Link 61

Link 61 1 February 2015

Editorial About 7 years ago, a small youth organisation called K.A.NE. was created in the small city of Kalamata. Its goal was to initiate activities for the local youth and support the idea of recognising youth work in Greece. One of the projects K.A.NE. initiated was the Youth Centre of Kalamata. In the beginning (2009) it was a small place in the historical centre of the city. Now a big building which hosts more than 800 people per week. People who are attending workshops, activities, info-days or just hanging out, for free. Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you; Youth Centre of Kalamata is not a typical youth centre. It is a community youth centre based on voluntarism, collective work and mainly breaking the stereotype which imposes that education should be payed.

Long story short, and because many people are tired of the theories, I’ll speak with numbers: - Youth Centre of Kalamata offered free participation in educational workshops and lessons to more than 4000 people.

- Youth Centre of Kalamata organised/participated in more than 300 activities in 5 years.

- Youth Centre of Kalamata created out of zero an open library with more than 1000 books - Youth Centre of Kalamata initiated the Kalamata Street Festival, an international festival which hosts more than 10000 visitors each year - Youth Centre of Kalamata is doing much more, but there is no space here to analyse.

For all the above, we never asked for a single euro from the Greek state or from European Union. Why? Be cause we believe that sustainability doesn’t come through short term solutions or funding which comes and goes. Sustainability is coming through hard work. Also theYouth Centre of Kalamata is not given anything by anyone; We rent the 210 square meters place, we pay our electricity, water and heating bills and we are trying slowly slowly to improve the building we are renting.

However the numbers speak on their own; How to fit 800 people in weekly basis, in that small place? How to manage to create a safer and more accessible environment for the members? We are in front of a unique opportunity. The municipality of Kalamata will offer some of the buildings it owns to associations and organisations. We, as the assembly of the Youth Centre, decided to ask for one of these buildings from the municipality. Why? In this way we will ensure the sustainability of the project, we will improve the quality of the services, we will improve the accessibility for people with disabilities and we will manage to expand our activities and offer more to the youth of Kalamata.

And I think its time to ask a big favour from you; Help us support this request with your support letter or your signature in our “request� letter. If you are interested to be part of this action, please send us an email to: kentroneonkalamatas@ gmail.com and we will send you all information you need.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Filaretos

Who we are My name is lolita but you can call my lola also. I have twenty years old. I studie social work. I love animal and in particularity my favorite are horses. I like dancing, listen music. My personality adventuress, Philosophie of lolita : stay serious but when the time is for enjoy, laugh because life is simple ! =) Aye, i’m Laura nineteen years old and i come from the south of France. I’m interest in learning other language and cultre and that’s why i came the Greece. I’m more of an indoor person with a calm personality and i really like snow that why i love winter but i pefer spring for the flower. XD Hello people, I’m Nuno Davide and I twenty-three years. I’m from Portugal and I live in (Lisbon).

I studied Graphic Design, and I love drawing, painting, listening to music, playing football and many things .. I came to Greece to evolve in my artistic career and learn and experience new cultures English Greek principaly. ;) I am Burçin BEZİRKAN, from Turkey. I am 25 years old and coming from Antalya. I studied Public Administration at Akdeniz (Mediterranean) University and I am doing master at same university and on the same major. Here in Kalamata, I am working in Farma Fifa with Mirto Fifa for Natural Farming Project. I love reading book and watching movies and I love this Country!!!!

Hello everyone, as you already may know, I am Daan the Dutch EVS’er. Don’t confuse it with Deutsch, I am from The Netherlands.

You know, Amsterdam, cheese and weed. Ok, I would love to meet a lot of people, so if you are in for a beer or a coffee, you will find me!

Hello, I’m Agnieszka, I’m 23 years old and I come from Poland. I’m volunteering in Youth Centre of Kalamata. I’m a big fan of music festivals and live music. My favorite season is summer, and the most enjoyable sport is snowboarding ;).

Hallo!

I’m Ines Hofer from Vienna, Austria. I’m 27 years old and studied Zoology (Animal Behaviour) at the University of Vienna. Here in Kalamata, I’m volunteering for Re-think Project and Farma Fifa Permaculture. I like being in the nature, hiking, travelling and enjoying life So..I am from Poland. My name is Kasia and I am 23 years old. I study Croatian language and literature.

Balkan, most of all Serbia, is my place in this world, but I love to travel, to live in different places, to meet new people, because from this people I draw energy and joy. I love to dance and sing even I’m not the best in it. I love to listen to people and see some situations from different perspective. I learn by experience, project in Greece is next step in my “education”.

Like we say: we keep the best for the end so now K.A.NE people

Hello fellow EVSers!

My name is Argyris, Αργύρης, Арјирис, 아라리스 (the last one is Korean, and the one before is my contribution to serbocroatian) and I am the most long-term Euphoric Violent Surrealist (EVS) in K.A.NE., I am an all around player, attacking with the power of unlimited love and laughter and defending with the shield of memory. I have been living in Kalamata and working for K.A.NE. since April 2014 and I know everything about the meaning of life and death. Feel free to ask me whatever you want ☺

Hi my name is Fotini Arapi and I am project manager at K.A.NE. organization and responsible 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 ini tiative managed by a team of local volunteers. I am very proud of and I love the Youth Centre, its dynamic, and most of all its natural inclusiveness that allows everybody to feel “at home” there.

See you around :-D

Filaretos Vourkos / Last 7 years I am working in the field of non formal educa- tion as a volunteer, youth worker and youth trainer. 4 years ago, I decided to create the Youth Centre of Kalamata, in order to initiate the youth work in Kalamata and promote active citizenship as factor of change.

Help needed * CHAIRS

Strange as it may sound, the Youth Center is in need of chairs! As the Youth Centre acquires more and more members, and the use of the chairs is extensive, our poor old chairs are breaking down. As it is, it is impossible to have all the chairs that the workshops need. If you have any chairs that you do not use, or you think that you can spare, you can bring them!

* MARKERS for the white board

As all of the language workshops make use of the white board, we consume approximately 3 markers per week!

* Pens

You can never have enough of those!

* Computers

Unfortunately, the Youth Centre at the moment has only 1 working (almost) computer to be used in the info-point. We need at least 1 more computer to be used in the dance workshops (for now we are using a borrowed one) and 1 more for the outside activities‌

* Volunteers

As you may have noticed, most of the time in the Youth Centre, apart from our lovely volunteers from abroad, there is usually also a Greek speaking volunteer around, to give information about the workshops and help in case it is needed. If you want to become and volunteer in the Youth Centre and dedicate 2-3 hours per week to help with the running of the Youth Centre, please, do not hesitate to contact us at: kentroneonkalamatas@gmail.com

Military service in Greece Interview with the Greek person Takis

•How old are you ?

I’m twenty nine years old.

•When do you do military service in Greece?

We do it normally after school, but you can also stop your studies to go to the army.

•Does everybody have to go to the army?

It’s very difficult not to go in the military, but you can write special letter, include some political or religion reasons or give other arguments to explain why you don’t want go to army. After 35 years old you can pay for not going to army.

•Are there any consequences of not going to the army ?

You can’t work in the public administration (like civil servant).

•Did you do the army ? If yes, what did you do during your military service ?

Yes, I did army when I was 26 years old. The first week of army you pass some health and psychological tests. First months you learn about order in general, how to be ready at 6.30 for example. Then you learn some basic things about defense and weapons. You go in the boarder and with group of people you get some specific tasks. For me it was « machine gun ».

•How does it look the typical day in army?

You wake up at 6h30 and you go to sleep at 18h30, during the day you do different exercises.

•What do you think about military service ?

Generally I didn’t like this experience. It was boring and not necessary. However, I found some pleasure to see the borders and military place. It was good sensation to hold a gun .

•Did military service has any impact on your life ?

It didn’t have real impact on my life. I learnt in the army to have fun without having anything. After this experience I feel more patient than before.

Lolita Garcia

Winter time in Poland!

Poland does not belong to the warmest places in Europe especially during winter time‌ However for many reasons it attracts many people every year!

Most crowded during winter time are cities and little villages located in mountains. Enthusiasts of winter sports can find plenty of ski slopes with different difficulty levels. Prices are quite low comparable to other ski & snowboard places in Europe. Poland does offer more than 200 ski slopes, what is rather not well-known among foreigners. Many of them are lighted and people can enjoy ski and snowboarding in the evening and randomly during the night!

But why does Poland winter common places make a difference in compare to other European winter spots?

Winter might be very strong in Poland… but it might be an added value as our mountain villages are full of wooden bars called ‘Karczma’ …There are fireplaces inside and menu offers hot beer and wine and typical mountain food- Placki po zbójnicku, knows also as Hungarian pancakes. Inside you can find inside people wearing traditional mountain costumes who plays traditional mountain music. So…If you are in mountains don’t forget to look for polish Karcma, as there is nobody who would not enjoy sitting in warm and cosy place, with incredible atmosphere, looking on the snow and ice behind the windows.

On the streets of mountain little towns you can find typical smoked cheese called oscypki, serving mostly with cranberry sauce. There different types and shapes of oscypki, you can eat them hot and cold.

There are a lot of well known places in polish mountains like Karpacz, Ustrzyki Dolne or

Szczyrk‌ But if you plan a trip to polish mountains be explorer and travel also around non-turistic villages and discover traditional polish mountain culture spirit‌Heart of polish mountains is Zakopane, place located in Tatry mountains. In centre there is a long passage with many different attractions. You can buy there souvenirs and go for a ride on a horse chaise..

Before you plan your trip make yourself to feel this magical atmosphere with polish traditional mountain music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyMmD1egQXQ

Agnieszka Lul

New Drawing in the Youth Center Hello, I’m Nuno Davide, I have 22 years old, I am Graphic Design artist and writer graffiti. I have the job of painting and decorate the Youth Center. I am currently painting a young child, representing young people in the Youth Center. First we started to work the image in Photoshop program, to know the layers and colors we want. Second, we have the pattern projection on the wall, where we work around the design to make sure that the design is well centered.

Third we started to fill in the drawing, the majorparts of drawing and then passed the part of thebrush so that the design is a well-aligned contour.

Nuno Davide

Interview with Volunteer 1)Hello Daan. Can you give us a short information about yourself ?

Of course! I am Daan, 24 years old and I am from The Netherlands.

I have a lovely big family with 2 sisters and 1 brother, and a lovely nephew of 8 month’s old.

2)How is your Project going on?

Very good. I enjoy my time very much. I work in the daycare center for children with autism. I study social work and will finish this month. So my profession is connected very well with the project.

3) What are the advantages and disadvantages of your Project for you?

I learn a lot about autism. And specificly with children. They give me so much energy that I definitely will search for a simular job if I go back to The Netherlands.

Disadvantages: I really dont have.

4) Do you like Greece? Do you enjoy your time here?

Absolutely yes.

The environment is amazing and beautifull. The people are friendly so to live a year in this country is not problem at all.

5) Do you like Kalamata? What is your hobbies here?

I think Kalamata is perfect for me. I live back at home also in a small city and the atmosphere is a little bit the same. Nice bar’s with lovely bar owners, everything is close and it is very easy to get to know people.

I like a lot riding my bike here. It is amazing to go to my work everyday on my bike, ride along the beach and enter my work with a big smile. Besides that i like going for a coffee, a swim and a beer!

6) What is similar to your culture in Greek culture?

What I personally notice is the fact that we both try to enjoy life as much as possible. I think that is the only cultural similarity haha. For the rest, maybe the fact the we have a lot of Greek restaurants in The Netherlands? ;)

7) What is different from your culture?

Almost everything. In Holland there is too much structure.

Maybe it is a good thing but it brings more stress than necessary.

Besides that family in Greece is very important, in The Netherlands it is not like this. We go out of the house when we are 18 (in general) and in Greece they stay very long with their parents.

8) If you had a chance would you stay here longer?

If yes or if not, why?

Yes, I will. I love it very much here and if there is a good opportunity to find a nice job or project, I will sign for it. Especially if it is a job related to Holland, so that i can travel between my favorite countries.

9) When you go back to your country what will be different for you? Your personality? Behaviour?

Or anything else?

I think I will appreciate life much more. I will take time for my coffee instead of drinking it in the train or bus.

10)Do you want to add anything else?

No, thank you.

Burรงin Bezirkan

“Costa Con Zoo?” Once and then, in Kalamata, a huge battleship full of retired people arrives at the port of this lovely paradise. In the summer this place is crowded with youngsters who dances if their lives depend of it, but so once in a while also the old ones from all over the world try to find a piece of their childhood.

For me it is an intriguing spectacle. The last times you hear a lot of story’s about cruise ships with an unhappy ending. Like the Costa Concordia, the Italian cruise ship that almost sank to the bottom of the ocean. And a short time before, the mighty Titanic that was not able to reach America because it run into mother nature. Maybe a nice fact to tell, the Titanic was heading for Kalamata to do a short stop for a day. At least, that is what they told me.

Back to the topic, I am really interested why a lot of people still like to go on a trip with a huge boat like the Costa Romantica.

(The one on the picture). You spend your entire holiday puking on deck, sleeping in a small cabin, share your food with greedy all-inclusive lovers and praying that there will be no big iceberg sailing around the warm waters of the Mediterranean.

For me reasons enough to buy a coffee, sit at the port and throw peanuts at them when they sail of. I don’t need to go to the zoo this year I think.

Daan Roorda

The Problem with plastic Take a look around you- most of what we eat, drink, or use in any way comes packaged in plastic- a material designed to last forever, yet used for products that we then throw away.

This throwaway mentality is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Just a generation ago, we packaged our products in reusable or recyclable materials – glass, metals, and paper, and designed products that would last. Today, our landfills and beaches are awash in plastic packaging, and expendable products that have no value at the end of their short lifecycle. We currently recover only 5% of the plastics we produce. What happens to the rest of it? Roughly 50% is buried in landfills, some is remade into durable goods, and much of it remains “unaccounted for”, lost in the environment where it ultimately washes out to sea.

Around the world, plastic pollution has become a growing plague, blocking our waterways, damaging marine ecosystems, and entering the marine food web. Much of the plastic trash we generate on land flows into our oceans through storm drains and watersheds. It falls from garbage and container trucks, spills out of trashcans, or is tossed carelessly. In the ocean, some of these plastics (Polycarbonate, Polystrene, and PETE) sink, while LDPE, HDPE, Polypropylene, and foamed plastics float on the oceans surface.

Sunlight and wave action cause these floating plastics to fragment, breaking into increasingly smaller particles, but never completely disappearing- at least on any documented time scale. This plastic pollution is becoming a hazard for

marine wildlife, and ultimately for us. 44% of all seabird species, 22% of all sea turtle species, and a growing list of fish species have been documented with plastic in or around their bodies. When marine animals consume plastic trash, presumably mistaking it for food, this can lead to internal blockages, dehydration, starvation, and potentially death. Also of deep concern for societies are the potential human health impacts of toxic chemicals entering the marine food chain through plastics.

Changing this situation doesn’t require any major efforts, costs, or even lifestyle changes. If everyone in the world simply made a few changes in the way they consume plastic items, the problem would at least be limited – and, with changed attitudes, those in power could slowly mend the damage that’s been done.

By simply re-using as much plastic products as you can, you do your bit to save the environment. Instead of buying a fresh bottle of water or soft drink every day, refill an old one. Bottled water has no significant advantage over regular tap water at all and tap water is so much cheaper than bottled, and so much better for you than fizzy drinks! About 1 million plastic bags are used every minute, and a single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade. So, reuse your plastic bags or –even better- use reusable bags (for example made of cotton). Or buy laundry detergent and dish soap in boxes instead of plastic bottles. Cardboard can be more easily recycled and made into more products than plastic.

If everyone in the world would make a couple of changes, this problem would be dramatically reduced. Make the change today, because until we all do, this problem won’t go away.

Ines Hofer

SERNIK CHEESKAKE It is one of the most common desserts in Polish restaurants and at home. It is really easy to prepare. I recomend you to try.

Ingredient Crust: • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 1/2 cup sugar • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder • 5 ounces (1 1/4 sticks) cold butter • 2 large egg • 3 tablespoons sour cream Filling: • 5 ounces (1 stick + 2 tablespoons) softened butter • 2 cups sugar • 4 large eggs, separated • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 2 pounds dry curd cheese or twaróg or quark cheese, passed through a sieve or processed in a blender until smooth

Preparaton Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soften the cream cheese in blender, beat in sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add flavor extract, blend well. Pour batter into buttered 10 inch springform pan, and bake for approximately 40 mintues or until lightly browned.

When cake is cool, spread with topping made from a mix of the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Bake again at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Keep refrigerated.

Καλή όρεξη! ;)

KATARZYNA CHOJNOWSKA

Project of a volunteer Hello, my name is Laura and i’m here in Kalamata in order to do an EVS. My project, host by K.A.NE association is media communicatin: computer work.

In fact i will be here for 9 month so until the end of July i will have the time to do a lot of thing.

First i’m responsible of youth center blog: evskamata.blogspot.gr. I will put more often more article in order to update the news and what happen in Kalamata and our life.

Second i’m responsible of the design and publishing the Link. It does’t looks like it, but it’s a lot of work because you have to organise the article to choose the theme of the link to make sure there is everythig that need to be are there.

And to finish my bigger project is to create a platform for EVS in Greece. It will be a place where all general information aout EVS can be found,. There will be the list of every project possible to take place in Greece with a list of every association which are hosting project in Greece.

There will be share experience with previous volunteerand description of there project .

Useful information about the city where it took place , etc...

I’m site

also responsible of doing the new webof K.A.NE and will update information.

And the

in a street

near periode i festival websie

may and

help with preparation.

Like you could see my project is most of the time sitting in front odf the computer, ut i aso hep with the French giving with another french volunteer , and in the preparaion of future event.

Laura Doddi

Coming soon *New Schedule for the new Semester.

After the meeting on Saturday to decide of what will become of the Youth Center, was decide to continue so a new Schedule of the lessson will arrive in a near future. * Anti Valentine Day. A party will be organise in the youth Center on the 13th of February to celebrate Valentine in our way with hert brken decoration. * EVS Cafe An event organise at the end of february where you share in front of a nice drink more information about EVS and opportunity.

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.

The End