LINK #119 by NGO K.A.NE.

LINK

a u g u s t 1 st 2 0 1 8

NÂ°119

August Editor: OphĂŠlie Cottier

Designer/cover photo: Majka Dokudowicz

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#LINKEXPLORE

CONTENT Contact About us Most surprising EVS moment The freshest experience First EVS moment Ophelie Cottier

5 6 14

EVS, K.A.NE.

17 20 23

Angelina Kaysina All EVS and ACT Shukri Jama

28 32 41

Majka Dokudowicz Maria SchĂ¤dler Alice Jeavons Nicolas Jaouen

44 48 50 52

Life-changing experience Life-changing experience Life-changing research findings Life experienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aftertaste Photo report Universal Declaration of Human Rights My project Interview with EVS volunteer Past Event: Hiking to Neda Sending organization

Life-changing experience

K.A.NE. EVS: Angelina Kaysina Antía Fernández Martínez Majka Dokudowicz Mina Duma Ola Kaczurba Ophélie Cottier Paquita Couppey Sheila Gómez

Staff members of K.A.NE.: Filaretos Vourkos Jelena Scepanovic Nancy Kanellopoulou Nantiana Koutiva Afrodite Katsichtis Antonia Vrioni

Interns:

Lê Hồng Đức

ACT Volunteers: Alice Jeavons Nicolas Jaouen Rachael Worthen Shukri Jama

@kane.kalamata

WHO ARE WE?

OLA

PAQUITA

Angelina

Hello there! My fool name is Aleksandra but everyone calls me Ola. I’m 19 and I just finished high school. I come from capital of Poland – Warsaw. I love chocolate, amazing harmonies, good guitar riffs, totally crazy hairstyles and classic rock. I’m a dancer therefore I will be teaching contemporary dance in the Youth Centre but my primary job will be in therapeutic horse riding centre.

Hi ! My name is Paquita, I'm 26 years old and I'm from Marseille in France. I will stay here for 11 months. My mission will be working in therapeutic horse-riding centre and in KEFIAP Center assisting people with disabilities. I just finished my studies in Art-therapy and I'm very enthusiastic to begin my EVS. This will be a great experience for me :)

Hello! I’m Angelina and 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 Russian language and fitness + stretching workshop.

Sheila Kalimera, I am Sheila from Spain, I love Kalamata and sharing moments with amazing people. I am a volunteer in Kefiap - center helping people with dissabilities. I studied environmental sciences. I like nature, animals, travellig, dance salsa, capoeira and to have fun!

OPHELIE

AntIa

Bonjour! My name is Ophélie, I come from France. I am in Kalamata for 11 months and will volunteer at the Day Care Center for children with autism. Living abroad is a wonderful opportunity to meet fascinating people and learn about cultures. It allows to become independent, open-minded and avoid ethnocentrism. I can’t wait to discover the greek way of life and visit the country. I’m also excited about tasting the food (of course!). I like to exchange and discover 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!

MINA

MAJKA

RACHAEL

I’m Mina and I’m a 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 opportunity to meet and work with many beautiful people. I'm into si-fi 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.

Hello! I’m Majka, I’m 28 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 a graphic designer, I’ve finish Academy of Fine Arts and I’ve participated in more than 50 exhibitions worldwide. In Kalamata, I will work in the office and I will also create my own projects.

Hello my name’s Rachael, I’m 21 and I’ve just finished my degree in Psychology at the University of Liverpool. I love Art and History and in my spare time you could find me doing anything from SFX makeup to portraiture, or simply reading a history book. I’m excited for the opportunity to meet other volunteers from different cultures and engage in a project that I’m extremely passionate about.

SHUKRI

ALICE

Hello I am Shukri, I am from Liverpool, I am 25 year old. I will be in Kalamata for 2 months Act project, I am working in Liverpool, I have done several l youth exchanges but being in Kalamata will be my longest exchange.

My name is Alice, I come from Birmingham in England and I am 21 years old. I have just finished studying Law in Liverpool, where I volunteered with refugees providing support for women who were victims of abuse, human rights abuse or if they just needed a space to talk. Now I am here for 6 months working with ACT to raise awareness of the current refugee crisis in Greece. In my spare time I love to read and socialise with my friends.

NICOLAS

duc

Hello, my name is Nicolas, I'm 25 years old, and I come from Lille in north of France. Last years, I worked as a volunteer in an association in Lille for a civic service. There, I worked with families in precarious situations, help them save money and, at the same time, raise their awareness of sustainable development. I am in Kalamata for 6 months to work on the ACT project to help migrants and refugees. In my life, I like music, reading books, watching series and having good times with friends.

Hello everyone! My name is Duc and I’m originally from Vietnam but have been residing in a small but beautiful city of Fredericton in the province of New Brunswick, Canada for the last 2 years. I’m currently studying Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Leadership at the University of New Brunswick and will be in Kalamata for 10 weeks for my international internship with K.A.N.E. as a requisite of my degree. I chose K.A.N.E. because its objective aligns with what I’m passionate about such as youth development, civic engagement, social inclusion and volunteerism.

K.A.NE.

FILARETOS

jelena

NANTIANA

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.

Nancy

ANTONIA

AFRODITE

Hello World! I’m Nancy and I’m doing my internship in K.A.NE as a Project Manager. I am really excited to be here because I was always admiring their work especially the Youth Center and Street Festival. I’m passionate about meeting people and exchange knowledge, experiences and ideas. I love the fact that many young people visit every year my hometown Kalamata and contribute in our society.

Hello, I'm Antonia and l'm 23 years old. I studied business administration in Athens and now I'm doing my internship in K.A.NE. as an office manager. I'm really enthusiastic to be a part of this team and work together so that young people have more opportunities to meet different people and cultures, exchange ideas, travel the world and OPEN their minds!!!

Hello, I am Afrodite. I studied Psychology and Human Resources Management and I have been working with volunteers for the last few years. I just arrived in Kalamata and started working in K.A.NE as an EVS Coordinator. I am really excited to be here and work with you!

LIFE-CHANGING EXPIRIENCE oNE M o sLEGEND t surp FROM r i s iYOUR n g E COUNTRY VS m o m en t OPHÉLIE It happened when I was searching more information about the Youth Pass to help my menties. I suddenly stopped and looked at the last past 5 months. At that time I felt stuck in a routine and saw my life in Kalamata as “same old, same old”. I got an insight and realized of all the challenges I passed through and the positive changes they brought. It shown the power of the EVS, on condition that the volunteer is willing to improve and to go out of his/her comfort zone.

NELLA I had such surprising moment in my evs, so choosing one is really difficult.I will say the day I've been to polylimnio waterfalls. It was really amazing to see -just 1h away from the city - such a beautiful nature.

ALICE My most surprising moment was when we asked people to be a part of our minute silence on the port for world refugee day. I was expecting only a few people to show up as it is quite a way to walk for just one minute. But in the end nearly everyone was there! It was so lovely to see how much everyone cared and how willing they are to help everyone in their organisations.

OLA In general EVS is such an intense experience full of surprises both positive and negative, it's very hard to choose the “most" one. One of the best ones tho was experiencing dance therapy sessions during “Dancing my way" project. At some point of my stay here, it was exactly what I needed to restart myself.

MARIA It was maybe not the MOST surprising one but seeing how nice everyone was when I just arrived was amazing, the people in the house, in the office, in the shelter, the dogs :P Just everyone was immediately nice and welcoming, couldn't have been better.

MAJKA I think the most surprising moment for me was in the day we were setting up the exhibition - Sunday afternoon so free day for almost everyone. I needed around 3 people to help me, and when I arrived almost everyone was there! It was a moment I really felt supported and amazed :). I was sure from that moment that everything will go nice and smooth.

SHEILA It was in April when all volunteers made a goodbye party to Antoine. We went to Bouloukou house for dinner in the balcony. At some point I saw one amazing chocolate cake with writen of it “Happy 30th Birthday Sheila”. It was wonderful,we spend time all together and we danced “Vasiliki” and had fun!

ANGELINA You might expect all-the-best review after living in Kalamata for 8 months. But most surprising moment personally for me was the unpleasant experience of being stolen. Chaotic Athens teaches life lessons on the streets on broad daylight.

NICOLAS I don't think I have a really more surprising moment than the others... So I would say that the most surprising moments was when I discovered the city and got to know other volunteers with different backgrounds. The atmosphere is very friendly and I have always had good times in general.

DUCK When I first set my foot in Athens and on my way to Kalamata, the first thing that caught me the most by surprise were the graffiti, visible in every corner of Greece from Athens to Kalamata. Some might call it vandalism but I would consider it as street art which illustrates the Greek youthfulness, their expressions, aspirations and talents.

RACHAEL The most surprising moment I’ve had in Kalamata was how thoughtful all the volunteers are, whether it’s a leaving party or birthday, everyone always puts in loads of effort to make the day a special one. Everyone is also really supportive of one another’s achievements, one person’s happiness is not exclusive to them but shared by the whole group.

SHUKRI The most surprising moment in EVS is meeting new people from different projects and different countries.

LIFE-CHANGING EXPIRIENCE The freshest experience OPHĂ&#x2030;LIE Without hesitation: the week including the road trip to Meteora and the mid-term seminar. Spending days in amazingly beautiful places far away from the routine was both literally and figuratively a breath of fresh air. Living this experience with 4 girls that I spend my daily life in Kalamata but I really meet during that trip was the cherry on the top of the cake, because truly met beautiful human beings.

NELLA I think it's all the time we have been to the beach, with my ananas inflatable, had great memories from these moments with all evs

ALICE The hiking trip to lake Neda was so refreshing. Having no phone for around 6 hours, just walking through the river being surrounded by nature; I lost all sense of time. Having no connection to the outside world was so relaxing I am definitely going to try and do it more often.

OLA When I came back from my vacation in Poland, I felt very bad and following week was hard for me. One of the volunteers, Ophelie, took me to eat breakfast out of the house and simple talk about everything and nothing set my mind back on the right tracks.

MARIA Choosing to take a dog home at the end of my EVS was a huge decision, I had it in my mind since coming here knowing I will work in the dog-shelter, but actually making the decision that comes with a lot of responsibility was a big step but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very happy about it.

MAJKA There is this saying that if you really need something you will find it. It happened to me lately. I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t in good mood since some time but we planned with other evs volunteers a trip to Polilimnio waterfalls. Pure nature, amazing waterfalls, birds sounds, swimming in cold water - all of it worked as a medicine to me. So if you ever need it, try this.

SHEILA We went with the Kalamata hiking club to the river Nedas I felt free, without thoughts and with nature. https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=To6rg4ZZqxc&feature=share

ANGELINA Unlike the typical traveller who knows ins and outs in the industry, I still feel like a stray child, despite volunteering in Kalamata for 8 months. Hiking trip to Neda river was the latest physical, thrilling, natural challenge which boosted up my inner triggers. And made me realized that everything will finish less than in a month..

NICOLAS I would say the cave excursion. One of the few times I was able to move around. I was able to visit the area a bit more, discover very nice places, spend good times with others and even camp! It was a refreshing experience.

DUCK One of the most refreshing experiences I have had in Greece was during my first week. I had the chance to visit the beach of Koroni with my new friends. It was so refreshing as my last time being on the beach was 5 years ago.

RACHAEL The most refreshing experience was seeing my mom and visiting Polilimnio waterfalls. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is a naturally stunning place that I would highly recommend visiting

SHUKRI The most refreshing experience is going to Stupa for camping. It was beautiful, peaceful, and had a fun time with everyone.

LIFE-CHANGING EXPIRIENCE fi rs t E VS m o m e n t OPHÉLIE At least the third time I am mentioning that evening in the LINK but anyway I will go for it one more time: my first night out at Café Santé. Speaking, laughing, drinking, eating in English while sharing habits and words from our own country brought me an indescriptible feeling of happiness. This is the UE spirit, the intercultural wealth, the aim of Erasmus+, this is one of my survival need.

NELLA My first evs moment was when we shared our first breakfast, at 6 am. Everyone brang it own food, making coffees, tea, toast. It is amazing how food reunite people!

ALICE My first EVS experience was the day after I arrived. Everyone organised a dinner party to welcome the new UK volunteers and it was such a lovely way to get to know everyone! It was my first encountering of the group, getting together and cooking dishes and bringing drinks to create one big meal. We ate food, drank and I learnt how to play UNO! I’ve never felt so welcomed so quickly into a new environment and I will never forget it.

OLA I came to Kalamata by car and so after getting lost (obviously! So many one-way streets) and meeting my coordinator, I came under my apartment. I had so many bags/stuff/luggage very unorganized after several days of traveling… and a huuuuuge watermelon. And, being myself, I said “No one is touching my things, I'm bringing them up by myself!”. I entered the flat with literally everything on me. And for a week the only thing on my fridge shelf was an endless watermelon. 20

MARIA My first special moment already happened when arriving. Coming from Liechtenstein almost everything was different, the look of everything, the fact that I cannot read the letters, the climate (it was basically warm for me in February), the infrastructures and everything else was a small culture shock.

MAJKA Well my first EVS moment wasn’t what I expected. As my plane was late I needed to stay for the night in Athens, then I was stack in the traffic and I missed the bus, then the next bus arrived too early in Kalamata and I was waiting alone at the bus station. Finally when I arrived to the house (Aristomenous back than) after I fastly unpack there was no one in the house - not even my roommate - but she left me a note (I still have it in my small notebook).

SHEILA My first EVS moment was when I was alone in the plane from Czech Republic to Greece. Nobody except me and the hostess in the flight, I couldn't believe this could happen. I arrived in Kalamata on a Friday, and I spend the night out with the amazing volunteers at Café Santé.

ANGELINA After arriving to Kalamata it took me a couple of days to adjust to new schedule, weather, people and vibes of Greece. Memorable moment was my first visit to Youth Center, my actual working place. Caught by the whirl of ambitious extremely friendly locals, I fell into the fold of the Youth Center coordinators, for 6 winter-spring months.

NICOLAS I remember a meal that we had all together after the exhibition. We were all invited to the restaurant and I could really taste the typical dishes of the region and get to know the volunteers. I'd only been here since two weeks and it really got me in the mood.

DUCK The first experience that I had during my internship with K.A.N.E. is the diversity of people from varied backgrounds, ethnicities, nationalities, creeds and languages. From where I live to my first project, that diversity has given me the vibrancy, enthusiasm and sense of belonging.

RACHAEL My first EVS experience was getting lost, which I did for several days before getting my bearings. I decided to go old school and ditch google maps. My granddad always says ‘as long as you’ve got a tongue in your head you’re never lost’ - easier said than done when you can’t speak greek.

SHUKRI My first EVS moment arriving in Kalamata and meeting the people for the first time, getting to know them individual.

LIFE-CHANGING EXPIRIENCE Li fe-c h a n g i n g r es ea rc h fi n d i n g s

For the « Life-changing experience », the choice has been made to highlight two powerful TED-Talks. Through this article, we will keep discovering relation between psychology and the current main topic of the LINK. From the work of a psychiatrist and a psychologist, possible “life-changing knowledge” will be shared. The purpose, through the presentation of these researches, is to make readers aware that our psychological well being is as important as our physical health and we have to take care of the former as much as we are doing with the latter. I. What makes a good life? Psychiatrist psychoanalyst, R.Waldinger is the 4th director of a 75-year-old Harvard study on adult development. In 1938 they started to follow 19 years-old men and the study never stopped since. The 724 participants were divided in two groups: students 23

at Harvard University (one of them was the latter President J.F.Kennedy) and inhabitants of Boston’s poorest neighborhood. From 1938 to 2015 (the time of the TED-Talk and it is still on track nowadays) men were reached every two years to speak about their work, health, home life with self-answering questionnaires, home interviews, analyze of medical records, blood tests, brain scans, video recording while talking with their wives about their deepest concerns. This study gave answers to the fascinating and intricate question everybody would like to have an answer: What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? Are you ready to discover the key of healthy aging and a happy life? First clue, it is neither fame nor money! So what is the key to be healthy through life? Taking care of your body as well as taking care of your relationships! As Waldinger said, the former assumption is a revelation! Three main lessons have been learnt about relationships from these men’s life trajectories: The present Harvard study stressed social connections are not only good for us but vital: “Loneliness kills”. Results shown that people the more socially connected (family, friends, community) are happier, physically healthier and live longer than people who are less well connected. The experience of loneliness turns out to be toxic and is said by Waldinger to be “as powerful as smoking and alcoholism”. Participants more isolated- than they want to be -are less happy. They also see their health declines earlier in midlife and their brain functioning declines sooner. In general lonely people are living shorter than non-lonely people. Neither the quantity nor being in committed relationships is mattering. The quality of your close relationships does. By trying to predict who (among the participants) will grow into a happy, healthy 80 years old, they found out the satisfaction about the relationships was the key, not the medical data. Indeed, it has been stressed that the most satisfied in their relationships at 50 years-old were the healthiest at age 80. They were physically and psychologically better: “The most happily partnered men and women reported, in their 80s, that on the days when they had more physical pain, their mood stayed just as happy but the people who were in unhappy relationships on the days when they reported more physical pain, it was magnified by more emotional pain”. 24

The third lesson stresses relation between mental health and physical well-being. Indeed, the research shown that good relationships protect body and brain. A secure relationship to another person at 80 has been shown to be a protective factor against memory loss: “people who are in relationships where they really feel they can count on the other person in times of need those people’s memories stay sharper longer”. Having strong social support has been linked to less mental deterioration during aging. There is no relationship without up and down but what matters is to know you can count on somebody else. A previous study director, Vaillant, summed up the 6 “good aging” factors learnt from this study: physical activity, absence of alcohol abuse and smoking, having mature mechanisms to cope with life’s ups and downs, enjoying both healthy weight and stable marriage. “Participants who fared the best were the ones who leaned into relationships with family, friends, community” highlights the actual director. The study also showed that the level of satisfaction with relationships in midlife is a better predictor of healthy aging/longevity than genetic and long-lived ancestors. Whatever the period of your life and the changes, keep working on your relationships as the happier participants did: “[…] the happiest in retirement were the people who had actively worked to replace workmates with new playmates.” Might these knowledge become part of each of us daily caring routine for a long happy and healthy life! II. Why we all need to practice emotional first aid Guy Winch, a psychologist, also highlights the danger of loneliness. He describes it as a creator of “a deep psychological wound that distorts our perceptions and scrambles our thinking. It makes us believe that those around us care much less than they actually do. It makes us really afraid to reach out because why set yourself up for rejection and heartache when your heart is already aching more than you can stand? Loneliness is defined purely subjectively. It depends solely on whether you feel emotionally or socially disconnected from those around you”. Winch sums up the findings of many researches on loneliness: death. Among the results, he shared the most breathtaking: “Chronic loneliness increases your likelihood of an early death by 26%, it causes high blood pressure, high cholesterol. It even suppresses the functioning of your immune system making you vulnerable to all kinds 25

of illnesses and diseases. Scientists have concluded that taken together chronic loneliness poses as a significant risk for your long-term health and longevity as cigarette smoking”. The author gives advices to break the loneliness circle and healing the psychological wounds. First becoming aware of the distorted perceptions is essential as well as, having faith in positive responses of people around. From this awareness starting to “take action” is the psychologist’s first advice. It might be reaching out people you were used to be close to and suggest a encounter. The second advice is “give the benefit of the doubt” to the others: stopping getting in touch was not because of you but because of life events (stress, work, opportunities, family…). The last advice is “approach with positivity”. Even thus you might fear rejection try to communicate in a positive way: avoid accusations or statements of disconnect “you might not have time to see me” but express positive sentiments as “miss you” and specific invitations as “let’s have a coffee next week”. On his work, Winch fights to stress the urge to consider our mental health as important as our physical one and the urge to give tools to practice emotional hygiene and this since childhood! As the psychological health is underestimate, sometimes we do not even know that we are injured or we have the tendency to hurt ourselves again and again. As he stresses we would never injured again a physical wound, however with psychological ones we are doing it all the time (for instance blaming ourselves, convinced ourselves of our undesirability…). From a 75-years-old study, to advices to break free from the loneliness vicious circle, the aim of the present article was to light the need to prioritize the psychological 26

health to have better, longer, healthier life ! To make the point stronger about the need to care about our mental health, this article will finish with Winch powerful quote (TEDTalks,2015): “Even though there are scientifically proven techniques we could use to treat psychological injuries we don’t. It doesn’t even occur to us that we should. “Oh you’re feeling depressed? Just shake it off; it’s all in your head.” Now can you imagine saying that to someone with a broken leg? “Oh, just walk it off; it’s all in your leg”. It is time we close the gap between our physical and psychological”

Sources What makes a good life? Video:https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_ lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness Article: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/04/over-nearly-80-yearsharvard-study-has-been-showing-how-to-live-a-healthy-and-happy-life/ Why we all need to practice emotional first aid? Video: https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_the_case_for_emotional_hygiene/upnext?referrer=playlist-talks_to_watch_if_you_have_roommates Article : https://ideas.ted.com/how-to-beat-loneliness/ OPHELIE COTTIER 27

LIFE-CHANGING EXPIRIENCE L i f e e x p e r i e n c e ' s a f t e r ta s t e

You might expect all-the-best review after living in Kalamata for 8 months. But most surprising moment personally for me was the unpleasant experience of being stolen. Chaotic Athens teaches life lessons on the streets on broad daylight. It was bound to happen sometime. When you stick your important possessions onto your body, the universe is merciful and let those possessions eventually come back home with you. And usually they do. But sometimes, you let your guard down. Sometimes, you are with good people you befriended on road, and the world seems ridiculously warm and shiny. Sometimes, you assume your fellow travelers are watching your bag which isn’t fair considering you didn’t ask them to. Sometimes, your purse is stolen right off your nose. I’ve been very lucky. Up until the incident I had traveled with expensive camera, a wallet full of plastic, and laptop. The thief didn’t get away with much, save for one of my favorite compact travel bags, old clothes and... sadly for me, 28

International passport with visa inside. Immediately blocked passport appeared useless for the theft but caused numerous visits to international institutions, headache of mine, my coordinatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spare time, exhausting one-day-trips to Athens and continuous paper issuing. I remember the horrible emotion I felt at the time - a crashing blow to the ego and embarrassment as I realized I had no one to blame but myself. Back in my country I will tend to be savvy traveler, who keeps eye on bags, who might seem paranoid about all the luggage and who considers every tripmate as a potential thief. I had been told by my parents from childhood about silly travelers who left things unattended and were relieved of them. I had lived in multimillion city since 18 alone, gone abroad by myself at 21. Probably it meant to happen. However I must admit that the same day I was startled, literally. Found comfort in complete strangers help, was given a key from a nice up-to-date appartement in the center of Athens (after living in a large volunteer family it was a luxury!), met people who I might not have crossed paths otherwise. That was my experience, yet better be safe than sorry. Next time. For this purpose I beg you, future and current volunteers, all globetrotters, to have a look on the tips bellow and have only positive memorable moments in another country!

To o u t s m a r t t h e s t r e e t s The classic — a push on the street One pickpocket “accidentally“ bumps into a victim. Another one, ”accidentally" passing by, takes the wallet from the victim’s purse or pocket. Sometimes the 2 thieves act like they are fighting in public to distract someone and make them lose focus. Headphones trick People wearing headphones are an easy target because they are already distracted by their music. The easiest thing is to steal their phone: petty thieves carefully unplug the headphones cord and take the phone. Music lovers will first blame the headphones and look at them. It will take them a while to figure out what happened. This method works especially well in a subway entrance — people focus on looking for their pass or money and don’t pay much attention. Subway frauds In rush hour, if you are the last person to get into the subway car and you’re standing next to the doors, hold your stuff tightly. There is a kind of pickpocket that runs to the subway doors a second before they close and openly grabs things from your hands. Before you realize what’s happening, the doors will be closed. If someone intrudes on your personal space and maybe even pushes you, never turn your back on them! That’s the whole point: you’ll be facing toward others, and your bag will be on display. At the same time, the thief could look totally innocent, perhaps just staring at their phone or reading. 30

Map trick There are thieves in tourist crowds who pretend to be tourists themselves. They will show you a map and ask for your help in locating something. And while you are sincerely trying to help, a fake tourist will dip into your bag or pocket. You should be suspicious if they are trying to get the map as close to your face as possible. Spilling method This trick is mostly staged near ATMs in malls, next to cafes, restaurants. A pickpocket spills a drink or drops an ice cream/coffee/ketchup on a victim who has just withdrawn cash. Then the thief heartily apologizes, helps to clean up the clothes and clears out the pockets.The same trick might be used just on the street, while the thief noted on the would-be bird unpleasant surprise on your clothes. Grocery store trap If you are a person who likes placing your purse in the shopping cart, you can fall victim to a very simple trick. These guys usually timidly ask for help with finding or reaching a certain product. While you are trying to help, focusing on the task, some things from your purse might go missing. Most likely youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll realize it only when you have to pay the cashier.

ANGELINA KAYSINA 31

LIFE-CHANGING EXPIRIENCE PHOTO REPORT

A C T - youth in movement U n i v e r s a l D e c l a r at i o n of Human Rights

What is human right? Human rights give privilege to all human beings regardless of race nationality, ethnicity, language, religion etc: the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education and many more. How the Universal Declaration of Human Rights started ? World War II began in 1939. Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policy of seizing other countries led to war. During the war there were millions of soldiers and civilians killed or maimed. The Nazi party that ran the government of Germany created camps for people with specific characteristics (communists, gypsies, Jews, homosexuals and political opponents etc). Some of the prisoners were used as slave labour, many were killed in 41

mass executions by shooting or poison gas, others died either from starvations, disease or brutal beatings. Japan became involved in 1941. The Japanese military government was equally brutal to its residents. Japanese troops tortured and executed millions of inhabitants of the countries they seized to liberate from the European colonial powers. They also captured troops, including thousands of Australian soldiers and worked them as a slave labour with no food nor medical treatment. Many men and women died in agony under the situation. The war ended in 1945 leading to the creation of the United Nations with a dream of securing peace and justice in the world by international cooperation. Part of the Charter of the UN – Article 55 – called for the establishment of a set of universally accepted and observed basic human rights. The hope was that people would never again have to go through the abuses that they had just suffered. By 1948, nations of the world who were part of the UN adopted a document that would set out -for the first time- fundamental human rights for everyone. They drew on great documents that had set out people’s rights, such as the United States Declaration of Independence (1776), and the French Revolution’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789). But for the first time, this would be an international document created and agreed to by the nations of the world and not just one nation’s document. And so the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created. Who is entitled? Everyone is entitled to human right, without discrimination. Everyone has the right to have and express his/her own opinions, right to an education, right to a private and family life, right not to be mistreated or wrongly punished by the state- no matter of sex, race, religion, gender country s/he coming from. The Human Rights Declaration is entitled to everyone in groups or individual. What are the human right? There are 30 articles of stating the Human Rights. They could be found here: http:// hrlibrary.umn.edu/edumat/hreduseries/hereandnow/Part-5/8_udhr-abbr.htm Reality, now in 2018 The liberty and physical safety are the basic human right. They are not optional, but many people in this world are not free. In many cities and countries the right of minorities (woman, man, children, disabled etc) are abused or denied (as health care for instance). Girls are forced to marry young, disabled people are ridiculed… all are 42

at risk of physical abuse, being kept out of school and job inequality (if they can find jobs). In some countries ethnic minorities who have lived on their land for hundreds of years are denied citizenship and basic freedoms. More than 1 million children are bought and sold each year, many of the girls are forced into prostitution. In some regions of Africa, albinos are oppressed and even killed. Just because they have light skin.

SHUKRI JAMA 43

MY project MAJKA DOKUDOWICZ

I wrote already about my project for Link magazine once. It was for Link #102 (middle of November). I thought it can be nice to write it again, as my project is finishing and a lot of things I wrote before using the future tens are already part of the past. If I was ask to choose one thing that I’m proud of the most it will be the workshops I runed in Youth Center. Since the beginning of November until the end of May, I had this great opportunity to lead the printmaking and bookbinding workshops. It challenged me a lot to find an attractive way for it, to search for materials in different countries and languages. But yet I totally loved it (and I’m already missing it). To see the progress of the participants, the changes in their artworks. To see how the small interest in this field of art getting bigger and bigger, how their discover printmaking and bookbinding, what a joy it’s giving them - that’s one of the best moments I ever had. And to receive all this good 44

words from people watching the final exhibition at the workshops presentation in Youth Center made the participants (and me) so proud! Just after that would be my personal project exhibition titled ‘Similarities in Differences. Polish and Greek Contemporary Printmaking’. What an experience! Extremely big amount of work, planning, arranging and things that I learnt. And all of it worked out. The exhibition was a success - well it couldn’t be different with this amount of amazing people involved in it. We presented 44 artworks from 45 artists, both Professors and students. For me, this exhibition was important as it gave me a chance to present in one space two universities that shaped me - Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław (Poland) and Aristotle University in Thessaloniki (Greece). Being part of both of them is something unique for me. It let me understood a lot, and helped me to shape the idea behind this presentation. The exhibition had a lot of visitors, amazing opening reception, activities for families, workshops and presentations for schools. I had the opportunity to design the posters, flyers, invitations, catalogue, graphics for social media, banner as well as have an interview for the newspaper, go to promote the exhibition in radio, speak for tv station. But above all of that I had a chance to work with a team of people that engaged in the project, although they didn’t have any idea or interest in printmaking before. That’s what I was and I will always be very grateful. The other important event was the Meeting about modern and contemporary art I organized in Youth Center at the end November. The aim was to show that analyzing and talking about 45

work of art it’s not so hard. There is this barrier in most of the people as long as something it's not mimetic, and I wanted to challenged it. So after the short presentation answering questions that I heard lots of times in my life “Why* contemporary art is bad (*we think that)?” I invited everyone to actually try to speak about some artworks. But it wasn’t a lecture. I was there only to provide some hints and I let people analyzing the artworks based on their feeling, intuition, and connections of the dots. The meeting took 2 full hours and we managed to have a very interesting discussion. Thanks to Ophélie’s initiative I had a chance to make workshop in Day Care Center. The kids were very happy as we were making monotypes with fruits and vegetables. Also, I was able to communicate a little with kids with my greek :). That’s an achievement! We created together, with help of Sandra as well, a colorful garden. There was one more workshop that I did. It was part of skill sharing idea in between the EVS volunteers. That was first time ever I was trying to share the knowledge and the basics of Graphic Design. It causes me a lot of stress. I was in my head thinking all the time: is it well explained? How to explain it better? Is there any way at all to interested people in design? One thing I knew - if it’s about design as it’s applied art it needs to be put in practice. So that’s how the idea came: let’s show the design and try to teach how to design our magazine - LINK. And although it was a lot of work for the other volunteers: new software, new things to take under consideration, new ideas, I think they all seemed to like this challenge. And what’s more - since then they are designing it all the time! 46

Except of art related things,as you can see above part of my projects was related to design. And I designed quite a lot. Some issues of the LINK magazine, poster for conference in Montenegro, Christmas Greetings cards, Brochure for Molly’s event about earthquake in Kalamata, logo for #pleasedon’t campagne, logo for very interesting short term EVS - D.R.E.A.M. project, as well as new logo for Youth Center in collaboration with Yana Volkova. I really liked this one. It was a great experience to work together, to share ideas, to compare our concepts and propositions and come up with logo that it’s simple but versatile and which fits the image of Youth Center better. I was really happy that, except the volunteering in K.A.NE., I also had an opportunity to support local initiatives such as Anti Fascist Festival and Anti War Week. I think it was fulll months and I’m looking forward for the rest of my time here.

MAJKA DOKUDOWICZ 47

interview with an EVS volunteer SHEILA

What were your fears and expectations on EVS? I was afraid not to be able to communicate in English and Greek, but it was really easy to live with many other people in a multicultural house. They helped me a lot and I was very comforted and I had trust in myself. I had language lessons and for this reason I did my second EVS in the same place again. My expectations were to help animals and the environment, so I worked in the dog shelter, but then my organization offered me to help people with special needs and that was a great opportunity to work and share with them. I learned more Greek at my new work than in the lessons themself. 48

Would you describe this as a life changing experience? Yes, to open my mind, share skills, live in yet another country and learn its culture. I feel like home here because of the Mediterranean country and I would live to live here in the future. There are a lot of beautiful places like the mountains and the sea, the weather and the food are amazing as well. I like to spend time with my friends in the bars at the evenings, I like the fact that shops and bars are still open in the evening because I’m used to it from home. What was your biggest life changing experience outside of EVS? My biggest change was when I was in Italy for Erasmus and then in Kew Gardens for practices. There I started to open my mind and discover new projects and languages. I did youth exchanges in Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland and Greece, then I started to volunteer. If you would have to change your life completely, where would you life and what would you do? I like the life I’m living right now! I’m traveling a lot, doing formal and non-formal education, meeting new cultures, speaking to new people from all over Europe and sharing my skills and learning new ones. I’m lucky to have the opportunity to do all those things and I would probably choose the same life again. Do you like sudden changes or do you prefer if things stay the same? I don’t want things to be easy and always the same, I prefer some challenges and new adventures and discovers. They help me to improve my life and learn more about myself. Decisions like starting to dance and learning the Greek language improved my life a lot. I feel more comfortable to start new activities that I never did at home. People are very warm and helpful and you are more motivated to do such activities like the hiking club where I walked 19km in the middle of the river Nedonas. MARIA SCHÄDLER 49

Pa s t e v e n t HIKING TO NEDA

On Sunday 8th July, myself, Ophelie, Ola, Paquita, Sheila and Angelina went on a hiking trip to Neda. The Neda is a river in the western Peloponnese in Greece. It is unique in the sense that it is the only river in Greece with a feminine name. This was my first experience of the hiking club so I was not sure what to expect, but I was not disappointed! Before the trip we were told to bring spare clothes and shoes as we would get wet, I'm not sure any of us prepared for how wet we would be. Within ten minutes of walking, we were knee deep in the river trying to battle with the current pushing us away. We walked downstream for around 4 hours in total, but it is hard to say as none of us had phones or watches on so we had no concept of time. Despite battling the current, it was extremely relaxing at we were completely at one with nature. The views of the river and the scenery around it were beautiful. We saw rocks

covered by moss and lots of small waterfalls, butterflies, lizards and even a frog! We were in the water around 80% of the walk, swimming in some areas as it was too deep to stand. The water was very 'refreshing' (cold) but it was so clean and clear you could see right to the bottom. The hike itself was far from boring because of this, we were climbing over rocks and jumping off them, letting the current take us down the river and sometimes hanging on for dear life! When we reached the waterfall at Neda the views were beautiful, I've never seen anything like it. The water was so blue and it was surrounded with so much greenery it didn't even look real. Although our group was tired, hungry, bruised and soaking wet it was all worth it!.

ALICE JEAVONS 51

MY SENDING ORGANIZATION T h e A D I C E as s o c i at i o n ( F r a n c e )

Since its creation in February 1999 in Roubaix, the “Association pour le Développement des Initiatives Citoyennes et Européennes” (ADICE) promotes equal opportunities by enabling people with fewer opportunities to live an experience abroad, thanks to the various French and European mobility programmes. ADICE acts for the social and professional promotion of the public by allowing everyone to benefit from an international experience, by taking into account the capacities and aspirations of each one, in a logic of promotion and by favouring a dynamic of course. ADICE acts primarily for young people between 18 and 30 years of age, who encounter cyclical difficulties in their access to employment. They also often encounter social and/ or economic difficulties, and may suffer discrimination in recruitment because of their ethnic or other origin. ADICE offers them the opportunity to participate in European and international mobility actions, which will enable them to develop social skills (openmindedness, autonomy, critical thinking, solidarity, self-confidence), professional skills (teamwork, technical and linguistic skills) and intercultural skills (discovering a country, a new environment, accepting differences, getting rid of stereotypes, sharing this experience on return, being open to other lifestyles). 52

ADICE's objectives ADICE's objectives are to fight against discrimination and to promote the social and professional advancement of people with fewer opportunities (young people, job seekers, people from immigrant backgrounds, etc.), the majority of whom come from neighbourhoods in difficulty or isolated rural areas. Because of its objectives and territorial location: Roubaix is a city in northern France with a large immigrant population (over 50%) and a very high unemployment rate (especially among young people of foreign origin), ADICE has since its creation been involved in the fight against discrimination, particularly for whom with immigrant background. Mobility as a means of integration and mixing ADICE considers mobility abroad as a means of integration, mixing and as a lever for promotion. The aim is to create a break with the volunteer's daily environment, to enable him or her to become autonomous and responsible, but above all to identify, strengthen and make use of the skills acquired. The association considers mobility as an experience allowing to develop: â&#x20AC;˘ social skills (openness, autonomy, critical thinking, solidarity, self-confidence) so that they can participate in the decision-making process and in social and public life in general. For some it is a question of managing a budget autonomously, of evolving in a social context different from their own. For others, having already had previous mobility experience, it is a question of deepening these social skills. â&#x20AC;˘ professional skills (teamwork, technical and language skills) for an easier integration into the world of work. â&#x20AC;˘ intercultural skills (discovering a country, a new environment, accepting differences, getting rid of stereotypes, sharing this experience on return, being open to other lifestyles) so that it is easier to open up to others. This approach encourages diversity, making people aware of possible and different life courses. This experience allows them to take better control of their future.

NICOLAS JAOUEN 53

LINK A u g u s t 1 st 2 0 1 8

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.