6 May 2025 at 13:00 CEST: Best practices in using technology to protect vulnerable populations in crisis and danger

In this webinar, you will discover how ‘The Smile of the Child’, a leading Greek organisation dedicated to protecting children and supporting vulnerable groups, has enhanced its nationwide services through technological innovations. Focused on safeguarding children at risk and vulnerable adults, the organisation has developed tools to support emergency response during natural disasters, crises, and search and rescue operations, in collaboration with state authorities. Key solutions include the European Missing Alert Automated System, enabling rapid issuance of disappearance alerts (Amber Alert Hellas & Missing Alert Hellas), a state-of-the-art Mobile Command Center that autonomously coordinates real-time search and rescue efforts, and a National Digital Autonomous Communication Network ensuring secure, two-way voice and data communication with GPS tracking. In the webinar you will learn, how these innovations allow the organisation to respond effectively and independently, even when conventional infrastructure is compromised.

Recording

Presenting

Costas Yannopoulos_digital photo

Costas Yannopoulos

President of the Board of Directors, The Smile of the Child
Costas Yannopoulos, born in Athens in 1952, pursued studies in Marketing in the UK while working, graduating from Waltham Forest College and attending Birkbeck, University of London. After returning to Greece in 1980, he became Managing Director of Grundy Electronics Intl SA and later founded a technology business, collaborating with major companies like IBM and Hewlett Packard. His entrepreneurial career paused when his son Andreas was diagnosed with cancer. Honouring Andreas' vision to support children in need, he founded "The Smile of the Child" in 1995. Under his leadership, the organisation has become a key player in child protection, both nationally and internationally. Yannopoulos also serves as President of the European Antibullying Network and has received several honours, including the European Citizenship Award (2014) and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Patras (2021) for his lifelong commitment to children's rights.