeking inclusion and peace through free music education for migrant children in Greece. Since its creation, more than 2,500 children, youth, and young adults between the ages of 3 and 26 have had access to ESG programs. The organization provides instrumental, singing, and theory classes alongside orchestral and choral activity, culminating in concerts that bring students and the wider community together in shared inspiring experiences. This positive impact extends beyond student beneficiaries: ESG also creates stable jobs for local teaching artists, enables migrant families to have a wider vision for their futures, and bridges migrants and host communities to promote social inclusion and cultural diversity.
The key innovation of El Sistema Greece is not that what they are doing is radically different on the surface; rather, what is so unique is where they are working and the beneficiaries they support. ESG reaches deep into often overlooked migrant communities to support children who do not have the freedom to leave the refugee camps. In this way, ESG’s goal is to impact migrants across Greece, helping children from these communities to broaden their horizons by empowering them through music to change the narrative of their stories. The result is empowering children in Greece—no matter their origin, nationality, or religion—to not only strive for a better future, but to develop a platform for dialogue and togetherness across diverse communities.
Learn more at https://elsistema.gr/
Authored by GLP 2022 Cohort members
Natalia Bohórquez (Colombia), Sandra Rivera (El Salvador), Emily Davis (United Kingdom), Rose Martus (United States).
