we are EVS July 2o14 N I
“Discover EVS, discover your life”
Who are we?
EVS in Agria
No just work
Experience on the field
Photoinform
Erasmus +
Don’t get lost! 3. Who are we? EVS team Volos 2013/14.
4/5. Experiences on the field EVS works and volunteer.
5/6. Refugee Camp, Agria EVS social integration work.
7/8. Interview Coordinator of Refugee Camp Chat with Ioanna in Agria.
10/11. Photoinform Some pictures from
Agria.
12/13. No just work EVS life after work. Meteora.
14/15. Erasmus Plus The new EU programme for mobility.
17. Poem of the month John Dinsky writes about the Greek Alphabet.
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EVS team. Volos 13/14
Who are we?
Photo: EVS team 2013/14 in Volos formed by: Eva, Sabrina, John, Fran, Ania, Miriam, Julie and Anna.
by @FranSánchez
E
uropean Voluntary Service is the name of this social program wich is offer for the European Comission and is developed in the Municipaly of Volos by KEKPA-DIEK.
Volunteers are from Austria, Poland, Italy, Spain, Hungary and England and all of them show their compromise in the social field. By the way, this program offers an unforgotable experience for all of them, giving the opportunity to live and know another culture with the Currently, the program has six vol- european background. unteers from six differents countries. All of them are working in Anna, Ania, John, Eva, Julie and Fran differents places around Volos as are the people who is working in the the Refugee Camp for Under-18 in project and this newsletter you can be Agria, Roma Community in Aliveri and informed about all kinds of works they social works with handicap people in are doing. Rania (Nea Ionia), Garden (Anno Volos), Kindergarden and in the Also, you can find them online on Facebook as ‘We are Volos’ and daily center of KEKPA in Pailia. www.wearevolos.blogspot.com
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Experiences on the field Discover the differents works EVS team in Volos is doing. Text and pictures of @FranSรกnchez
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EVS work
Hug to the integration
D
aily center of KEKPA-DIEK works hard in order to improve the social habilities with disability people from Volos.
Art and Creativity
P
otence
the
cre-
ativity and deve-
lope
skills
in
the the
art young
childrens is one of the most rewarding experi-
Art without borders Around 30 people are going to the center daily to larn and develope their knowledges. The center also has available one doctor one room for fisiotherapy and recovery.
ences for any teacher. In the cultural and off school
centre
in
Nea
Ionia they try to potence this habbilities with creative works and dynamic
lessons
with
music and dance. Classes start after school in the afternoon and there are two groups with differents ages. First is the turn for the youngest until six years and then, the oldest (nine years), close the center around 21.00.
The daily center is open five days per week since 8.00 am until 16.00 pm. Social workers, psichologyst and young volunteers works together looking for the best reward, and sometimes the best explanation is one hug.
O
ne of the several works that EVS team in Volos is doing in Refugee Camp of the Red Cross in Agria, is focused in creativity works with under eighteens childrens from differents countries like Afganisthan, Pakistan, Egypt, etc. Photography, arts, theatre or sports activities are the main steps to follow and, at the end, it is a rewarding experience as long as for the team and the childrens as well.
Also, the center offers activities during the summer months everydays at morning.
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EVS in Agria Photography and Creativity Arts skills are developed by the EVS volunteers in Agria by @FranSĂĄnchez
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Coordinator of the Red Cross
Refugee Camp in Agria
Ioanna: “The Refugge Camp is an opportunity for the children to keep the first contact with the UE� Main goal of the Refugee season but, normally, our Camp in Agria. two buildings with 24 beds each one, are usually Our main target is to try full. to give children all protection and support -so- How long can the childrens cial and psychological- stay in the Camp. they need since they ask for asylum untill they It is up to the boys. They find a good opportunity decide when they want to out. In Greece, another leave the center. Some of country in the European them are here for five Union or, sometimes, some years ago mainwhile, othof them decide to come ers are not able to stay back to their countries. more than one week. Our mission is to offer them How many nationatilies are refugee and try to give there in the Camp. them the opportunity to keep, and improve, the Most of the boys are from first contact with the Eunorth Africa like Egypt, ropean Union in order to Somalia or Sudan. Also, find solution to their isthe Afganistan, Pakistan sues. or Iran boys are a big group. The center is What kind of facilities opened since 2008 and the the center offers. program has accommodated more than 400 childrens. We have accommodation,clothes, medicine, food and catering The capacity of the center. for all. Security guards every day of the year, two Nowadays, the Refugee Camp social workers, nurse and is full of capacity. We taxi driver, a lawyer, have living with us forty translators and provision of eight children and we are bus tickets. Also, the not able to take more labour of the volunteers is children. Anyway, everyvery important for them. week we have boys who leave and new ones who come. It depends on the
Is this Refugee one door for the welcome to UE for the childrens? It is an opportunity in order to give the final jump to have a contact with the UE. Sometimes it is succeced for them, but not always. The social integration is the key for resolve their issues. The volunteers labour. The volunteers who came to spent a few hours with the children is like the eyes of Europe for them. Sports activities, art creations or share experiences is more important than we think. Rewarding experience. The work in the Camp is very hard but it’s allow you to improve yourself like a human. Just a few help or a couple of minutes of conversation is a world for the children.They always will be available for you, and they will give you very good memories that, sometimes, are really life lessons. 7
Day per day in the Camp, with Habib and Kouram
“Life in the Camp is not easy, but we try to do it. When you arrived here after a long walk from Teheran (Iran), your legs, brain and your body are exhausted and the center is waiting for you with hot meal and bed”
T
he story of Habib and Kouram is completly different to any our lifes. Since they born, they have fund obstacles on their way. The first of all, and without chose it, they have had the good luck to born in a country like Pakistan or Iran.
a job, earn some money and try to bring my family form Pakistan. When I get the papers, everything will be easiest” said Kouram. “My goal is to reach Sweden, I know somebody there and it is fast, around six months, to get the papers. Meanwhile, I am learning english” said Habib, the boy who doesn’t mind walk around the world if it’s necesary: “As I don’t have papers, I can’t take a flight to Sweden so, I will go by foot, definetely” he explain always with a smile in his face.
Unfourtunately, the war and crime have been every moment present in their lifes, maybe this is the reason which have made theirselfs strongs in their way untill the Camp for the Unaccompanied Minors Asylum Seekers (UMA’s) in Agria (Volos).
Everything go slowly in the Camp, you can easily find tim to talk with somebody, play computers games or voley, everybody here is like a small family and normally, they respect each other because, how Kouram explains in one simply way: “At the end, we don’t have more Seventeen years old in their backs and things to lose, from here to the next with one future who goes throught Eu- years we only have the choice to get our rope. “Now we are here in order to find mind target, to became legal”. 8
The KEKPA-DIEK founded in June 2011, pursuant to Law 3852/2010 (Kallikratis) merging nine municipal utilities in the wider region of Volos which focused on major social actions and interventions. The KEKPA-DIEK is the evolution of all these companies.
Municipality of Volos. Magnesia. Thessaly.
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photoinform
Jump to the integration by @FranSรกnchez
Since 2008, the Refugee Camp in Agria is trying to give support to people under age from countries in risk of war. Their future goes trought Europe.
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photoinform
Differents nationalities and cultures are living toghether in the Camp. Egypt, Afganistan, Pakistan and Iran are the mainly.
Differents countries, one family The EVS team mission is to develope skills and strengthen habilities for the future of the children.
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no just
work by @FranSánchez
METEORA / Μετεωρα.
Was the chosen destiny of the month for the EVS team. Volos, Larisa, Frappé in Trikala, Kalambacca and an awesome landscape in front of your eyes.
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njw: meteora / Μετέωρα
You should know... ·The pinnacles were formed about 60 million years ago during the Paleogene period. ·The oldest Monastery was built in 1350. ·James Bond, Tintin, Linkin Park, Pokèmon, Tomb Raider or Game of Thrones have chosen Meteora as background or as a reference.
Meteora is formed by a group of huge and verticals rocks located in the center of Greece where six Orthodox Monasteries were built on the top of the cliffs where the tourist can enjoy the awesome shigts and return back to the monks life in the past. Perfect place to get contact with the natural enviorement and breath the fresh air from the mountains in a unique place in ‘middle of the sky’.
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erasmus +
by @FranSánchez
e new EU Programme on Education, Training, Youth and Sport 14
erasmus +
T
he European Voluntary Service (EVS) is framed since January 2014 Erasmus Plus, the new program of the European Union which was established with the aim of creating a mobility program that encompasses all existing (Erasmus, Leonardo Da Vinci , Comenius, Youth in Action, Grundvitg). With Erasmus Plus is to create a great program that manages all types of existing mobility in Europe.
trained, multicultural and holds youth labor mobility; bet heavily on the training of future professionals, in whose hands lies the future of European society.
Erasmus Plus aims to provide 4 million Europeans the opportunity to study, teach, or volunteer practices in European countries. It is a clear commitment to address the current economic situation through EU subsidies for education and training for the next seven years.
· Improving the quality of education in the EU and beyond.
With Erasmus mobility + aged 18 and 30 will be financed with the European Voluntary Service volunteer performing from 2 to 12
months in an NGO in any country of the European Union, member countries of the European Economic Area (Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) or Turkey, current candidate and fields: culture, youth, sports, children, cultural heritage, arts, animal welfare, environment, development cooperation, etc..
Goals of the Erasmus Plus program: · Help young people to acquire additional skills through study and training abroad.
· Modernisation of vocational education and training of the member states and partner countries. · Promote the participation of young people in society. · Compatible with teaching and research on European integration.
It is now more important than ever to in- · Support to the European grassroots sport. vest in a well
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poem of the month by John Dinsky
Alpha is Athina, the home of half of Greeks Bita plays Bouzuki, on the radio of the last bus when your half asleep. Gamma marries Giannis and Gianna, together like oil and cheese. Delta is democracy, that which killed Socrates. Epsilon, EUREKA! Archimedes running naked down the streets. Zita sounds like Zina, the blonde star of the TV screens. Ita rises with Ilios, the burning sun that pours like orange over Greece Thita Swims in Thalassa, the bluest of the seas Iota lives in Iolkos, where Jason set for the golden fleece Kappa begins Kalokairi, the summer of 38 degrees Lamtha, yellow as a Lemon, on the plate and in the trees Mee and Maria, lay in Santorini before the colours of the beach Nee is Nafplio, the former capital citadel and blue flag in the breeze Ksee for Xylokastro, sitting on the peloponese Omicron, Olympiakos, the red shirts fighting with the greens Pee is the panorama, Pee is plato and his dreams. Ro floats in Rhodos, along the border and the islands in the east. Sigma and Souvlaki, on every corner, covered with chips and grease Taf survived Thermopylae, while the Persian hordes decreased Ipsilon, the Hysteria and storm, after the oracle speaks. Fee as white as Feta, and the moon above the mountain peaks Xee for Xristos, Christ on the cross before the orthodox seats Psee inside Pyschology, or under tavern tables, Psari that the cat quickly eats Omega is the ora, the hours on the harbour clock as the day receeds 17