LINK June 1st, 2019
MY WORST PRESENT PAGE 17
WHY HAVING YOUR BIRTHDAY IN DECEMBER IS THE WORST PAGE 34
#134
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EDITOR: Alex Morin
DESIGNER: Marine Käfer
BIRTHDAY
& anniversaries
CONTENT Contact.................................................................................................... 5 About us................................................................................................. 6 Youth Center Program........................................................................... 12 BIRTHDAY & ANNIVERSARIES What is your best birthday memory?........................................................ 14 What is the worst present you ever got?.................................................. 17 What would be your perfect birthday?...................................................... 19 Every year isn’t the same......................................................................... 22 Falladin..................................................................................................... 24 How birthday feels like..............................................................................26 Donate your birthday.................................................................................27 Quiceaùera............................................................................................... 28 Excpectations VS reality........................................................................... 30 The roots of the South Korean Film Industry............................................ 32 Why having a December birthday is the absolute worst........................... 34 Why are we celebrating birthdays?...........................................................36 My big fat Greek birthday in Armenia....................................................... 38 Maturity, or how our birthday wishes change over the years.................... 39 Astrological birthday profile...................................................................... 40 Birthday traditions around the world......................................................... 42 Interview with a local volunteer................................................................. 45 Interview with a EVS volunteer................................................................. 47 My Sending Organization........................................................................ 49 My project................................................................................................. 51 Past/Future events................................................................................... 53
K.A.NE VOLUNTEERS
K.A.NE
Agnes Durda Alexandra Crismaru Alexandra Morin Apolline Lepoutre Anna Khighatyan Catarina Silva Ivan Doer Julien Debusschere Marie Damond Marine Kafer Mihaela Paval Neda Mijovic Niek Den Boer RĂŠbecca Bertoli
Filaretos Vourkos Jelena Scepanovic Nancy Kanellopoulou Nantiana Koutiva Georgia Griva
KANE Social Youth Development Youth Center of Kalamata Papatsoni 5 Kalamata, 24100, Greece info@ngokane.org +30 272 104 3006 kentroneon.wordpress.com ngokane.org/index.php
@kane.kalamata
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volunteers
Julien
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Neda
Niek
My name is Julien, I come from France And more specifically from a city near 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 for 2 years now. I will be staying in Kalamata for 10 months and I will be working in the farm. It’s my second volunteering trip. the first one was in Armenia. I love meeting new people and learning new languages. I hope after my EVS I will speak greek well and I will have a second family here.
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!
Hey there!! My name is Niek and I’m 30 years old. I’m 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 as well. Hope to see you around!
Ivan
Mihaela
Catarina
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.
I’m Mihaela from Romania. I’ve done my studies in Economics and Human Resources management and development, domains in which I activated for several years. Few months ago I completed a great short term EVS in Turkey, experience which motivated me to apply for another volunteering project in Kalamata. During these two months in which I’ll be here, I’m willing to help as much as I can the community, to get to know each one of you better and to explore the Peloponnese area.
Olá! I’m Catarina and I’m from Porto, Portugal. My background is in International Relations, so being a volunteer for a NGO is a useful way of gaining experience and developing valuable skills! I left my 5 cats and dog in order to embrace this project for 11 months and now my dog does not recognize me over our skype calls but I’m sure It will be worth it. In my project I’m assisting in the day care center for the kids with autism.
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Marie Marine
Rébecca Apolline 8
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 too. I’m staying in Kalamata for 7 months 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. 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. See you there!
My name is Rébecca. I’m 28 years old. I come from France. I will stay in Kalamata for 10 months to work at the dog shelter. I like to discover new things, life is beautiful and quite short, I enjoy every moment. I have a bit of a crazy personality in a good way, you just have to get to know me. We can learn a lot from people around us, everyone has something to bring to earth and to others!
Bonjour! My name is Apolline, I am 21 years old and I live in the north of France. I am here in Kalamata to do my EVS during two months. I am part of two projects: KEFIAP and the Horse center. I am looking forward to discover lots of new things, making new friends and have fun! Kiss kiss
Agnes
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.
Alexandra
Hello, my name is Alexandra and I am Romanian. I come from a small family in the eastern part of the country. After finishing my studies in foreign languages and literature, I gradually lived in the United States and England and worked in different fields, such as teaching, diplomacy, sales,etc. I volunteered for different causes since my highschool years. I chose to come to Greece to continue doing that and also getting to know the local culture as much as possible.
Anna
Barev! I’m 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, 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.
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Filaretos
K.A.NE Hello, I am Filaretos Vourkos. For the last 15 years I am working in the field of Non-formal education as a volunteer, youth worker and youth trainer. 10 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.
Jelena 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.
Nadiana My name is Nantiana Koutiva and i am working in K.A.NE. as a project manager and EVS coordinator. I have studied greek philology and I am teacher of greek language as well. I love travelling and organizing festivals.
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Nancy
K.A.NE Hello World! I’m Nancy and I’m working in K.A.NE. since 2017 as a Project Manager and EVS/ESC coordinator. I’m passionate about meeting new people and exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas. I love the fact that many young people visit every year my hometown Kalamata and contribute to our society.
Giorgia Hello, my name is Georgia Griva. For the past few 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 an active citizen.
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WHAT IS YOUR BEST BIRTHDAY MEMORY? AGNES
My birthday falls in January, and nothing makes me happier than spending a few hours on the ice rink. Later I celebrate it by having a dinner with family and drinks with friends.
ANNA
Every year different places, different memories, different funny stories, cakes and gifts. But the only thing that is not changing in my memories are the people, for that reason my birthday memories are the best.
CATARINA
I don’t have a really good birthday memory that I can remember. As Frank Sinatra said: “Still it’s a real good bet. The best is yet to come”.
IVAN
Here’s a little story… There was a 5-year-old boy name Jim, who saw other kid of same age celebrating their birthdays with cakes, presents and parties. But Jim never did. For the next few years he was facing the same situation. Everybody celebrates their Birthdays, but not him. He couldn’t understand why… When he turned 8, he finally asked his father: “Dad, why we don’t celebrate my Birthday like all the other kids? Why I never had a party with presents and cakes? Dad, you and mom don’t love me?” … On that father gave a deep lovely look to his son, and said: “Son, we love you very very much! We don’t celebrate your birthday because we are celebrating every single day of your existence! Besides, we don’t want you to get defined by the age you are celebrating. We want you to enjoy every day of living.
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JULIEN
My parents are divorced and they don’t like each other anymore. For my 18th birthday, as I arrived at the restaurant I saw my parents together. It was an amazing birthday.
MARIE
I have no better birthday, every time it’s a good time with my friends and family, but I know that every time it’s a big party that I need time to recover from!
MARINE
Definitely on my 18th birthday. My best friend organised a whole surprise day for me! She came in the morning to pick me up with some friends, she blindfolded me, and then we drove for an hour to the coast! Then we went for a Laser Game and on the way back, she had arranged a massage in a beauty salon. On the evening, we had a big house party!
NEDA
Not sure if the best one, but certainly the most vivid one is my last birthday. I got a huge pink airplane shaped balloon (RIP Pinkaiotis) from my EVS friends which I had to carry attached to me through whole Athens. Very embarrassing. But I got the best cheesecake ever as a reward!
NIEK
This was a surprise party from EVS volunteers that I only knew for 6 days :D I didn’t see that coming, I was blown away by their enthusiasm! EVS rocks!
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RÉBECCA
My best birthday memory is the surprise I got for my 25 years taking me to Center Park for a weekend with friends.
APOLLINE
My best birthday was the day of my 10th birthday when I had a cute rabbit! I called him Jojo!
ALEXANDRA
This year, when I met with two of my childhood friends and their children. We were all together for the first time and it made me feel very grateful for the life-long relationship we have. And also the fact that I bought my mother a chocolate cake, which she is crazy about. Getting older makes me feel very grateful for the people in my life.
MIHAELA
On my last birthday, I was abroad and I didn’t had any of my friends/family members near me. Although I thought I would not celebrate this day, I was surprised when I saw that my new friends knew about it and prepared for me a surprize party with cakes, nice little gifts, balloons and cute messages. When I returned home, I was welcomed by another celebration party.
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WHAT IS THE WORST PRESENT YOU EVER GOT?
AGNES
A spice set from my ex boyfriend, it was a way to encourage me to cook more often.
ANNA
I am surrounded by people who know me, who love me and I know that they are choosing their gifts for me from the bottom of their hearts. Do you think that I ever received a bad present from them??? Bravo, you gave me the right answer!
CATARINA
Socks when my younger cousins were receiving toys and candy and other cool stuff. But nowadays if I got socks it’s a miracle and I’m very happy :-)
IVAN
Weird, but I have one. Once my friend gave me a little toy made of aluminium (or some sort of that material). I knew that he made this by his own, but I didn’t appreciated that. I knew that he made it because it was quick and cheap. Besides, were were not 8! We were around 20!
JULIEN
I received a simple alarm clock 5 years ago with a rooster in the background. When he rings: cock cock!
NEDA
Deodorant set, I think. On several occasions. Can it be more generic than that?
NIEK
A broom and this meant that I reached the age to start helping in the garden. I was 7 years old.
RÉBECCA
The worst present I have ever had is a watch that doesn’t work.
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APOLLINE
During a high school sweetheart exchange, the person who had raffled me off offered me pickle tongs.
ALEXANDRA
An XXXXL pyjama from my father. :)))
MIHAELA
I never received bad presents, or at least I am trying to find utility in every gift I am receiving.
MARIE
I have no memory of bad gifts.
MARINE
I know what it is, but I cannot express it, out of respect for the person who offered it to me. I think the worst gifts in general are the very common one, when you can see that the person don’t know you, or didn’t make the effort to look for something special.
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WHAT WOULD BE YOUR PERFECT BIRTHDAY? AGNES
Spending it with my closed ones in a nice ski resort, with elements of surprise.
ANNA
I love to celebrate my birthday. They are perfect and unique and I enjoy being surrounded by the people I love. So, as far as I have around me the family and my lovely friends, I just need to choose the perfect alcohol, food, playlist for dances, the place and the perfect birthday celebration will be done.
CATARINA
With friends in Berlin on an unlimited budget. Or with the man of my life spending a romantic weekend abroad.
IVAN
To do everything I desire...
MARIE
I think the main thing for me is to be with my friends and after whatever the place or the weather of the moment we share a good time together.
JULIEN
The best birthday I can have is with my parents, grandparents, sisters, my nieces and the rest of the family and just to finish my friends from all over the world.
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MARINE
If I would have unlimited budget, I would go for a week with all my friends to a heavenly place to spend a holiday together, with nothing to worry about.
NEDA
It would have to be a huge three day celebration. On an exotic island maybe. One with my family, the other with my friends and the third one with whoever survives the first two.
NIEK
To have all my loved ones in 1 place in harmony! That is all I need next to a decent party of course!
RÉBECCA
My perfect birthday would be able to pause time and go around the world and all I want as long as I want.
APOLLINE
My perfect birthday would be from far away on a desert island with all the people I love.
ALEXANDRA
I would love to take my parents and brother to a trip to Paris and stay there for two weeks, explore the city and enjoy the best food, on an unlimited budget.
MIHAELA
Sometimes, the attention I am receiving during my birthday is a bit overwhelming, that’s why I would prefer going somewhere where people don’t know me (on a holiday abroad preferably).
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Every year isn’t the same Each year, each birthday is different. We are getting older, we are maturing and in our head this day reminds us a lot of memories. We see the years going by, the time passing and the people still present or the people who have left us. We see this day as a new year’s day, with our future desires, projects. We remember the resolutions we didn’t keep.. We think that everything goes too fast, that the years elude us, the good times, like the bad ones.. Sometimes, we are excited about the idea of celebrating it, some other times we think that it doesn’t change anything anyway, it only makes us one year older. When we organize the birthday party, it requires a lot of preparation, so sometimes, we have the right to be surprised and nothing to have nothing to prepare except to be guided. You can celebrate 5 times your birthday with different people, or 1 time with everyone. Years ago, we didn’t want to celebrate at all so let’s enjoy this day as we hear it, after all it’s our day, we want to do what we want! So, if you want to blow 15 candles instead of 52, you want to make it in a restaurant, a weekend at the beach, an evening with friends in a pub, stay under the duvet, take a bath of 2 hours, take a plane ticket to the Guatemala, eat 6 cakes, receive 1000 text messages or 10 and answer them when you want, go to Madonna’s concert, go to church pray that your year is going well or repent for your sins, watch Bridget Jones eating ice cream and popcorn, make a bonfire by burning all of our panties, finally you’ll understand that no matter what, the main thing is doing what you like at your rhythm and to offer you your own birthday gift!
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The most important isn’t the age, the gifts or the event or the fact of wanting to celebrate it or to be alone or surrounded by 30 people. The most important thing that day is that you just feel a sense of being here. If your birthday is on a weekend or week, whether you go out or not, it’s okay, it’s a day like any other where you would just feel like saying it’s the day I was born to live this life and today surely many people will have a thought for me, no more than another day but just a special thought on that day and would also think about it even if it’s 2 minutes, 5 minutes or all day! It’s essential to think about oneself on this special day and it’s even important to think about each day and live the present moment spoiled or not spoiled, happy or not. So long life to us, so we can enjoy life every day, and long life to birthdays to remind us about it! ‘Happy us!’
REBECCA
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FALADDIN When one speaks about birthdays and significant events, almost all the time the topic of future pops in. Then, we start talking about it, trying to predict what will happen and slowly come to the fortune telling. In modern world, it would be no wonder if we connected that concept to the artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence (AI), which we have only faced with science fictional horror stories so far, is actually not that much far away. Many applications we use and download to our smartphones are already benefiting from this AI in their substructure and functioning, even though it does not have much complexity in its’ system. So what is the definition of “Artificial Intelligence”? Short answer would be a software developed by humans which is able to think abstractly, correlate concepts, learn, detect problems and suggest solutions and even take lessons from experiences. Nowadays, entrepreneurs, who are following the developments and breakthroughs in fields of technology and AI, strive to turn this new and rich field into an opportunity. If they achieve to combine their efforts with societies’ social tendencies and needs, chance of success rises significantly. Faladdin, another example of such success stories, is combining AI with “fortune telling” phenomenon in Turkish culture. There are two entrepreneurs having different career paths and joining forces behind the success story: Sertaç Taşdelen and Kaya Diker.
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In fact, their story begins with the idea of combining AI with sociology of Turkish society. At the very beginning of the period of developing the idea, another application called as Binnaz Abla which is derived from the name of Sertaç Taşdelen’s mother, was created. Binnaz Abla is an application functioning by real human beings telling fortune via written, visual and audible communication. Apart from Turkish coffee fortune telling, application also provides various options such as tarot, astrology, hand reading and dream interpretation. By means of the growth rate of the application and its’ popularity, the idea also develops and leads to another venture. These entrepreneurs with bigger objectives and dreams created Faladdin with AI in its substructure in order to reach to larger masses. Faladdin, just like Binnaz Abla, also includes various options such as tarot and clairvoyance along with Turkish coffee fortune telling. However, the biggest difference between Binnaz Abla is the technological advancement in Faladdin’s substructure. Faladdin has now become a popular application having almost a million fortune telling per day and increasing number of users and reputation. Also, the entrepreneurs’ objective is not limited to Turkey. It also provides services in English and Arabic, while aiming to ensure more language in future. In such case, considering the possibility of an international success of Faladdin with its national achievement, a worldwide popularity would be no surprise.
NEDA
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How birthday feels like
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NIEK
Donate your birthday Probably most of you are familiar with the “donate your birthday” concept. But for those who aren’t, I will explain a bit how this works. Basically, the next celebrated announces their friends/relatives/ colleagues, etc. that for his celebration he/she doesn’t want to receive physical gifts. Instead, the money used for this purpose should be directed for another causes that he stands for. The cause can be diverse: either they can support a humanitarian/ charity project, the restoration of a place, collecting money for a foundation (NGO) who helps people with different needs, etc. Also, the donations can be in another form, other than money. For example, it can be food supplies for the dog shelter, clothes for the homeless people, etc., depending on the person wishes. So, for this, people will be informed in advance on how they can contribute in order to sustain the birthday person’s “fundraising project”. The process can be intermediated through different platforms, but it should be the one which is the most reachable, in order to have the biggest impact. After sharing their purpose and exposing their cause, people can encourage the birthday person by replacing the presents they were planning to offer him with a contribution/donation for his cause. For each participant, the ‘donate your birthday’ project has only benefits: first of all, the celebrated one reaches his goal and secondly, the participants don’t have to spend a lot of time on looking for the perfect present for the birthday person, but in the same time, to contribute for a better world. Of course this idea can be extended for other special days, so instead of birthdays, people can donate their Christmas day and even their wedding days. What about you? Would you ever consider donating your birthday?
MICHAELA
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Quinceañera Fifteen years old is a traditional festival in the Latino-Hispanic world. This festival marks the transition from childhood to the status of women of the quinceañera. Mass: In Catholic families it is customary, before the big reception and the feast, to celebrate a Mass in honor of the Virgin Mary, to make the girl be aware of the step she’s taking through becoming a woman. Only family and close friends participate in this Mass. The chamberlains (riders): The quinceañera does not have one, but several riders, who can go from 2 to 15, depending on the importance of the party and the budget. The entrance: Generally, 5 young people in valet outfits have placed themselves on the stage. The quinceañera is waiting, because it spares its effect. The bouquet: Traditionally, when there’s a mass before the big celebration, the bouquet of the girl must be offered to the virgin. The coronation: When the girl enters the hall with her riders, she performs a first choreography that represents a kind of presentation to the world, then she is crowned, like a queen, with a diadem. The doll: To symbolize the exit of childhood and the metamorphosis of the girl into a woman. A girl of her family or her close friends gives her her last toy (a doll). The cake: The cake takes again the colors of the dress of the girl. It is a little symbol of the girl’s personality. At the moment of sharing it, surrounded by all the girls of the party, she will
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taste it by giving a mordida, and will share it among all the guests, by serving first the little girls who surround it. The inflamed glasses: The tradition is that the quinceañera carries a tray with cups in which is flamed with alcohol. It’s her way of becoming a woman. Shoes: To symbolize the transition to the status of women, the girl changes shoes, and passes flat heels with high heels. Toast: Before the waltz begins, a toast is made in honor of the girl who has become a woman. The waltz: The quinceañera first dances with his chamberlains, then with her father, and then with all the important people around her. The choreography (show): After the waltz, comes the time of the “show”. The quinceañera is changed to wear clothes in line with the choreographies she prepared with her chamberlains. The pantomime: The quinceañera dances only a pantomime, dance variations ending the “ball” of the party. Music, band or mariachis: As in any party in Mexico, music plays a very important
MARIE
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Expectations VS reality I was born on December 6th, and my birthday in 2017 lasted almost 3 days! 5 December It started in Hungary more precisely in Budapest. I had met in a discotheque two Iranians and a Turkmen who studied photography at university. They offered to celebrate with them from the evening of the 5th, I just had to drink! 9 pm: I arrive home, they have prepared a luxury meal, all vegetarian and homemade. 11 pm: The two Iranians want us to walk outside for a few minutes and when we get home at midnight, Nora was with a homemade cake and the ‘happy birthday’ music had already started. 6 December 4 am: The evening ends and I have to walk more than two kilometers with all my bags to catch the night bus to the airport. 7 am: I get on the plane with the intention to sleep a little and I’m sitting between a couple and a few-months-old baby... I’ll let you guess what happened next. 10 am: I arrive at Brussels with a rainy weather and I have to take my bus back to Lille. 12 am: I’m coming to my uncle’s house to celebrate my birthday just in small company, but when I open the door I see an incredible amount of people. 4 pm: I leave Lille and take the bus to my village. 6 pm: I finally arrive at my mother’s house where my mother’s family is and the evening begins. 7 December 12 pm: People open the door! Here are the EVS volunteers when I was in Armenia. 7 am: My friends leave, after a little salty lunch, I fall asleep directly in bed.
JULIEN 29
The Roots of the South Korean Film Industry The first movie theatre of Korea was established in 1903. Before the existence of this movie theatre, the European and American films kept the Korean film screens occupied. Not only this, but in the period 1926-1930, it was the Japanese who owned, and operated the Korean cinemas. It was during this time that a series of films were launched, that provided the beginning of quality films in China. Despite the fact that the film industry of Korea was at its peak in the 1950’s, yet in the 1970s and 1980s with the country’s rapid economic growth, the Korean government was under pressure to liberalize is import policies and financial markets for all industries. The film industry had depended upon the quota system to gain screen time for its product and to make sure a certain amount of revenue. The production of the Hollywood blockbuster films, itself, was a continuous threat to the film industry of Korea, not only in terms of its decreasing market share, but also down to the question of its survival. The market share was witnessing a downward trend because the Korean films were produced with a low budget and low quality in the face of the blockbuster films produced by Hollywood. As a result, the market share had dropped to as low as 15% in the late 1980’s. However, soon after that, the transformation of Korean film industry had started, and Korean cinema earned recognition as a commercial cinema outside the country after the success of the blockbusters, such as the film “Shiri”. The movie was produced in 1999, and captured an audience of approximately 5 million people, making it to the top of the South Korean films. The film was so successful that it broke the records for the all time favourite, “Titanic”, and welcomed the entry of the many film producers who were keen to produce internationally repudiated films for Korea. In the process, the market share of the Korean films rose to 39.7%. A number of Korean films followed the league of “Shiri”, and the fact that the government had introduced a new legislation, allowing a two day weekend for the Koreans, gave rise to the success of the Korean cinemas. In the process, the film industry of Korea was reported to grow by approximately 18% each year, and according to a variety of sources, in a period of nine years only, the market share of the Korean films had grown from 15% to 45.2%. This was taken as a good omen by many of the most successful movie makers of Hollywood who immediately stepped in the film industry of Korea, in order to obtain licenses so as to reproduce those Korean films that had been the most successful on the box office.
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In these connections, the relations between national cinema and history is refraction, fluid rather than reflection, and what is intriguing about contemporary Korean cinema is how the shared political history of the 1980s has become a commercial lure for the audience. Recently, the popularity of the Korean films, Korean music, and even Korean dramas has been increasing in Asia, with the Chinese being the major viewers of such Korean television programs. With such immense success and popularity of the Korean TV programs in countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, along with other parts of Asia, it is not unusual to find the influence of the Korean culture and traditions, as portrayed on the Korean screens, on the Asians. Due to this rapid spread of the Korean lifestyle, and culture in most of the Asian countries especially China, the Chinese used the word “Hallyu” to refer to the influence of Korean culture in other countries primarily through the media. This had been initiated by the broadcasting of “Daejanggeum”, a Korean drama, which made China the greatest victim of the Korean influence in 2005. Soon after, a number of articles on the new Korean wave began to be featured in journals, magazines, news papers, etc. It was even believed that the major reason for the Korean influence lies in the fact that the Korean government took advantage of the Korean screens to step out of the financial crisis, thus taking major steps to promote their film industry, and export their films. The fact that China and Korea share some similarities, not only in terms of their culture, but also down to civilizations and philosophies, explains such a deep impact of the Korean films on the Chinese.
IVAN
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Why having a December birthday is the absolute worst I don’t know how many of you plan to bring children into this world. I also don’t know whether you plan to jump-start this process in the next year, or in the much more distant future. But regardless of your personal procreation strategy, I beg of you: do not conceive in March. In fact, just to be safe, avoid April, too. Because if you choose to get pregnant during those months, you’re getting a December baby, and there’s a good chance your kid will never forgive you for it. Anyone celebrating a birthday in the last month of the year is in for a bad time. They can plan and accommodate and adjust all they like — there’s no way they’re beating back the festivities for even one night. I know: I was born just 3 days before Christmas. Just how bitter you are about your December birthday depends a lot on your childhood. No matter what, it’s gonna be at least a little ruined, but there’s a world of difference between “got a few less cards” and “got old candy canes instead of a birthday cake”. I cannot count how many times I had to fake a smile, as certain family members gave me sweater or socks that somehow counted as holiday and birthday gifts.
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The early years are when you get your first taste of disappointment, but if you hadn’t learned to manage your expectations, you catch up fast once you’re a grown-up. Because when you’re a kid, the actual parties aren’t really your problem. It’s on your parents to organize those things, and your friends’ parents to make sure the guests show up. But things get worse real fast once the responsibility shifts to you. While most people just make a Facebook event two weeks out and trust a crowd will show up, that’s not how it goes when your birthday falls in the most unfortunate month of the year. For me, planning a party is as stressful and labor-intensive almost as scheduling a wedding. I usually have to give people soft notices starting in November — just to remind them my birthday is a thing that exists and get a feel for when everyone’s heading home. Sometimes the excuses are so bad but yet I’m supposed to act like they’re totally valid reasons and not take it personally. Am I being a bit dramatic? Maybe. But I just want a nice, normal acknowledgment of my birth! I really wish my birthday could coexist with all this merriment, because I actually love Christmas.
CATARINA
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Why are we celebrating birthdays? The candles, the cake and “happy birthday to you” all in chorus. The ritual is identical to the four corners of the planet. You never wondered why we did that? And since when? We explain it to you. The birthday party is recent and took two thousand years to impose on us as an inescapable ritual. For a long time, humans have celebrated death exclusively. For a lot of reasons that the historian Jean-Claude Schmitt details in the first book devoted to this powerful question, that of the birthday party. For centuries the date of birth has been ignored in favor of death, which gave rise, each year, to prayers in memory of the deceased, lavished by monks committed to this joyful function. The day of the last breath is then considered as that of the true birth, that towards the hereafter. In the Christian West, the feast of birth smells of the paganism of the Roman emperors who “erected the annual commemoration of their birth into a compulsory religious festival.” With persecution of Christians by way of animation. had no idea of the year, much less of the day, of its birth. “To be concerned about the birthday, one must also have the intellectual and material capacities to count the years passed”, writes Jean-Claude Schmitt: That was not the case for long.
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In the Christian West, the feast of birth smells of the paganism of the Roman emperors who “erected the annual commemoration of their birth into a compulsory religious festival.” With persecution of Christians by way of animation. had no idea of the year, much less of the day, of its birth. “To be concerned about the birthday, one must also have the intellectual and material capacities to count the years passed”, writes JeanClaude Schmitt: That was not the case for long.
But to get to the compliments (multiplied since the existence of Facebook), candies, candles, gifts and songs, it was not until the nineteenth century on the side of the bourgeois and the twentieth century for the working class. It was not until 1893 that the melody of the interplanetary tube, and sublimated by Marilyn Monroe who sang for Mister President, “Happy Birthday to You” was invented. And 1923 for the lyrics to follow. The birthday finally becomes the current festive ritual. Ironically, he stings everything to the Church that has done so much to demolish it. “The anniversary has moved the liturgical rites towards the family sphere, explains Jean-Claude Schmitt. We meet, we light candles, we sing ... “
APOLLINE
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My big fat greek birthday in Armenia 7th of october this year I will turn 29. I really like to celebrate my birthday, even if I am getting older and older, lol. I’m quite confident about this topic, I have to say that all the people I met couldn’t guess my real age, I look pretty much younger than I am. Maybe this is the reason why I can not feel the pressure of getting old and I like to celebrate year by year my birthday. On this day you have all positive vibes, sunny and warm weather, people looking happy and everything seems designed for you to be in a good mood. I got my family, friends and people who love me to make my day happy. What else do I need ??? Nothing. Every year I am trying to celebrate on a different way and every year I get something to remember and laugh about and nice memories from the places where I celebrated it. I know that there are people who don’t like to celebrate their birthday, because of age,people, bad or sad mood and for many other reasons. To make your day happy you don’t need to put a lot of effort, just listen to how you feel like: traveling, inviting your friend, soulmate or relatives to spend time with you and that will be good one. Soooo for people who don’t like to celebrate their birthday just take care of yourself, chill and listen to some music, just make yourself happy. How am I going to celebrate my birthday this year?? If you are interested, I will tell you. As I spend half of this year in Greece, I plan to put on the table pitas, dakos, greek salads that I will make and also I will have raki with honey, which means that this year my friends will be invited on a traditional Greek birthday. If you are passing by Armenia , you’re welcome to my greek party. Ola kala, Chronia polaaa!
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Maturity, or how our birthday wishes change over the years I grew up in a family of four: my parents, my older brother and me. When I was a kid I was waiting for my birthday like for the second coming of Jesus, counting the days, preparing my wishlist, making plans for a fun birthday, spending sleepless nights meditating about the wondrous thing that was adding another year to my age. The growing up part especially was a big deal for me. From year to year constantly counting how many centimetres have I grown, what new information did I receive, how many new words I learned,etc. Also, receiving the long desired present was a great achievement. It’s strange how our thoughts, desires and plans shift during the years. When you’re a kid, all you want is having that toy that everyone’s talking about, after a few years it’s clothes and make-up and even later, money, so you can get anything you want. I can say that even when I was a kid, I had simple wishes: a colouring book or a puzzle, but in the past years my wishlist has radically reduced. I think I stopped wishing for material stuff when I was about 25, realising how many things I have gathered during the years. I was packing to move to London and was in complete shock noticing that after filling up a huge suitcase, my closets looked as full as before. That was like a wake up call for me. The days of sale shopping were immediately gone. I started to buy only the most necessary things and most of the time from second hand shops. Much simpler times came. The only thing I keep buying and collecting are books. When I was younger, we didn’t have a lot of money and I was always borrowing books from my classmates or the local library. Now that I’m 28 I have to say that a trip is the perfect present for me and I usually buy and organize one by myself. Also, spending my birthday with my family is enough for me. This year I got a chocolate cake for my mother, because she loves chocolate and felt much happier than receiving one. This is how maturity must feel like. Instead of wanting something material for myself, I prefer to get something to make someone else happy, especially my parents, trying to thank them this way for everything they’ve done for me during the years.
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Astrological Birthday Profile Birthdays are fun, and they can also be informative. Astrologically, each day supplies a collection of influences that contribute to creating a personality which is uniquely yours and yours alone. The day and month on which you were born are intimately linked to the planetary energies that prevail on the day of your birth. There are 12 zodiac signs, and each sign has its own strengths and weaknesses, its own specific traits, desires and attitude towards life and people. By analyzing the projection of the position of planets, and the Sun and the Moon on the Ecliptic at the moment of birth. Astrology can give us a glimpse of a person’s basic characteristics, preferences, flaws and fears. Each of the 12 horoscope signs belongs to one of the four elements – Air, Fire, Water and Earth. These elements represent an essential type of energy that acts in each of us. Astrology aims to help us focus these energies on the positive aspects and to gain a better understanding of our potential and our positive traits and deal with negative ones. These four elements help describe the unique personality types associated with astrological signs. The four zodiac elements exhibit profound influence on basic character traits, emotions, behavior and thinking.
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Water Signs Water signs are exceptionally emotional and ultra-sensitive. They are highly intuitive and they can be as mysterious as the ocean itself. Water signs love profound conversations and intimacy. They rarely do anything openly and are always there to support their loved ones. The Water Signs are: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Fire Signs Fire signs tend to be passionate, dynamic, and temperamental. They get angry quickly, but they also forgive easily. They are adventurers with immense energy. They are physically very strong and are a source of inspiration for others. Fire signs are intelligent, self-aware, creative and idealistic people, always ready for action. The Fire Signs are: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. Earth Signs Earth signs are “grounded� and the ones that bring us down to earth. They are mostly conservative and realistic, but they can also be very emotional. They are connected to our material reality and can be turned to material goods. They are practical, loyal and stable and they stick by their people through hard times. The Earth Signs are: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. Air Signs Air signs are rational, social, and love communication and relationships with other people. They are thinkers, friendly, intellectual, communicative and analytical. They love philosophical discussions, social gatherings and good books. They enjoy giving advice, but they can also be very superficial. The Air Signs are: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.
AGNES
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Birthday traditions around the world Birthdays in Denmark In Denmark, when a child is celebrating his birthday, gifts are placed around (or on) his bed while he sleeps. I want that, thank you, kisses. A Danish flag is also placed outside the house to let people know someone’s birthday. We serve a cake in the shape of a man or a woman depending on the type of person and we cut his head first! Birthday celebration in Australia In Australia and New Zealand, children’s birthday parties are sometimes served with Fairy Bread. It’s butter spread on white toast bread, with colored vermicelli. It seems disgusting, ah sorry I was not asked for my opinion.
The tradition of earrings in Brazil and Hungary In Brazil, we pull the earlobe of the hero / heroine of the day. Well, it’s not very pleasant. But there are chocolate truffles also, so it’s okay. The lobe pulling is also a Hungarian tradition. The gesture is accompanied by a song that means “God bless you, live long enough for your lobes to touch your ankles”. Celebrate a birthday in Britain In the United Kingdom and Ireland, one of the traditions is the “bump”: one raises the boy or the girl and one hits it on the ground, once if he is one year, ten times if he is ten years old. Five times if he’s five. Seven times if he is ... well, you get it.
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Birthday traditions in North America The United States and Canada have a similar tradition, but with punches. In the United States, there is the “smash cake”: we give a piece of cake to the very small child who celebrates his birthday, so that he does what he wants with it. Therefore, a mess. In Canada, butter is spread on the nose of the birthday person. Other birthday traditions around the world In Nepal, colorful yoghurt is put on the forehead of the person celebrating his birthday. The Mexicans have for birthday song Las Mañanitas, that we sing before eating the cake. Of course, there is also the tradition of piñatas ... ... tradition that is not originally Mexican, but Chinese! It was held to celebrate the new year, and the Europeans brought this concept to Mexico. In China, we still do not offer clocks or watches to an anniversary (at least when we are well intentioned). It has the reputation of bringing bad luck. Individual anniversaries are rare in Vietnam. Anniversaries of residents are usually celebrated at the same time during the Tet (New Year). In Germany, to wish a happy birthday in advance brings bad luck. In Jamaica, we throw flour on the head of the person who celebrates his birthday every year.
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BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES
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Interview with a local volunteer 1. Can you tell us something about yourself? My name is Eleonora, I am 27 years old and I was born in Kalamata. I am a volunteer at the youth center of Kalamata. 2. Why did you chose to volunteer at the Youth Center? I believe that the youth center plays an important role in the city. The youth can be active, creative and have a voice in the city. We achieve this by coordinating the place, organizing the events that we want and developing an intercultural, democratic and peaceful way of thinking. It is giving the chance to the locals to meet people from abroad. It is also offering the opportunity to find out which language, dance or hobby we prefer. For these reasons I wanted to be part of this great action. 3. In your opinion, what is the best part of volunteering? The best part of being a volunteer is the exchange of knowledges. We, as volunteers, have the opportunity to learn and to share several skills by interacting and communicating with different people. Difference is a power, not a problem. 4. What was the biggest challenge you had to face as a volunteer? My voluntary experience so far went quite smoothly. I learnt how to cooperate with people from other countries. I realized that the language is not necessarily an obstacle in the communication. 5. Since the topic is ‘birthday and anniversaries’, would you like to share how you celebrate it? I enjoy celebrating my birthday with my closest friends. The ideal place is next to the beach, since my birthday is during the summer time.
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6. What is your favourite birthday/anniversary memory? My favorite birthday memory is when I celebrated my birthday first time after living a year abroad. It felt nice to be again with my family and friends. 7. What is the best and worst present you ever received? Definitely the worst present was a big dictionary I received from my mother. This gift brought me into tears, which for sure were not out of happiness. I was at elementary school back then. After that, all the other gifts I have received were just perfect! 8. What would you say to a person who is interested in volunteering? I would totally encourage him or her to go for it! Even if this person doesn’t speak good English or if he/she has never travelled abroad. I would suggest to participate in a project that he/she will be interested in, to be open minded about different cultures and living with others and to just enjoy it. Thank you for your time and cooperation.
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AGNES
Interview with an EVS volunteer Hello Ivan! Thank you for coming. For the start, could you tell us something about yourself? I am 26, Russian, but coming from Latvia. Currently I am doing my long term EVS in Kalamata, volunteering as a photographer, video maker and graphic designer. In the beginning this project seemed odd, as I thought volunteering is all about helping the community, but I love what I do. I like cinematography a lot. I also like having deep conversations with people, but I am very selective when it comes to people, so I really appreciate it when I find the ones I can really talk to. Why did you decide to do an EVS in Greece? The answer in simple. I was very discontent with my life in Latvia and decided to try something new. I was working and studying all the time. I started studying electric power engineering, but I left it after one year. Same thing happened with law. Finally, I started studying movie making, which I love. But a year before graduation, I decided to take a gap year to try something new, like volunteering. Firstly I came as a short term,liked the place a lot, so decided to come back. Tell us something about your project KANE organization needed someone to videotape for them, the person that was previously doing it had just quit. I do very basic stuff, clips about the events and projects of KANE, posters, pictures, ensure the visual identity and also provide material for social media.
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What do you like the most about your EVS? What do you dislike the most? I like the freedom. I like the fact that no one is controlling me in any way, with things like time or too high expectations. What I dislike is the fact that I had some expectations in the beginning, that I didn’t necessarily meet. Also the housing conditions are not my favorite, I was used to clean spaces, but in a full house is complicated, everyone is different. Do you think this EVS experience is useful for your future? Absolutely. I believe that whatever happens in your life is a useful experience. I live in a multicultural environment, in a foreign country far away from home. This is improving my travelling skills, I feel much more independent than in Latvia. I truly believe the experience I gained here will help me in the future.
ALEXANDRA
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My sending organization Prisms is a group of experienced youth workers/leaders that came together with the aim of creating an NGO that caters for the requirements of young people and those working with young people. Prisms aims to empowers people with the skills, tools, information and values necessary for personal growth and to be active participants within society. Prisms provides to the necessities of the people it works with through non-formal methods of education so as to reach their needs in a holistic manner. Since its establishment, in 2008, Prisms has embarked on numerous projects that focused on detached youth work, online tools, project management, inclusion, human rights, intercultural dialogue, coaching and mentoring. These projects have been carried out both at a national and European level and in which Prisms’ members have delivered workshops, activities, seminars and training courses. Through the years, Prisms has developed its expertise in online youth work and online tools that provide the opportunity to the youth workers to engage with young people both online and offline. The successful implementation of our initiatives is also attributable to the fact that Prisms has always sought to create meaningful collaborations and we have thus created partnerships with the Directorate for Educational Services with the Ministry for Education and Employment, the Institute for Tourism Studies, the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), the Platform for Human Rights Organisations in Malta (PHROM), St. Patrick’s School, the Karl Vella Foundation (which provides educational and psychological assistance to children in families disrupted by illness and the Mosta Youth Empowerment Centre among others. This ensures that our initiatives are of good quality and that they offer space for youth workers and young people to build their own and their organization capacity whilst also offering good quality youth work practices. Prisms has two main target groups: 1) Young people aged between 13 and 35 years old, 2) Youth workers, youth leaders and other professionals that work with young people. There is no particular age range for this target group.
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Prisms has been implementing projects and organizing training courses on a national and European Level since its setting-up. We invest a lot of time and effort to promote youth work and non-formal education in innovative ways. Prisms members are all engaged in various youth work activities and they are qualified youth workers and SALTO approved trainers. This has enabled us to be the pioneers in detached youth work. Indeed our organisation believes that we should be where the young people are and we should not base our activities on the belief that young people will come to us but rather we should go them. For this reason all our activities and projects are based on an in-depth needs analysis and are built by, with and for the young people. As important is the fact that we believe that youth workers and those working with young people should make use of online youth work practices so as to be closer to the young people and to engage better with them. Indeed, we are engaged in a number of projects that provide more quality youth work through online services. Prisms is also experienced in promoting European Voluntary Service / European Solidarity Corps with young people. Prisms promotes EVS/ESC through various activities like school visits, session at youth centers and also by using social media.
IVAN
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My project Great things never came from comfort zone! November 2018, I moved to Kalamata,Greece for 8 months. My project is taking place at the Youth Center of Kalamata. Which is a small center with a lot of volunteers from local community and abroad,helping youngsters and adults to learn, study and spend their time on the right way. This is unique center , because they don’t have any kind of foundation from anyway, but they are still working and developing their activities for community of Kalamata. The center has many kind of activities like: yoga, tai chi, capoeira, kickboxing, more than 10 languages, painting and religious painting, sculpture, traditional and latin dances,etc.! We were having in the center any kind of parties, events and educational programs. Different culture, people, languages. This could have been out of my comfort zone but in this time I met a lot of nice people , I discovered nice places, enjoyed tasty food and drinks from different countries. During my project I organised some events and ‘’Presentation day of workshops’’, which were pretty much successful. On this way I gained some skills about events organising, communication and how deal with different situations. Of course I had hard working days, pressure with deadlines, emotional parts, but the same time I enjoyed and had more fun feelings for what I am thankful for nice people and their support.
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If you are in Kalamata and you want to have fun, to learn something or just meet nice people this is the right place to go. The only thing that I would like to change in this center it is the building which is old. They need some foundation for developing this center. There are doing cool work but they need a little support for this part. It will be nice if you are reading my article and know people who want to donate and help local community and youth development to talk about us. This year I had the luck to celebrate the 10 years anniversary of the center. We had lottery games, tasty cakes and drinks, people, music, dances and a lot of fun. I wish they could celebrate many more years with as much fun as I had 8 months with them. I would like to say I’m thankful for all people from my project for meetings, learning, challenging, and all knowledge, feeling and emotions. It was great to participate salsa, bachata workshop with Giorgos, Tai Chi and conversational english with my lovely Sofia. I am floating, I am flowing, I am loving, but I am going. With great experiences wishing you Να ειστε καλα!
ANNA
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Previous event As the Youth Center is finishing the 2nd semester, the instructors and participants put a lot of effort preparing a presentation to show us what they learned during the workshops. On the 29st of May, many people gathered at A49 to see the exhibition and to celebrate the 10 years of the Youth Center! Different creations were presented... From foreign languages to martial arts, music to dance... Even the public had the chance to participate in the olive oil tasting workshop! Unfortunately there was no time to present all workshops, yet approximately 20 did it. To every people that were there, I hope you enjoyed and had a wonderful time with us! For those who couldn’t be present, you can join us next semester in September.
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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.