ESC at Hopeland

Hopeland is a social enterprise installed in a 7.6 acre property in North East Peloponnese, just 130 km from Athens, amidst archaeological destinations. Its main aims are Sustainability and Viability at all levels, which it approaches through activities and programs based on four pillars of Personal Development, Tradition, Culture and the Environment. Some of its main objectives are natural building, natural farming, recycling, respect for nature and reducing the ecological footprint. All of the facilities are natural building structures made from straw, wood and clay with low to zero ecological footprint.

We are envisioning a space where parents, children and adults from different countries live together, work together and create together by harvesting the land, nourishing the mind, feeding soul and body with joy and creativity, mutual respect and equality. A key element of our philosophy is the dedication to learning the importance of a social cause, of encouraging experience while evolving as a unit and as a group, thus serving as catalysts for the improvement of our wider society. People with disabilities (autism, down syndrome) really move and interest us.

We believe:
Preserving or using what nature so selflessly provides, without intervening too much.
Producing our own food from traditional seeds with traditional cropping methods and natural intervention when production problems arise (plant illnesses, natural disasters, etc.)
Taking action when it comes to knowledge, harmonious relationships, mental health, well-being, balance and harmony of body and soul.
Respecting and learning the story of our land.
Keeping cooperation and mutual understanding and respect as an objective
Hopeland focuses on four pillars: Personal Development, Tradition, Culture and the Environment. We focus on children-parents relations, as well as on the adjuvant but substantial intervention in education for young people, by developing activities and workshops that promote alternative education. With tools such as art therapy, and family consulting we identify failures in relationships and our advisors intervene at various levels. Hopeland’s location (between world famous ancient destinations) is an excellent opportunity for us to organize workshops that promote the Ancient Greek element. We aim to create the essential conditions for the awakening of knowledge in Greek and foreign groups of young people. Concerning the environment, Hopeland has been built over 10 natural building workshops (straw bale houses, layout work, etc.) and it is a paradigm of a sustainable community in practice.