Mikros Dounias

Über uns

Mikros Dounias (Little World) is a non-profit organisation based in Mytilene, Lesvos and an educational project.
We live and operate in Lesvos, an island that is affected by changes due to the refugee flows. Many of us work in several levels of public education and we all share a common love for nature and a common interest in an alternative pedagogical approach.
This is how our idea was born: to act in order to create a common, friendly and safe place for children in a natural environment. The prospect of coexistence of locals and refugees with a common place and purpose, beyond racial, economic, class criteria, has been a promising challenge for us.

Our vision is “Making Mikros Dounias a better place for everyone!”

Our mission
We believe that by investing in democratic education, integrating and reclaiming cultural diversity and following the principles of forest education, we lay the foundations for a healthy society with respect for nature and humanity.

Mikros Dounias is an educational project established in 2017 on the Greek island of Lesvos. Every day, local and refugee children of early childhood age play and learn together in the small forest of the open refugee camp Lesvos Solidarity. We, the parents, the educators and the children of Mikros Dounias, organize our learning processes collectively, beyond any form of discrimination. We respect the rhythm, the needs and desires of each person by encouraging freedom of choice and self-regulation. Outdoor learning brings us closer to the creatures and the elements of nature, reinforcing our relations to everything around us.

Our goals
• Creative activity
• Strengthening the relationship with nature through immediate contact with it and development of environmental consciousness.
• Free activity in nature, in the forest, according to the principles of “forest education”, “outdoor playing and learning” and “democratic education”.
• Educating and informing adults and children on issues related to environmental protection.
• Coexistence and communication between children and adults regardless of racial, economic and social criteria.
• Promoting awareness and active involvement of society in the migration issue.
• Building solidarity among involved people.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.