In ancient Greece , hospitality was an act of virtue . Xenios Zeus was the god of hospitality and protected ξένοι [ xénos ] (= alien , foreigner ). It was a sacred duty to welcome , protect and care for foreigners while mistreating foreigners was considered a sin . Social and class barriers were abolished through hospitality , as both rich and poor , noble and commoners were entitled to hospitality .
In this sense , welcoming refugees to Greece nowadays is simply continuing an ancient tradition . Following the ancient thread , the programme “ KA2 – Managing the refugee and migrant flows through the development of educational and vocational frames for children and adults ” was developed .
The target group in our project are newly arrived refugees in Northern Greece . The present Welcome Guide is addressed to refugee children aged 6-15 and aims to acquaint them with the wider area of their temporary home . Children at that age along with their parents or guardians or / and teachers in the hot spots can tour the city and visit historical landmarks , find and familiarize themselves with everyday convenience buildings and sneak inside a school .
The Welcome Guide aspires to be a hospitable and friendly introduction to the city of Thessaloniki ( Thessaloniki being the paradigm for any city ), but also the threshold to the children ’ s sensitization and initiation to the Greek culture and language .