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FebRuary 15th 2018
N°108
February
Editor: Antia FernĂĄndez MartĂnez
Designers: All EVS Volunteers
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#LINKEXPLORE
CONTENT Contact About us Youth Center - program Love in my language Love in art What is love? Paquita Couppey Ola Kaczurba
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Mina Duma
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Ophélie Cottier Majka Dokudowicz Antía Fernández Martínez Angelina Kaysina
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EVS, K.A.NE.
Love Love Love Drawing How to love like an aged greek? Love as a psycho-social phenomenon Talk me scientifically Venus in Art My Project My Sending Organization
K.A.NE. EVS: Afonso Diniz Moita Alexandru Ioan Costea Angelina Kaysina Antía Fernández Martínez Claudia Andreo Gonzalez Majka Dokudowicz Maria Nadja Schädler Mehdi Jaffar Mina Duma Ola Kaczurba Ophélie Cottier Paquita Couppey Rúben Pires Vlad Diculescu
ACT Volunteers: Antoine Werquin Bilal Zegoud Janae-Amira Jussa
Staff members of K.A.NE.: Filaretos Vourkos Fotini Arapi Jelena Scepanovic Nancy Kanellopoulou Nantiana Koutiva Vyron Giannakopoulos
@kane.kalamata
WHO ARE WE?
OLA
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PAQUITA
Angelina
Hello there! I’m Ola but you can call me Alex. I’m 18 and I have just finished high school. I come from capitol of Poland – Warsaw. I love chocolate, breathtaking harmonies, good guitar riffs, totally crazy hairstyles and classic rock. I’m a dancer therefore I will be teaching contemporary/jazz dance and polish in the Youth Centre.Also, I will be helping with therapeutic riding in a horse centre. See you around!
Hi ! My name is Paquita, I'm 26 years old and I'm from Marseille in France. I will stay here for eleven months. My mission will be to work in the therapeutic horse-riding and in the KEFIAP Center to assist people with disabilities. I just finished my studies in the Art-thérapy and I'm very enthusiast to begin my EVS. This will be a great experience for me :)
Hello! I’m Angelina an I’m 26 years old. I decided to come to Kalamata as a volunteer because I already knew about this kind of opportunities and it was time for drastic changes in my life. You can find me at the Youth Center where I’ll be leading the Russian language and the fitness + stretching workshop. Can’t wait to meet you at Kentro Neon.
MAJKA
OPHELIE
AntIa
Hello! I’m Majka, I’m 27 and I’m coming from Poland. I grew up in Warsaw, but the last 8 years I was living in Poznan, Wrocław and Thessaloniki. I’m a printmaker and graphic designer, I’ve finish Academy of Fine Arts and I’ve participate in more than 50 exhibitions worldwide. In Kalamata I will work in the office and I will also create my own projects.
Bonjour ! My name is Ophélie, I come from France. I am in Kalamata for 11 months and volunteer at the Day Care Center for children with autism. Living abroad is a wonderful opportunity to meet fascinating people and to learn about cultures. It allows to become independent, open-minded and to avoid ethnocentrism. I can’t wait to discover the greek way of life and to visit the country. I’m also excited about tasting the food (of course !). I like to exchange and discovering so… see you soon around Kalamata !
Καλημέρα! My name is Antía and I come from Galicia, in the northwest of Spain. I have arrived in this city because some years ago I made the “mistake” – but, who chooses these things? - of falling in love with Greece and with the Greek language. So, after finishing my university studies in Humanities and Literature, I decided to start my Greek periplus, periplus that, after Thessaloniki and Crete, has found its new stage here in Kalamata. Να μας δούμε στο ταξίδι! 7
CLAUDIA
JAE
MARIA
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Hey, I’m Claudia from Barcelona. I'm 18 and the first thing I wanted to do before I turned 18 was to travel. I’m a passional person who is interested in art and in society, so I decided to participate in this project at Kalamata working with people with disabilities. Work with this persons its also for me an artistic way to know how life is around in my no comfort zone, and I’m learning a lot of everyone. I love my family here and I don’t want to leave, please evs don’t finish.
I’m not the best at introductions, but here goes nothing. I’m Jae, I’m nineteen years old and have lived in Liverpool, United Kingdom almost my entire life. My journey with K.A.N.E in Kalamata is centred around a project that’s going to help the migrants and promote the migrant crisis in Greece. For me this is an adventure of self discovery, testing my limits and finding out what I’m capable of. Bring it on Kalamata!
Hallo. I’m Maria Schädler from Liechtenstein and I’m 19 years old. I finished high school this summer and now I’m doing EVS to take a break before attending university and hopefully studying social education. Working at my parent’s restaurant and now working at the dog-rescue-center is going to be a nice experience before my normal life routine will begin. Because it might be interesting. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Lots of Love, Maria.
MINA
BILAL
Afonso
I’m Mina and I’m 28 years old free spirit. I don’t like routine and I think that everything that seems interesting is worth trying. I’m fascinated about human interaction and being part of K.A.NE. gives me the opportunity to meet and work with many beautiful people. I'm into science-fiction and superheroes, and I guess that shaped me into an idealist who believes that there is beauty and courage in everything, no matter how small. Therefore, our duty as human beings is to highlight it.
My name is Bilal, I am 25, I am Moroccan but I come from Belgium more precisely from Brussels. I study tourism. I am passioned by boxing and fitness. I will be in Kalamata for 6 months working with Refugees.
Hello. My name is Afonso, I'm 21 years old, I come from Lisbon, Portugal. I will be in Kalamata for a 2 months EVS project. I'm currently finishing my bachelor’s degree in International Relations. Before starting my final semester of university, I wanted to have the opportunity of doing something different, because what is better than living a new experience with the possibility of gaining new knowledge right before an important stage in life? 9
RUBEN
Alexandru
Antoine
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Olá! I’m Rúben from Portugal. I’m a landscape architect and a brewer (I already tasted greek craft beer!). Usually I’m quiet, but I love adventures and new challenges, that’s why I choose to apply to be an EVS. To me, being a voluntary is an opportunity to improve my skills as a landscape architect, as a cultural curious, and finally, as a social person. Best regards!
Salut! 24 years and introductions are still a challenge, but here I am, learning. Learning is one of my passions, but so is adventuring. As long as remember I used any opportunity to study and explore. Finished university in political sciences with a taste for youth work and social projects. I work an office job, but here I am again, taking the first steps into another learning experience, and adventure. With love, Alex, from Romania.
Amahoro ! My name is Antoine, I'm 25, I am here for 6 months. I'm a Graphic Designer and engaged humanitarian since 6 years. I joined the ACT (Youth on the Move) project to help migrants and refugees in Europe. I like traveling, meeting new people, music, cinema, my family, my friends, love, parties and pitas.
MEHDI
Vlad
There are at least as many things to know as there are humans and countries. EVS enables the possibility to know much more about our World. Καλημερα, Hello, my name is Mehdi, I am 24 and I come from France. Passionate about Life and Nature, my biggest motivation is to learn from other cultures, from people, from life. I decided to quit my job there too, so I could catch the opportunity to experience something unique in Greece, in Kalamata, and all the Greek cities I will have the chance to see. I will bring you all I have, and I will learn from everyone all I can. I’m from Romania and in the last 10 years I was mostly a tourist in my home country. I like to travel and I do it a lot. I’m working as an electrical engineer and whenever I have the chance I like to go biking and play backgammon. I like parties and good music, during free time I like to read about marketing, business and personal development. Most of my student time I was spending in youth organizations and I want to develop more into social enterprise / NGO / youth work.
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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 KANE 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.
fotini
VYRON
Nancy
Hi my name is Fotini Arapi and I am project manager in K.A.NE. organization and responsible, among other things, for all sending motilities (sending EVS volunteers, participants in training courses, interns, etc). Apart from my work in K.A.NE., I also volunteer in the Youth Centre of Kalamata, a volunteer initiative managed by a team of local volunteers. I am very proud of and I love the Youth Centre, its dynamic atmosphere, and most of all, its natural inclusiveness that allows everybody to feel “at home” there. See you around :-D
I would describe Vyron as an imaginative fast learning and inventive generalist with a passion for remarkable food and the great outdoors. That’s enough talking about myself in third person. Hello, I am Vyron Giannakopoulos, I consider myself a curious and open-minded person. I am here to help by managing the creative projects of EVS volunteers, planning events, creating new projects and doing anything that will add value to our organisation. In my free time I like exploring new places and learning new things. But feel free to contact me on any issue if you need help. 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.
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love love in my language RUSSIA In Russian we call it Любовь. More than that we have the same women name. Coincidentally, it has ancient Greek roots and means strong still not so easy character. As well as love itself!
SPAIN We use the same word in Spanish and in Galician for love, “amor”, and that refers to any kind of love: between lovers, between relatives, between friends… But when the romantic love ends, or when the person you fall in love doesn’t love you back, then, we talk about “desamor”.
POLAND The noun “MIŁOŚĆ” in the texts from the XIV and XV centuries had the meaning "mercy", and parallelly occurred to the meaning of "grace or favor". The word comes from the pro-Slavic word milostь, whose general meaning is pity. The meaning of love was added in XV century..
ROMANIA In Romanian „love” is called „iubire” or „dragoste”. The oldest meaning of „iubire” is born out of the roots of excellent desire and pleasure. „Dragoste” has it’s roots in the meaning of holding the world
FRANCE L’Amour with a capital A. Add Paris and the famous “Je t’aime” and you get the perfect cliché about France and Love.
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LOVE LOVE IN ART ANGELINA Love is all about expressing feelings towards the "object". One of the most intimate, still powerful acts is kissing, even if it's spontaneous. Like the "Kiss" - a symbolic photo taken on the Victory over Japan Day, in the USA, New York, Times Square, 1945.
ANTÍA Almost everybody knows the story of Penelope and Odysseus and their reencounter. In his novel, Las mocedades de Ulises (The Ulysses’ boyhood), Álvao Cunqueiro rewrites its romantic moment in a very original way: now is Ulysses who is waiting for Penelope, constituting one of the most beautiful ending that I have never read.
MAJKA Poster made by polish graphic artist - Bartosz Kossowski for Stanley Kubrick's movie Lolita, based on Nabokov novel.
MINA In my opinion, since I’ve first heard this song two years ago, love is expressed in a very nice and powerful way in „Work Song” by Hozier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH7bjV0Q_44
OPHELIE The first association my brain is making with “Love” and “Art” is tragedy. Of course I am thinking about Shakespear’s famous play about the impossible love “Romeo and Juliet”. Jean Anouihl’s play “Antigone” comes also in my mind. Love has many sides, which tragedies and plays in general succeed in highlighting spring. 17
LOVE WHAT IS LOVE ANGELINA Some call it a God bless, others consider it as a curse. Both parts have their truth, love is like a roller- coster. provider of bugs-in-stomach feelings, overwhelming tenderness, growing strong affection, endless desire to support him/her. And a proof that even a stone has a flower inside.
ANTÍA II guess we are facing one of the more difficult questions of the human being. Rivers of ink have run about the topic, and the answer is, for sure, different for each person, country, culture or religion. For that, I prefer to think that love is something that cannot be described or said, just be done!
MAJKA You can’t describe love, it’s a feeling - you need to feel it.
MINA I think that love is a feeling of fulfillment towards another. When you empathize with another’s emotions and you’re able to put aside your own expectations for that person’s wellbeing, and feel really happy for their happiness, it’s when you can say you love them. I believe that love is selfless in a selfish in a way!
OPHELIE Love is all about neurobiology! You don’t trust me? Let’s take a look to the article “Talk me scientifically”.
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PAQUITA COUPPEY 19
lo v e
how to love like an aged greek?
One simple human being. Simple? Not exactly… Everything in us is complicated. Our feelings in particular. Did you know that every emotion is composed from 3 things - physiological changes like acceleration of heart rate; behavioral response, such as a tendency to escape from or stay in contact with whatever is causing the emotion, and, lastly, a subjective experience, such as feeling angry, happy, or sad? On top of that you might think “love… well love is love”. That’s a big mistake you made. Some wise, Greek people once categorized love. The earliest type of love we experience is storge – the love we get from our parents and family, an instinctual, infant love.
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As we grow older, we make a step up and discover ludus. This was the Greeks' idea of playful love, referring to the affection between children or young lovers but not only. We feel it in the life situation where we are not looking for deep connection, we experiment and enjoy the moments of simple dance with stranger or flirt sitting next to the bar. Every once in a while, eros is finding place in our lives. The name is coming from the god of fertilization symbolizing sexual passion and desire. Some of the philosophers attributed eros the admiration of beauty, the physical attraction. It was seen as truthful and destructive, addictive and allowing to lose control. One of the most admired type was philia, deep love, full of commitment and brotherhood. We don’t share it a lot. It’s a very special type associated with friendship deprived of any sexuality. It is all about showing loyalty to your friends, sacrificing for them and sharing your emotions with them. Agape is full of compassion, unconditionality and selflessness. We offer it towards all humanity without expecting any payback. It is named “the highest form of love” or a “charity” one. In Christianity, the term is referring to love between God for man, man for God, as well as man for man, and nowadays mostly used in religious contexts. When our relationship matures, most of the couples create pragma describing deep understanding between each other and ability to compromise and patience for the sake of relationship. It’s very important if you don’t want to just “fall in love” but actually “stay” in it and you are ready to make an effort to give love rather than just receive it. have and can give. 21
The last one can be healthy just as much as destructive. Philautia can take two sides – self-obsessed narcissist and feeling good about yourself. It’s the self-love which main idea was that if you like yourself, feel comfortable and secure in yourself, you will have more capability of love toward others but, if unbalanced, it becomes unhealthy, as you may become self-doubtful or, on contrary, have too high self-esteem. All this might look complicated but, actually, doesn’t categorizing makes it easier? I believe now is the time for reconsidering your relationships and maybe have a fresh look of how much love you have and can give.
OLA KACZURBA 22
love love as a psycho-social phenomenon
Some years ago I was studying Psychology…and I loved it! One of my favorite courses was “Social Psychology” held by prof. univ. dr. Alin Gavreliuc. In this course I first had the chance to associate the notion of love with science and here is summed up what I found out. In his book, the professor says that studying such a philosofical concept as love was an attempt to humanize the science of psychology once again by concerning on phenomemons of a major interest for the indivudual. If someone wants to study the interpersonal attraction, they must take into consideration all the elements that are responsible for the both way evaluation, 23
having as a starting point the fact that emotions are the main factor that determines and clarifies the apreciation of the “other”. Therefore, as long as the emotions towards the other person are possitive, the evaluations are gonna be possitive also, and if they’re negative, the evaluations are gonna be negative. Having this in mind, specialists have tried to follow the main factors that influence the emotions in order to find out how they can shape the interpersonal attraction. In it’s essence, love is a very difficult concept to include in theoretical frames because of the mystery and irational that it’s charged being in this way a combination of emotions, cognitions and behaviours that are involved in articulating of an intimate relationship. Yet, psychologists still tried to offer some theoretical boundaries to the concept. Some studies made over the years and on global scales showed that love has a social impact in the auto-evaluation of the individual. The subjects were asked that if they would accept to have a marital relationship with a person that has all the qualities that they do not love. More than half of the answeres were negative, the masculine sex having a bigger proportion and 1/3 of the subjects have declared that they are currently in love. After the studies, two psychologists (Robert Baron & Donn Byrne) have tried to define love as being “the friendship between a man and a woman, rebuilt as a progressive interpersonal close relationship in which the two subjects start to perceive each other as potential sexual partners”. Of course, this definition doesn’t capture the “fire of love”, but the most common element that suggest it is the internalization of intense emotions in the presence of the other person.
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All in all, there have been identified 6 types of love: EROS – Passionate love – intense phisical attraction towards the other and powerful emotions in it’s company; STORGE – Friendship love – proggresive development of the relationship, based on affection but the absence of overwhelming emotions; LUDUS – Gameplaying love – lack of emotional engagement in which the individua is predisposed to have simultaniousley more relationships; MANIA – Possesive love – very susceptible and jealous, it is based on a constant fear of loosing the other; PRAGMA – Practical love – “logical” love in which the individual searches in the other the pragmatic social criterias. AGAPE – Selfless love – the individual is generous and is always willing to offer much more than it can get in return. After all, a state of mutual excitement is translated in the cognitive register through the term of being in love. In order to recognise this state of being, one has to go through two succesive phases: the atraction toward the other to launch a psychophisical excitement state and, more important, one must interpret the feeling as being love. In other words, if the individuals don’t determine the excitement in terms of love, they won’t live a “special” feeling. As an example, the “Romeo & Juliet” effect shows that the feeling of love is intensified directly proportional with the obstacles that the two individuals have to overcome. After lots of experimnts around the topic, specialists have come to the conclusion that love is more like a misunderstanding of the real source of excitement.
MINA DUMA 25
love TALK ME SCIENTIFICALLY
Love is butterfly in your stomach, love is stupid smile in your face, love is stars in your eyes… but love is mostly neurobiological! Love is made of 3 steps essential to insure the sexual reproduction and so on maintains the human kind. Sorry for the disillusion but loving is your duty for the preservation of the species. It is all about hormones, neurotransmitters and synapses. Love has three main steps: sexual desire, romantic/passionate love and attachment. The first state is related to two neurotransmitters: ocytocin and dopamine. Dopamine, which is tied with enjoyment and satisfaction is released in the brain regions especially the striatum also called “the center of pleasure”. It gives energy and motivation “the will to want”, sexual desire and initial attraction. The tenderness will release ocytocin which reduces stress, relax and raise truth in the other. Then, falling in love is due to a chemical storm into the brain. The striatum (center of pleasure) is still activated but also the insula, which organizes and makes sense of our emotions and social connections. The activation of insula as well as the striatum is responsive for the transformation of sexual desire to love. Adrenalin and noradrenalin 26
are freed: we are full of energy; we don’t need to sleep and the will to be in relation with the beloved one is raising. The dopamine is still releasing, which keeps us active. The main emotions are well being and security. Intense romantic love also activates regions of the brain associated with motivation to acquire a reward. R.Weiss sums up the conclusions of a study about the neurobiology of intense romantic love “[…] romantic love is in essence a goal-oriented motivation state rather than a specific emotion. In other words, individuals who are “in love” feel strongly motivated to be with their beloved because being with that person causes a high level of emotional (read neurobiological) reward. So, basically, we want to be with the person we love because it feels good”. Endorphin, serotonin and anandamin (equivalent of cannabis but produced by the brain) are also released. They provoke euphoria. Those explanations are helping us to see how love is adaptative. The feeling of pleasure is searched by every human being, when we find a way to reach this state of mind we will want it again and again. Then, the look for “feeling in love” will insure the perpetuation of the species. Love works, into the brain, as the same way as drug (hopefully without the negative outcomes, long term obsession and compulsion)! Little by little the freed of serotonin will come to reduce the effects of dopamine. Vasopressin and ocytocin are freed and insula is increasing value to the connection with the belove one, which leads to attachment and is responsive of the long term relationships.
Sources: • English • French
OPHÉLIE COTTIER 27
love v en u s i n a rt
Venus of Willendorf The statuette—made of limestone tinted with red ochre pigment—is dated to circa 28,000–25,000 BCE. The reference to Venus is metaphorical, since the figurines predate the mythological figure of Venus by many thousands of years. The name is based on belief that she represent mother goddess and fertility. This 11cm high figure never had feet! It was created to perfectly fit a hand – to be portable. That's all we now for sure. All the other are just speculations. 28
Aphrodite of Milos / Venus of Milo Yes, this sculpture is at the same time Aphrodite and Venus. Why? Well, the one we know (the one from picture) it's most likely a Roman copy based on the Greek sculpture that didn't survived until our time. So as Roman equivalent of Aphrodite is Venus the sculpture carry this name. This marble sculpture, 2,03m hight, become an definition of harmony, proportions that important for Greek Classical period in art. Her soft, rounded flesh bespeaks the power of her sexuality and advertises her lifegiving potential. This sculpture is consider the iconic representation of the goodness. The Birth of Venus, Botticelli This is one of the most famous paintings of art history. Venuys stands tall and naked at the centre of the canvas, looking ethereal and luminous. She seems to draw all attention to herself; a symbol of beauty, who is both physical and spiritual. Botticelli's painted the birth of Venus accordingly to Theoghony of Hesiod. he story goes that the God Uranus had a son named Cronus who overthrew his father, 29
castrating him and throwing his genitals into the sea. This caused the water to be fertilised, and Aphrodite was born. After her birth she came ashore on a shell, pushed along by the breath of Zephyrus, the god of the west wind (at the left side of the painting). The figure on the right is spring because of the flower garb and spring flowers that surround her. The dress that she wears is one that Ovid describes the Horae wearing in Fasti. The Toilet of Venus ('The Rokeby Venus'), Velázquez This is the only surviving example of a female nude by Velázquez. The toilet of Venus was most likely painted in Rome – much more liberated at this time than Spain. The painting depicts Venus reclining languidly in a sensual pose on her bed, looking into a mirror held by her son Cupid (god of physical love). The godnees is presented with her back to the viewer. Why? Velázquez may have decided to depict Venus from behind in order to avoid the necessity of exposing her breasts - a state of affairs completely unknown to Spanish Baroque artist sof the 1630s and 40s. What is also interesting about this painting is the fact that we can't find non of the typical allegoric accessories for any of them (like jewellery, roses or myrtle for Venus and bow and arrows for Cupid). Maybe the Spanish painter wanted us to focus on the meaning of the mirror? This painting is often interpreted as depicting the subtle play between watching and being watched. We see Venus watching her reflection but at the same time we need to remember that she can watch as well the reflection of the viewer (yes, yes she may be looking at us). François Boucher, The Bath of Venus This canvas was painted for Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, mistress of Louis XV. It was installed in the bathroom in the Château de Bellevue, outside Paris. The focus of the composition of the Bath of Venus is the youthful and beautiful Venus made by very gently, liquid strokes. Venus is rendered in porcelain tones, delicately accented in pink, her body highlighted against luscious blue velvet and silk. The painting exemplifies the rococo love of asymmetric lines and sinuous curves, artfully arranged to seduce both the eye and the mind of the beholder. 30
Venus de Milo with Drawers, Salvador Dali Are you having the feeling we already saw something almost like that? Yes, you are right – it's even in the title. It's a plaster sculpture, half size of the original, altered with several drawers finished with pompom. Dali said about this artwork: The only difference between the immortal Greece and contemporary times is Sigmund Freud, who discovered that the human body, purely platonic at the Greek epoch, nowadays is full of secret drawers that only psychoanalysis is capable to open. Petite Vénus de Meudon, Hans Arp This is almost 50 cm bronze sculpture. This organic form is not really resembling human form – for sure we can't make any association with antique Venus. But still, the title 'Small Venus from Meudon' suggest this connection. What is important in Arp's works is the need to even the human with nature again. He believed that only when we again become equal we can be honest with the world and it;s perception. In he's opinion people should be elements analogous to any other objects and like nature – without measure. Venus of the Rags, Pistoletto A copy of the classical figure set against a mound of old clothes and rags. This Venus has become an icon of arte povera, an Italian art movement from the 60s and 70s in which Pistoletto was one of the leading figures. The use of cheap, everyday materials is one of the characteristics of arte povera. In Pistoletto’s view, everything is ‘good enough’ to be used in art
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Metallic Venus, Jeff Koons Jeff Koons plays with ideas of taste, pleasure, celebrity, and commerce. This works is from his Antiquity seria. It's made by use of mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating, live flowering plants. In the size of 254 x 132.1 x 101.6 cm. This statue is based on a Roman statue Callipygian Venus, informally known as Venus of the beautiful buttocks (on the right). This statue was excavated in Rome and is believed to be the Roman copy of a Greek original dating to 300-400 B.C. Koons designed his own Venus statue as a variation of the original with different materials to emphasize the modernity of the piece. Metallic Venus was created using computer-aided imaging. The statue have a surreal sheen that, when looked into, reflects the viewers face. This represents the role that art plays in the modern art world. Koons wanted to say that people value art as a reflection of themselves. Paquitapoulos, Majka Dokudowicz Well, except of the serious use, we can also use Venus image for small jokes. Like here, I added a face of my best friend to the ancient sculpture of Venus from Milo, as a present for her birthday. The aim of this was to give her something she will instantly connect with here stay here in Kalamata, Greece.
MAJKA DOKUDOWICZ 32
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My project
A N T I A F E R N A N D E Z M A RT I N E Z
The ways of the EVS are, sometimes, maybe not inscrutable, but at least, unexpected and uncertain. In my case, my EVS meant a long wait for it, but a long wait that so beautiful things gave me during the way. Let me tell you a bit about my EVS project here in Kalamata! Let’s start for the beginning. I decided to do the EVS after finishing my university studies, and I was sure about the destination: Greece. I talked with Abertal, my sending organization, and they put me in contact with the organization KANE, in Kalamata, with which they had collaborated before. So, I send the documentation to them, and, some weeks after, I had with them an interview though Skype. They wanted me there like volunteer, but I had to wait until September of the next year (almost one year), because they didn’t have vacancies for Spain at that moment. I had to recognized that, in the first moment, the new unsettled me… waiting a year looked like ages… but, even that, my answer was affirmative, and I took advantage of the time of waiting to do a short-term EVS (without any doubt, one of the best experiences of my life) 34
and other activities in Greece. I had the confirmation of the long term project (to begin in November) by the end of July, after a long time without having any new about it, when I was not expecting it anymore. But then, there it was that email saying to me “we will have you here in November”. So, I packed my suitcase for a new destination. The project in which I started then to work is called kNOWledge vol.3 and it consists, mainly, in helping and collaborating with the Κέντρο Νέων Καλαμάτας (the Youth Center of the city). There we spend the majority of our afternoons: we attend the “bar” and the people that comes to ask (at this point my knowledge of Greek plays a really helping role), we take care of the space, we run some of the workshops that take place there (in my case, the classes of Spanish and of sevillanas), we help with the organization of the events and parties... Mainly, we are part of the life of the centre during the months we are there, with everything this implies. Besides, all the KANE volunteers, with independence of our project, collaborate with the online magazine LINK that we directed (yeah, the magazine that are you reading right now!), and we also organize different events in the city. The last one, for example, was the celebration of the Volunteering Week. But this adventure is still in the beginning...
ANTIA FERNANDEZ MARTINEZ 35
MY SENDING ORGANISATION S FERA
Interregional youth social movement "SFERA" has been established in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, in 2007 as the non-governmental international voluntary organization. Since than over 5000 Russian volunteers experienced going abroad for working/helping in diverse projects. SFERA enables the Russian volunteers going almost to every country for 2 weeks -12 months. Apart from sending it coordinates projects in Russia for foreigners. At the moment SFERA Movement is actively cooperating with organizations from more than 25 regions in Russia and over 100 organizations from abroad. MISSION To give equal opportunities for self-actualisation and to meet social needs via charity and voluntary actions. First-key priorities: • Creating and coordinating of international voluntary workcamps in Russia. Since its establishment, SFERA successfully realized about 100 workcamps in different regions of the Russian Federation 36
• Sending of the Russian volunteers abroad. Every year in average 350 young people go overseas for making their dreams come true • Helding the mid- and long- term projects in Russia with participating of foreign volunteers in the framework of Erasmus+ program. • Sending the Russian youth abroad in the long term projects- social projects are expanding rapidly and enlarging more and more participants • Organising the youth exchanges, conferences, forum events, seminars, training courses in Russia and sending Russian attendees in the subject-related projects overseas.
For more information you are welcome to the official web-site http://www.dobrovolets.ru/. ANGELINA KAISINA 37
LINK FEBRUARY 15th 2018
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.