FEBRUARY Vol.II 2019
Editor: Neda Mijovic
Designers: Ivan Doer Petya Stoyanova
New Brand Edition
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Content Contact About us Youth Center program
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SWEET LIFE Favorite Brand of Chocolate 10 Facts You Didn't Know... Benefits of Chocolate
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CHOCOLATE Anna Klghatyan Niek Den Boer Marie Damond Agnes Durda Ivan Doer Maiwen Chan Marine Kafer Neda Mijovic Ozgur Yuksel Petya Stoyanova FIND OUT MORE My Sending Organisation My Project Past Events Interview with a Local Volunteer Interview with an EVS Volunteer
22 Why I am Going To Merry the Son of the Mars Company 24 The Sweet History of Chocolate 26 How Do You Make Chocolate 28 How Does Chocolate Affects Our Mood 30 The Other Side of the Chocolate 32 Cinematic Chocolate 34 Life Like a Box of Chocolates 36 Food for Thoughts 38 How Old is Chocolate 40 Valentine's Day Affair
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K.a.ne. Our Volunteers: Agnes Durda Alexandra Morin Anna Khighatyan Elodie Fremaut Ivan Doer Julien Debusschere Maiwen Cham Marie Damond Marine Kafer Neda Mijovic Niek Den Boer Ozgur Yuksel Petya Stoyanova
Staff members of K.A.NE.: Filaretos Vourkos Jelena Scepanovic Nancy Kanellopoulou Nantiana Koutiva Antonia Vrioni Georgia Griva
@kane.kalamata
volunteers
maiwen
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elodie
niek
My name is Maiwen, I’m 22 years old and I work in the farm. I’m from france and I already experiment work in a farm there.
Bonjour ! My name is Elodie. I come from France. I’m social worker educator since 2014. I’m in Kalamata for 6 months. I’m volunteer in a dog shelter and also, in a therapeutic horse-riding. I’ve decided to do this SVE for discover a new country and news cultures, acquire news skills, share my knowledges, to improve my english, meet other volunteers from other countries.
I am Niek, I'm 30 years old. From a small town in the Netherlands called Lunteren. I will be a volunteer for 12 months here, in Kalamata. In my freetime, I like to create, read good book or scientific article (psychology, philosophy, history etc), or watch good art-house movie. Sometimes I like to make photographs.
neda
julien
MARIE
Hi, I’m Neda and I come from Montenegro. Activism has been my passion since high school days so I’m thrilled because of the idea of working at the K.A.NE’s office and help to create more opportunities for young people. Some of my other passions are traveling, dancing and good music and I hope I’ll get the chance to nurture all of them in the following 9 months. Can’t wait to discover the Greek way of life and get to know the country!
My name is Julien, I am from France near to Lille. I am 24 years old. I love the nature and the permaculture that’s why i have a garden in my city in permaculture since 2 years already. I stay in Kalamata for 10 months and i’m working in the farm. It’s my second mission of volunteering after Armenia. I love meet a new peoples and learn a new languages. I hope after my mission i will speak greek well and I will have like a second family.
Hello! My name is Marie, I’m 23 years old and coming from France. After one year of study arts, I realized a civic service in Romania in a school with children and I traveled. I will now stay in Kalamata for 7 month, I working at the urban farm, I chose this project to discover the permaculture. During my free times I like to be outside walk discover places reading, sewing.
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ivan
anna
marine
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Who am I? A human being, or, an evolved animal? It's really hard to give an explanation by using only words. So, I'll prefer to let my actions speak louder than my words. But you know what? I'm Passionate about Life and Nature. I spend a lot of time studying human behavior, what is a sort of a hobby for me. My biggest motivation is to learn from life and make my eyes see wider. I decided to quit my full-time job, so I could catch the opportunity to experience something unique in Greece.
Barev! I am Anna from Armenia. Honestly, in 28 years of life, this is my first time abroad in Europe. I am going to stay 8 months here in Kalamata and it is a long time for me to discover everything in Greece: live, love, experience new emotions, meet new people, create new stories, explore new streets. This is a great way and opportunity to get to know me, myself, to discover something new in and outside. After this project, I am going to make a short movie or a video about my story, my EVS, my vision, dreams and goals. Bonjour! My name is Marine, I’m 28 years old and coming from France. After studying Business Administration, working in Marketing and travelling the world, I will now stay in Kalamata for 10 months, working at the office of K.A.NE. I decided to volunteer here to get to know the functioning of an non-profit organisation and to set up my own European Projects! During my free time I like to play volleyball, go diving or read fiction books. This year, you also gonna find me at the German language workshop.
petya
ozgur
Agnes
Hi, I am Petya. I come from Gabrovo, Bulgaria. I will be staying in Kalamata for 2 months on a short-term EVS, helping in the dog shelter as a paet of my gap year after high school. Next year I will be studying International Business in the Netherlands. During my stay in Greece I old love to understand better the culture and the langage!
My name is Ozgur Yuksel. I'm 26 years old. I'm from Turkey where I've been studying Master Degree in Sociology at the Abant Izzet Baysal University. Currently I'm working on my thesis. At the same time I'm doing my EVS project where I'm working in Youth Center. I like reading history, philosophy and literature books. My favorite sport is basketball and I have been playing it for 18 years. For the rest of my free time, I enjoy to spend on nature and going for a hike.
Hi, my name is Agnes and I’m 25 years old. I am originally from Poland but I lived in Liverpool for 6 years, that’s where I have chosen to apply for the short-term dog shelter project. I expect this project to be both rewarding and challenging at the same time, also a good way for me to see if I will like to continue a career path of working with dogs. I am a sport enthusiast - I mostly enjoy winter sports such as ice skating and skiing. I also enjoy reading crime and fiction books before bed. 9
K.A.NE.
FILARETOS
jelena
NANTIANA
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Hello, I am Filaretos Vourkos. For the last 10 years I am working in the field of Non-formal education as a volunteer, youth worker and youth trainer. 6 years ago,I decided to create the Youth Centre of Kalamata, in order to initiate youth work in Kalamata and promote active citizenship as factor for change.
Hi, I’m Jelena Scepanovic,an EVS coordinator in K.A.NE. and a volunteer of the Youth center. I came from Montenegro in 2012 as an EVS volunteer. I really liked the idea of the youth center and the work that K.A.NE. does, so I decided to stay and be part of it.
My name is Nantiana! I’m 25 years old. I live in Kalamata! I was living for 5 years in Patras! I was studying there greek philology and now I’m teaching greek to the youth center in Kalamata.
Nancy
antonia
georgia
Hello World! I’m Nancy and I’m doing my internship in K.A.NE as a Project Manager. I am really excited to be here because I was always admiring their work especially the Youth Center and Street Festival. I’m passionate about meeting people and exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas. I love the fact that many young people visit every year my hometown Kalamata and contribute in our society.
Hello! I’m Antonia and I’m 23 years old. I studied business administration in Athens and now I’ve been working in K.A.NE. as administrative officer. I’m really enthusiastic to be a part of this team and work together so that young people have more opportunities to meet different people and cultures, exchange ideas, travel the world and open their hearts to new adventures!
Hello, my name is Georgia Griva. For the past 5 years I am a youth worker and project manager. This journey in youth field started in 2014 with my first youth exchange and my EVS in Istanbul. I am proud to be member of K.A.NE. which represents my vision and my values as human and as active citizen.
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Sweet Life
FAVORITE CHOCOLATE BRANDS
OZGUR I don't have a favourite chocolate brand, but I consume different chocolate products of some different brands. For example; Nestle crunch, Snickers and Milka Bubbly. NIEK Verkade is a Dutch biscuit, chocolate and confectionery company, owned by a Turkish conglomerate Yildiz Holding. It was founded in 1886 by Ericus Verkadeto and in the beginning it made mostly bread and rusk but later expanded to production of cookies, sweets, and, especially, chocolates. They have the best pure chocolate! ANNA I adore chocolate! My favorite brand of chocolate? I want to ask tickets to Switzerland, Belgium, Italy and Lebanon, and then I’ll tell you! Ferrero Rocher, Lindt, Toblerone, Guylian, Patchi, Godiva, Milka and of course Mars are the most popular chocolates in the world and all of them are my favourites. Do you want to see me in crazy, funny, positive, relax, happy mood? Chocolate is the answer! NEDA I must admit that I don’t have a favourite chocolate brand, but I do have a favourite kind of chocolate. It’s the one with raisins and chestnuts. When I was a kid, I loved Milka’s version of it.
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MARINE My favourite brand of chocolate is Ritter Sport. I discovered these square chocolate bars in Germany, and I loved them! They have so many different tastes and they’re quite cheap. My favourite sort is the one with the whole-hazelnuts, even though the coconut one has some valuable arguments as well. PETYA This is probably one of the hardest questions a person can ever ask you… It is almost as if you are asking a parent which is their favourite child. The to-be-expected answer is “I love them all equally.”, but we all know that in the corner of their mind the image of their actual favourite appears. To me this is the Belgian brand Côte d'Or! NEDA I must admit that I don’t have a favourite chocolate brand, but I do have a favourite kind of chocolate. It’s the one with raisins and chestnuts. When I was a kid, I loved Milka’s version of it. MAIWEN I don’t have a favourite brand, but when it comes to favourite type of chocolate... I like black chocolate. MARIE I don’t really have a favorite brand of chocolate but I have a preference for the chocolatier of my little village in France. I usually eat their chocolate for the holidays with my family and it is wonderful! AGNES One of my favourite brands is E.Wedel. It’s a Polish confectionery company, producing many varieties of high quality chocolates, cakes and snacks. There are many Wedel chocolate lounges in Poland but the most popular is located in Warsaw. IVAN To be honest, I don’t care too much about the brand. I know the truth behind the scenes. And the truth is next: Brand doesn’t means quality. Brand means higher price. If there are two equally same chocolate bars, but one of them will be wrapped into “Snickers” label, but the another one in some less known (popular), the first one will get a higher bid.
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10 FACTS YOU DIDN'T KNOW
Sweet Life
MARINE In Paris, there is a museum of chocolate. You can discover the story of the chocolate, enjoy some chocolate specialities, meet a master chocolatier, and even make your own chocolate! ANNA About chocolate I know that you should just enjoy, enjoy and enjoy. But about facts I was curious after reading Marine’s topic (for more information read her article) and now I want to visit chocolate museum in Paris. NIEK Although cocoa originated in the Americas, West African countries, particularly Ivory Coast and Ghana, are the leading producers of cocoa in the 21st century, accounting for some 60% of the world cocoa supply. IVAN Did you know that milk chocolate contains so much milk and sugar that its percentage of true cacao may be as low as 10 percent, the minimum required by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) for calling it "chocolate" on the label. Hershey's milk chocolate contains about 11 percent of cacao. NEDA Chocolate is the only edible substance to melt around 34° C, just below the human body temperature. That’s why it melts so nicely as soon as we bite on it. 16
PETYA We are all well aware of the fact that chocolate has a divine taste, but did you know that it’s produced from a tree named Theobroma Cacao, which literally means “food of the gods”? MARIE It takes almost a whole year for a cocoa tree to produce the equivalent of 10 chocolate bars. MAIWEN At the beginning chocolate was a therapeutic drink. In ,Aztecs, Mayas and others used it, but without sugar, with spices and flower. AGNES Aztecs valued cacao beans so highly that they used it as currency.
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BENEFITS OF CHOCOLATE
Sweet Life
OZGUR Chocolate relieves you when you feel stressed because of the antioxidants it contains. This antioxidants, at the same time, prevent ageing, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Unless you don’t over consume it. NIEK It may help people with Alzheimer’s disease. As we know, the nerve pathways to the brain get damaged when Alzheimer’s disease strikes, causing severe loss in certain mental functions. It is fascinating to read about how one extract from cocoa, called lavado, can actually reduce the damage done to these vital pathways. ANNA Only thinking about chocolate makes me happy and if I’m happy, I can be positive and spread these good vibes to people around me. Then they have more energy to spread with people who become more kind and it goes in circle. What you give, you are getting from the Universe. So chocolate always has benefits! IVAN If you want to feel good, but you have no money for drugs... Here you go! By few chocolate solids. Eat them all at once. Let the sugar run in your blood. But be aware of overdose, because sugar crush is a serious thing, Dorothy! NEDA It sounds counterintuitive, but eating chocolate can help prevent diabetes! Cocoa has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, so dark chocolate, in moderation, is a good thing. 18
MARINE Did you know that chocolate contains flavonoids, which keep your arteries and veins very flexible? Eating chocolates reduces the risk of having a stroke or heart attack. So, grab a chocolate bar and nibble for a healthy heart! MAIWEN Did you know that chocolate is full of magnesium?If you have a magnesium deficit it could lead to lack of energy, so it’s an amazing idea to eat chocolate. It’s good for your health! MARIE If you have to offer something to someone you have no idea the best solution is a box of chocolate that will make everyone happy! PETYA Not only is chocolate extremely tasty, but it also protects against sun damage. So… Are you planning to go to the beach any time soon? Grab a chocolate bar on the way there for a little extra protection from the UV sun rays. AGNES Dark chocolate improves the function of your brain. Cocoa may significantly improve cognitive function in elderly people with mental impairment. It also improves verbal fluency and several risk factors for disease.
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Chocolate
WHY I AM GOING TO MERRY THE SON OF THE MARS COMPANY... “Save the Earth... it's the only planet with chocolate” Dianne Castell
My love to chocolate has started when I started to grow. I can’t remember how it started, but since I remember, the answer for everything was the chocolate. Even when I was betting with somebody I would bet for chocolates, not money or something expensive (although we have a lot of expensive chocolates). And chocolate remained equally important now that I’m a grown up. Chocolates are my drug, addiction, happiness, smile, nice mood, everything. If someone is asking for an advice for present to their girlfriend: chocolates. There was a time that I was joking with my friends that I am going to marry a son of the owner of “Mars” company. Why? After telling you how big of a fan of chocolate I am, you can Imagine that everyday I was going to work and I had to buy my piece of happiness in a form of chocolate. And don’t forget - I like to indulge myself. So it means I am going to be bankrupt soon. I divide all living people to the ones that don’t
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like chocolate and the ones that can’t live without it. I proudly put myself in the second part! I have to admit that I judge coffee shops by the quality of hot chocolate they have. If I like the hot chocolate they make, I will probably become their loyal customer! In Armenia I have some favourite places that make amazing hot chocolate. Noot
chocolates are grateful! Now I am on a mission to find my favorite hot chocolate place in Greece! There is another thing - I have always thought that people who eat more chocolate smell sweet and the ones who use more spices have more specific smell. It’s just a theory I have. And I can write a hundred pages more about this topic, because I love it so much, but I better focus on marrying the boy from the headline of my article and then we can talk. In my chocolate mansion. In the meantime I believe I’ll have some time in my schedule for hot chocolate tasting in Kalamata. So, if you are crazy about chocolate like I am and want to hear more about it from a true fan, you can find me in the Youth Center of Kalamata and we can go on this sweet adventure together! ANNA KLGHATYAN 23
Chocolate THE SWEET HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
Chocolate may be the “food of the gods,” but for most of its 4,000-year history, it was actually consumed as a bitter beverage rather than as a sweet edible treat. Anthropologists have found evidence that chocolate was produced by pre-Olmec cultures living in presentday Mexico as early as 1900 B.C. The ancient Mesoamericans who first cultivated cacao plants found in the tropical rainforests of Central America fermented, roasted and ground the cacao beans into a paste that they mixed with water, vanilla, honey, chili peppers and other spices to brew a frothy chocolate drink. Olmec, Mayan and Aztec civilizations found chocolate to be an invigorating drink, mood enhancer and aphrodisiac, which led them to believe that it possessed mystical and spiritual qualities. The Mayans worshipped a god of cacao and reserved chocolate for rulers, warriors, priests and nobles at sacred ceremonies. When the Aztecs began to dominate Mesoamerica in the 14th century, they craved cacao beans, which could not be grown in the dry highlands of central Mexico that where the heart of their civilization. The Aztecs traded with the Mayans for cocoa beans, which were so coveted that they were used as currency. (In the 1500s, Aztecs could purchase a turkey hen for 100 beans.) By some accounts, the 16th-century Aztec emperor Montezuma drank three gallons of chocolate a day to increase his libido. In the 1500s, Spanish conquistadors such as Hernán Cortés who sought gold and silver in Mexico returned instead with chocolate. Although the Spanish sweetened the bitter drink with cane sugar and cinnamon, one thing remained unchanged: chocolate was still a delectable symbol of luxury, wealth and power. Chocolate was sipped by royal lips, and only Spanish elites could afford the expensive import. Spain managed to keep chocolate a savory secret for nearly a century, but when the daughter of Spanish King Philip III wed French King Louis XIII in 1615, she brought her love of chocolate with her to France. The popularity of chocolate quickly spread to other European courts, and aristocrats consumed it as a magic elixir with salubrious benefits. To slake their growing thirst 24
for chocolate, European powers established colonial plantations in equatorial regions around the world to grow cacao and sugar. When diseases brought by the European explorers depleted the native Mesoamerican labor pool, African slaves were imported to work on the plantations and maintain the production of chocolate. Chocolate remained an aristocratic nectar until Dutch chemist Coenraad Johannes van Houten in 1828 invented the cocoa press, which revolutionized chocolate-making. The cocoa press could squeeze the fatty cocoa butter from roasted cacao beans, leaving behind a dry cake that could be pulverized into a fine powder that could be mixed with liquids and other ingredients, poured into molds and solidified into edible, easily digestible chocolate. The innovation by van Houten ushered in the modern era of chocolate by enabling it to be used as a confectionary ingredient, and the resulting drop in production costs made chocolate affordable to the masses.
In 1847, British chocolate company J.S. Fry & Sons created the first solid edible chocolate bar from cocoa butter, cocoa powder and sugar. Rodolphe Lindt’s 1879 invention of the conching machine, which produced chocolate with a velvety texture and superior taste, and other advances allowed for the mass production of smooth, creamy milk chocolate on factory assembly lines. You don’t need to have a sweet tooth to recognize the familiar names of the family-owned companies such as Cadbury, Mars and Hershey that ushered in a chocolate boom in the late 1800s and early 1900s that has yet to abate. Today, the average American consumes 12 lbs. of chocolate each year, and more than $75 billion worldwide is spent on chocolate annually. NIEK DEN BOER 25
Chocolate
HOW DO YOU MAKE CHOCOLATE
Ok, so far we have all agreed that we absolutely adore chocolate! But have you ever wondered what happens before you see these delicious chocolate treats in stores? The manufacture of chocolate is organized in 12 steps: 1 THE HARVEST The fruits are harvested between November and March and between May and July. 2 PEELING The fruit is split in two to gather the beans (20 to 40 beans per fruit). 3 FERMENTING The beans are stored in bins where they ferment for 1 to 7 days. 4 DRYING The beans are placed on dryers in the sun and turned regularly to get equally dry. 5 CRUSHING The beans are cleaned of the dust and then their hulls are removed, 26
What remains is only the almond. 6 ROASTING It is during the roasting that thanks to the heat the cocoa is loaded with aromas. 7 GRINDING By grinding, the beans are being transformed into a semi-liquid paste. 8 PRESSING The cocoa paste goes into the press which gives the cocoa butter. 9 MIXING To cocoa butter sugar is added to make dark chocolate and milk to make milk chocolate. 10 CONCHING The paste is heated to 70 ° C while being slowly brewed to develop its creaminess. 11 TEMPERING This is the delicate operation of allowing the paste to cool to 28 ° C so that it hardens and then reheating to 32 ° C for the chocolate to take on a satin appearance. 12 MOLDING The liquid chocolate is poured into molds that give it its final shape and then put into refrigerators. And that’s it! Now you know and you can play smart in front of your friends next time you go chocolate shopping! MARIE DAMOND
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Chocolate HOW DOES CHOCOLATE AFFECTS OUR MOOD
Chocolate is often associated with emotional comfort and studies have proved that consuming chocolate can help improve your mood, making you feel calmer and more content. Some people when they are sad, anxious or depressed experience a craving for chocolate.
Chocolate can affect the brain by causing the release of certain neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the molecules that transmit signals between neurons. The amounts of particular neurotransmitters we have at any given time can have a great impact on our mood. Dark chocolate stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that create feelings of pleasure and decreasing the level of stress. Dark chocolate also contains serotonin, an antidepressant that regulates moods, creating a good 28
feeling. Some scientists believe that phenylethylamine could cause changes in moods. Phenylethylamine causes blood pressure and blood sugar to rise leading to feelings of alertness and excitement. It works like amphetamines to increase mood and decrease depression, but it does not result in the same tolerance or addiction. Phenylethylamine is also called the "love drug" because it causes your pulse rate to quicken, resulting in a similar feeling to when someone is in love. Since the time of the Aztecs, all the way through human history, dark chocolate has had a rich tradition of improving the mental states of people and being used as a means to distress and feel happier. Maybe it is because it is simply something sweet; but one thing is for sure: chocolate is here to stay as it is used more frequently. Women appear to crave chocolate more than men, including diabetics. Some amongst these women reported that only chocolate and nothing else could satisfy their craving. The presence of magnesium in chocolate can account for the fact that during PMS (Post Menstrual Syndrome) craving for chocolate increases in women, as during this period a deficiency of magnesium may arise. The mood elevating properties depends on how good the chocolate is. Believe it or not, all chocolate is not created equally. The impact on a negative mood only works with the palatable or good quality chocolate. Overall, most everybody agrees that chocolate does affect our mood and sticking to the mantra of eating it to stay happier and healthier throughout your life is a good way to start.
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Chocolate
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CHOCOLATE
Chocolate is a remarkably effective emotional panacea that has proven to offer a host of physical benefits, too. It can reduce stress, provide relief from a cough, prevent diabetes and reduce atrial fibrillation, a fatal heart condition. Now, apparently, it can provide a high like ecstasy when it’s snorted. Yes, snorted!
Coco Loko, a “cacao snuff,” claims that one snort will deliver a euphoric high that will last between 30 and 60 minutes, and will also provide energy, focus and motivation. Made from cacao powder, gingko biloba, taurine and guarana (these last three ingredients are commonly found in energy drinks), it might boost serotonin levels, provide an endorphin rush and “give you a steady rush of euphoric energy and motivation that is great for party goers to dance the night away without a crash.” Nick Anderson, founder of the company Legal Lean that makes Coco Loko, told The Washington Post that he was inspired by the chocolate-snorting trend that has grown in popularity in Europe over the last year. “At first, I was like, ‘Is this a hoax?,’” he said. “And then I tried it and it was like, okay, 30
this is the future right here.” Anderson used an Orlando-based supplement company to create Coco Loko, and said it took 10 tries over two months to settle on the winning powder. “Some versions, they just burned too much,” he said. “Other times they looked grey and dull, or didn’t have enough stimulants.” But the question remains: what repercussions will this product have when you snort it? “The thing to keep in mind is that there’s no research done on this at all,” Dr. Alex Osborn, an ear, nose and throat physician and medical director of The Voice Clinic, said to Global News. “We have no idea what it will do or how dangerous it is.” Osborn says that theoretically, the danger in inhaling the powder is that it could get into the lungs, cause irritation and lead to complications like pneumonia. It could also irritate the nasal lining and result in sinusitis, and impede the normal outflow of the sinuses. “They’re also putting other stimulants in there and the risks of those are the same as what you’d get in a standard energy drink — heart palpitations, anxiety and insomnia,”he says. While those risks are directly linked to caffeine and Coco Loko doesn’t claim to have caffeine (the website does not provide a list of ingredients), Osborn points out that a 100g cacao bean contains 230-mg of caffeine, which means “there’s a good potential that you’re ingesting a lot of caffeine in one sniff.”On a recent appearance on Good Morning America, Anderson deflected medical concerns and said he didn’t consult with medical professionals because there has been “no negative publicity". I basically just saw what was going on with Europe. There were no health issues. It’s been out two, three years — everybody seems fine. It’s very popular,” he said. The product’s ability to deliver a high is, well, high, especially since it’s ingested through the nose.
IVAN DOER 31
Chocolate
CINEMATIC CHOCOLATE
The newspaper topics it's about chocolate
so
I
write
about
CHOCOLAT. Don't worry it's not a new chocolate brand you already know, it's a film about many things and chocolate. It's a British-american movie released in april 2000 and directed by Lasse Hallström. Let's talk about the main actor and actress: Juliette Binoche plays the main role Vianne in the Movie, and Johnny Depp plays Roux - a character who describes himself as a “river rat”. The story takes place in France, in a small city, called Lansquenet, during the XX century, in 1959. It's of course a story about chocolate but also about relationship between persons seasoned with a dash of religion. I will explain the synopsis the best way I can and let you discover the entire movie by yourself if you want. So a woman and her daughter arrive to a French village to rent an old patisserie shop. The woman named Vianne makes some works on making the place more beautiful before opening it to Lansquenet inhabitants. After she finishes with rearrangements, she begins cooking some chocolate cakes and some sweets with chocolate. She opens her store when it's ready, but there is a problem. In fact it's fasting period so Christian people, majority of the inhabitants, can't eat sweets that she makes. Moreover, her store is next to church 32
so all people may see who goes in her shop or not. But Vianne is an unparalleled chocolatiere - she will attract customer thanks to her gift. Indeed, she guesses what people love and what they need from their chocolate. This fact scares village's bourgeois, especially
the count
Reynaud. This character wants to prohibit the chocolate store to obligate Vianne to move out from the place. His main argument is based on religion - he fears sin greed from other villagers. Happily some inhabitants continue to go on Vianne’s shop. Other people finally come next to the village by the river. They are nomads and gypsies and most of people from the village are a bit racist. Vianne and her daughter become friends with some of the gypsies, especially with Roux - a man who plays guitar and who helps Vianne in many ways… This movie is based on the Joanne Harris’s novel so if you don’t like movie you can also read this story.
MAIWEN CHAM
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Chocolate
LIFE LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES
Forrest Gump is the apology for lightness. He is simple-minded, even autistic, not a fool. He is aware of the world around him. He's even romantic, far more than most men who wander desperately on Tinder. You know it's funny what a young man recollects? 'Cause I do not remember bein' born. I do not remember what I got for my first Christmas and I do not know when
I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world. Forrest takes life as it comes, as her mother taught him. Because for him, there is no other option. My momma always said, life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. We don’t know what lies ahead. Do not ask yourself any questions, just listen to your desires. Forrest is a hungry. He advances, despite his delay. He takes life chocolate after chocolate. He doesn’t take refuge in religion to find sweet answers. Have you found Jesus yet, Gump? 34
I did not know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir. His mother allowed him to understand that his destiny belongs to no one but himself. What's my destiny, Mama? You're gonna have to figure that out for yourself. He has inherited a form of pragmatism that will give him incredible strength. - Do you ever dream, Forrest, about who are you gonna be? - Who I'm gonna be? - Yeah. - Aren't I going to be me? Some set goals and go a long way to reach them. Forrest, on the other hand, lets himself be carried like a feather by the wind. Which will take him even further. Jenny, I do not know if Momma was right or if it's Lieutenant Dan. I do not know if we have a destiny, or if we're just floating around accidental-like we have a breeze, but I think it's both. Maybe both are happening at the same time. Unwittingly, Forrest will cross the road of many celebrities. Without wanting to, Forrest will meet success and even love. Who would have believed it? He had a busy life and Jenny offered him a son to keep the story going. Forrest is the man who defies convention, rather by naivety than by determination. Forrest is the one thanks to whom Lieutenant Dan will consider life differently. Lieutenant Dan imagines life as music paper. We have a destiny: nothing just happens, it's all part of a plan. The fate of the Lieutenant was to die in battle, not to end up in bed. The capricious life has decided otherwise. That's why it's better to let yourself be carried away. Lieutenant Dan refuses this new reality and becomes a man of resentment. He is pointing. He refuses. He is bitter. Until he gets on board on Forrest’s boat and let loose. And this will lead this veteran of the Vietnam War to a reconciliation, from which result fortune, prosthetic legs and a marriage with an Asian girl. He can thank Forrest. I never thanked you for saving my life. It's never too late to open your eyes. MARINE KAFER 35
Chocolate
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Chocolate is the world’s favourite food and the quilty pleasure of many of us. But there are some less pleasurable details related to it. Western African countries, mostly Ghana and the Ivory Coast, supply more than 70% of the world’s cocoa which is then sold to chocolate companies. As a result of the growth of chocolate industry during the years, the demand for cheap cocoa has also grown. Most of the cocoa produced in the world is grown on small family farms whose main (and sometimes only) source of income comes from growing and selling cocoa beans. These farms have little market access and thus rely on middlemen to bring their products to market. Sometimes middlemen are unfair to farmers. Farmers do not get a fair price for their product despite relying on cocoa sales for the majority of their income. Already poor, smallholder farmers have been by a slump in global prices over the last few years. On average, cocoa-growing households earn around 60 cents a day, which is way below bottom line of poverty. And if you thought this is already bad, you might want to sit down while reading this: More than 2 million children work in the cocoa fields of Ghana and Ivory Coast. The link between child labor and 36
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chocolate is existing for more than two decades. The children of Western Africa are surrounded by intense poverty, and most begin working at a young age to help support their families. Some children get tricked into working on farms being promised the job that pays well, others get sold to the farm owners, and end up working from dusk till dawn on cocoa farms. Some of them don’t see their families until the rest of their lives. On the farms children are forced to use hazardous machetes for cutting the cocoa beans and are exposed to agricultural chemicals without any protective clothing, thez are fed with cheapest food available and in some cases sleep on wooden planks in small windowless buildings with no access to clean water or sanitary bathrooms. Can you imagine a ten year old child enduring all of this? Neither can I. And of course nobody thinks of sending these children to school, and of course it’s illegal. But beyond that, without an education, the children of the cocoa farms have little hope of ever breaking the cycle of poverty. There was no much progress in fighting these kinds of behaviors so far, and 50 billion euro chocolate industry hasn’t done anything significant to help these children. Big companies refuse to talk about child labor in their supply chains and reason for that is the extra profit they get from child workers. Not everything is black, though. You might be familiar with the concept of fair trade. That is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers. Fair Trade is helping cocoa trade become more sustainable. It contributes to a communal fund for the workers and farmers to invest - for example in business or community projects - enabling them to better provide for themselves and their communities. NEDA MIJOVIC
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HOW OLD IS CHOCOLATE?
Chocolate
The cacao plant which gives life to one of our favorite foods, chocolate, was first grown in the amazon rainforests. And it is 1500 years older than our estimates, though it doesn’t show its age at all. It has been verified through chemical analysis done on ancient ceramics that people who lived in the lands that we know as Ecuador today, used to use cacao for both food-drink and medical purposes. Findings show 5300 years ago. “Before the last analysis, we had known Mexico and Central America as chocolate’s homeland” say researchers. The DNA of the cacao plant found on the ceramics in Santa Ana archeological site, located in Ecuador’s mountainous regions and was settled between 5300 and 2100 years ago, matched the trees in the region of upper amazon. It means that the origin of the cacao has moved a bit south of Central America.
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The ancient Ecuadorians were preparing a mixture with the seeds from cacao fruit and drinking it. “We understand this from chemical and DNA analysis of containers” say researchers. “And we have one more reason to know the value of Amazon and protect it…” Symbol of existence It is thought that the seeds from cacao tree quite likely moved further north, to Mexico and Central America, by sea. Throughout history, cacao is considered a symbol of existence in the region. Consumed by the rich. At the same time, it was used as an exchange tool, so as a currency. When the Spanish conquerors came to the region in 1520s, they were enchanted by seeds of the cacao and they took it with them to Europe. And thus the rest of the world had the chance to meet cacao, chocolate, and surely coffee.
OZGUR YUKSEL 39
VALENTINE'S DAY AFFAIR
Chocolate
What is the first thing that comes up to your mind when you hear Valentine’s Day? Love? Flowers? Presents? Mmm, you are almost there… Just a bit more…Chocolate!!! There you go! Coffee and breakfast. Peanut butter and jelly. Valentine’s day and chocolate. One simply doesn't go without the other. But exactly how did the affair between the celebration and this tempting treat begin? You would think that this is a modern concept, fabricated for marketing purposes, but surprisingly enough it dates back hundreds of years ago. The first recorded link between chocolate and desire dates back to the Aztecs with the infamous emperor Montezuma who supposedly ate cocoa beans just like M&Ms to “fuel his romantic trysts”, states New York Times. Also in 1600s in France Madame de Sevigne wrote about enormous chocolate consumption throughout the court at Versailles. Louis IV drank it daily and Madame du Barry was said to use chocolate mixed with amber to stimulate her lovers. And yet even though they have met so many times throughout history, the first sparks of love appeared in the 1800s after Queen Victoria took over the throne of the British empire. By this time of history technology has already advanced enough to transform Valentine’s Day into a commercial bonanza of its own level. Victorians loved showering their significant others with Cupid-bedecked gifts and cards, but Valentine’s Day was 40
about to become an even happier occasion. Richard Cadbury, a British manufacturer, had a huge role in the upcoming development. In a search of a way to make the bitter coca seeds into a sweeter more marketable drink he came up with the idea of “eating chocolate”, which he packaged in lovely boxes he designed himself. The boxes he decorated with flowers and hearts making sure that even after the chocolates were long gone they could still use the box. Pure genius or simply a matchmaker from heaven? Their first date might have been in England, but their relationship flourished in America as the century turned. In 1907, Hershey launched production of tear-dropped shaped “kisses,” so-called because of the smooching noise the chocolate made as it was manufactured. Speaking of commercializing no one has outdone Russel Stover who began the “Secret Lace Heart” trend. This was a chocolate box covered in satin and black lace that was extremely affordable and easily-accessible, stocked on store shelves for easy grab-and-go sales. The strategy worked and today, with 3,000 employees and $600 million in annual sales, Russell Stover is the number one boxed-chocolate company in the U.S. And slowly moving down the history line we get to the present where over 58 million pounds of chocolate purchased during Valentine's Day week alone. Amazing, isn’t it… I would say their relationship has only gotten better over the years and spread far and wide, reaching all corners of the globe making the day of love even sweeter and much more passionate.
PETYA STOYANOVA
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My Sending Organisation
BOLU PROVINCIAL
DIRECTORE OF YOUTH AND SPORTS
Youth Services and Sports Provincial Directorate conducts the services of the Ministry of The Youth and Sports in the provinces. It has a special budget and it does not seek profit. # It serves to the youth and other similar facilities, youth and scouting camps, engaging in activities that will improve and advertise these facilities: # Developing suggestions that will enable youth to engage in all parts of social life # Carrying out works that will protect youth from bad habits and conducting activities in this matter. # Arranging youth activities at the national and local levels. # Primarily supporting the projects oriented disadvantageous young and their mobility # Ensuring coordination and collaboration between institutions and organizations about the issues about job field. # Being involved in activities in the areas of education and culture that will contribute to the development of youth. # Carrying out activities intended to raise the attention of the youth to the science, art and cultural fields and supporting the activities being done in this context # Determining the politics which promote personal and social development of youth, providing opportunity for youth to realize their own potential considering the needs of different youth groups 44
# Ensuring the proliferation of Youth and Sports clubs # Assuring the proliferation of sports to the base # Ensuring the meeting of community with sanitary living standards through sports # Arranging local, regional and national sports competitions # Raising athletes # Planning of sports activities, cultural and social activities, trainings oriented to disabled people. Target Group of my organization is: # Youth who lives in cities whose income and education level is low # Addicted young people (narcotic drug, internet, game addiction...) # Physically and mentally disabled youth # Teenage girls who are not able to continue their education and do not work # Youth who is within the context of prisoner, convict, probation # Youth who is in the position of long term inpatient treatment # The citizens going through health problems # Youth who needs “social inclusion� OZGUR YUKSEL
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THE LOCAL MISSION
My Project
Since I first heard about the possibility to come to a beautiful city in Peloponnese to learn about project management I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. I spent a lot of time asking for advices from my family and friends, but I think each of them knew that I will eventually decide to come. You don’t just skip on things like this. It’s already been three months since I’m here in Kalamata and the experience is as overwhelming as it was during the first days. But in a good way. I’m having amazing time with my international friends, I got to know some interesting local people, tasted great food, heard traditional Greek music, my days are full of activities from dusk till dawn. I’m desperately trying to learn the language as well. But let’s get back to the main reason that brought me to Kalamata - my EVS project. So, my EVS project is based in K.A.NE.’s office. My job consists of helping with different kinds of activities, but the task that I’ve been spending most time on is writing projects, and learning about the process at the same time. This is the field I wanted to try myself out ever since I graduated in Economic sciences
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and what I wanted even more is to try it out in an international environment. It is both challenging and interesting experience for me, but with help of people from K.A.NE. it has become a pleasant process. (Special shoutout to my coordinator Nancy. At the time that I’m writing this, I’m finalizing the work on my first project application, so you could say that the learning process was pretty successful. After this one, I’ll have the chance to learn about other phases of project management and they all seem equally attractive as this one. I really believe that the experience gained here is a useful one and will help me in my future quests, and I really like that I’m growing through it. So, as you can conclude from what I’ve just said, I didn’t regret the decision to come here. More importantly - I’m having a lot of fun and creating unforgettable memories along the way! NEDA MIJOVIC
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Past Events
PRESENTATION OF WORKSHOPS On Wednesday 6th February, we had a 2nd semester timetable session in Kentro Neon. All new and previous workshops were presented in an enjoyable way through presentations and demonstrations. We are all looking forward for new participants.
THE FIRST INTERCULTURAL NIGHT 0F 2019 On 30 th of January Kentro Neon Center hosted another Intercultural Night, which included around ten nationalities presenting their culture trough food, dances and funny facts. It all starts with presenting the traditional food by the representatives of the countries. After a short look around the tables, everybody is catching their luck of trying the most delicious food in the world. As a starter you could find there some cheese and chips, candies and bakery. As a main course there comes Greek cooked meet and, Spanish hamon and sausages, and a bit of French crepes. Russian vodka, Dutch gin and local vine were the liquid “cherries on the pie�. And of course, for more exotic taste, Turkish airan with fresh mint was served whole evening long. As a good tradition, the whole event ended up with mass dancing. Will not be a secret that whatever event Kentro hosts, all the dances centers around Latino music.
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Interview with a Local Volunteer
DREAM OF SAFE HEAVEN
1. Can you please introduce yourself with a few words? “My name is Katerina Pesonis. I am from Greece and I am 52 years old. I work part time teaching English to kids as a foreign language. I would say I am a difficult person around people and have found myself at home in the animal kingdom especially dogs!” 2. Where do you volunteer? How long have you been doing that? “I have volunteered at DASH dog sanctuary, which stands for dream of a safe heaven, for over 7 years now. Here, with the help of a team of volunteers we rescue injured, abused, distressed, no longer wanted or sick dogs. We nurse them back to health, shower them with love and affection, provide them with a temporary home and put them up for adoption.” 3. What is the best part of volunteering? Do you have a story you would like to share? “The best part of volunteering is that you gain satisfaction by helping others and not thinking only about yourself. There are so many stories that I could share, which makes it difficult to choose one. But what I can say is that love in its unconditional form is extremely rare among humans but yet so common among animals!” 4. What is the hardest for you personally? “I would say that as I get older it worries me if I will have the strength to keep looking 49
after so many souls that look up to me and depend on me.� 5. How can we help? Help is always needed! We are always in need for more volunteers to take care of the dogs and their daily needs. Donations and fundraising are always welcomed, since the dog shelter does not get any help from the government so it is financially supported by donations.Another great way to help is to be a flight partner for a dog. There are dogs, who get adopted abroad, but dew to the fact there is no way to get to their new owners are stuck in between. So in case you are going on a vacation abroad you can let us know and maybe help a dog get to it’s new home! Of Course if you love dogs and simply want to spend some
time with them you are always welcomed to come for a visit and play with them. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, share with your friends or maybe even adopt a doggie. 6. Is there anything else you would like to share? I would like to share with you that down this journey I have met extraordinary people that I would have never met otherwise. And that I would never change my life for anything else...
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7. And our last question. Since this issue's topic is "Chocolate" would you like to share your favourite chocolate brand or recipe? The more bitter the better! It just has to be the bitter dark chocolate taste...
PETYA STOYANOVA
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Interview with an EVS Volunteer
THE GIRL WITH THE BUTTERFLY TATTOO
Girl with a butterfly tattoo and red hair, if you meet her you will recognize her. Let’s talk about you, who are you? I'm a 19 years old girl from France. I came here for a long term EVS from September to July. I’m obsessed with horses, music and japanese animation and I think that's all you need to know. What is your EVS project? I got a project divided in two different parts. One part is working with disabled adults in K.E.F.I.A.P. where we organise differents workshop with small groups of patients including music, cooking, ceramic... The rest of the time, at least when the weather is good I work at IPPOSCHESI, the therapeutic horseback riding center of Kalamata with kids and teenagers with mental and physical disabilities,doing therapeutic sessions based on the interaction between kids and horses. What kind of music do you like? If I have to choose only one I'd say that my favourite type of music it's Metalcore, but I’m listening to a loooot of differents kind of music, from Visual Key to Korean Indie Hip-hop. How did you heard about EVS? I was in a governmental program for young people without school or job or any social status and my counselor told me about this type of project and made me in contact with my sending organisation. 52
I had the choice between two different programs and I chose the one I'm in. As you can guess, the other wasn't an EVS. Why did you choose this one? Because it was close to what I was searching for - I can say it was matching perfectly, and also because I couldn't afford the worker visa to stay in Japan. They ask for a big amount of money that I didn’t have, so here I am. Which place is your favourite in Kalamata? If you have more than one place you can tell us what are those, and why we should go visit them. Definitely the beach, you should go there if you're passing by Kalamata. It's quiet in the winter, so very relaxing and peaceful, but it becomes really animated during summer. Rock bars in the old center are amazing too if you like good music and good drinks.
Are you a stress person? I'm the definition of stress person. Everything could become a stress source for me. But I have some tips for that, like spending time with animals, especially horses, going to the mountains or near the sea to listen to music and stay away from what's making you stressed. MAIWEN CHAM
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The volunteers responsible for this publication are hosted in Greece in the framework of the European Erasmus+ programme, KA1/youth - European Voluntary Service. This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
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