A series of sociopolitical initiatives, as well as good practices followed in regional Greece, aiming to activate the inhabitants, promote cultural exchange, sustainable urban and cultural development, and the active participation of citizens in the dialogue on the quality of life and the future of the city.
1. Roots are Routes,
Olga Daskali, Messolonghi
What will I be when I grow up? Where I want to live? What profession suits me? The answer to every question lies within us. «Roots are Routes» initiative designs and organizes actions for vocational training, bringing the participants closer to nature, getting to know local jobs that tend to disappear, exploring new methods, using our hands. Participants receive stimuli and cultivate their potential. Transferring knowledge through intergenerational collaboration and teamwork complement the anthropocentric profile of the initiative. Art and new technologies are part of Roots are Routes (RaR) toolbox. In collaboration with schools, public and private bodies, local authorities, small and large businesses, museums, arts organizations, the workshops are being selected based on the needs of participants and the nature of actions. This method is targeted to students who want to explore themselves, teachers who have a holistic view of education, entities in the field of education and employment, parents who want to support their child to engrave his/her own future.
2. Svoura Project,
Kassie Kafetsi, Aegina
When and why is an object described as trash? What if we didn’t worry about where the trash ends up, but instead wonder how we can experiment with and through it and redefine it anew?
The Svoura project is a socio- cultural initiative which implements artistic projects, inspired by the trash found in local geographies. By exploring the identity of trash, we envision a utopia, not in a world without trash, but in a world where nothing gets wasted; where its purpose is constantly reached and redefined, in a sustainable circular process. The project engages the youth community into a process of artistic experimentation and co-creation, in order to involve the local community into the discourse about environmental sustainability. Svoura’s spin starts on the island of Aegina with the participation of 18 students from the 1st Junior High school of Aegina. From December until May, through a series of workshops, discussions and events, the students co-created and curated a photography exhibition, artistic installations and Svoura’s version of an open-air cinema, made entirely out of…trash!
3. Peri Viou,
Sotiris Karagiotas, Karditsa
Peri Viou sociocultural center is situated in central Greece, Karditsa and is house for activist movements, sciences and fine arts. The aim is to gather people with different sociocultural background into common activities. The center operates with the principles of self management and is self organized. Everyone is welcome to participate through open decision making meetings and can suggest any idea or activity. Respect and will for understanding each other are the basic rules for the members. Projects, workshops and events are the tools for participation to sociocultural activities with social impact. Peri Viou sociocultural center empowers positive mental attitude for safety, fun and creativity for everyone who wishes to participate.
4. This is not a feminist project,
Vasia Doulia, Athens
This is not a feminist project is a multimedia online platform that attempts to link the historical past of the Women’s Movement in Greece with a variety of contemporary female stories through a living, digital timeline. The project aims to raise awareness on women’s identity and gender equality issues, to offer wider access to an extensive collection of archive material, and to provide space for further interaction between various communities. The first part presents the documented traces of women’s activism and experiences from the 2nd Wave of the Women’s Movement in Greece, as well as the social, cultural and institutional changes that have shaped them. Following a chronological approach, the content in view spans from 1980 until 2018 and is constantly updated, combining digitised elements from three archival collections along with the written critical reflections by two prominent feminists from Greece. The second part brings together short films of young female filmmakers, which were produced for the needs of the project, and explore personal stories of women with different cultural, social, political and ethnic identities who are residing in Greece. These films act as present-day entries, which give continuity to the platform forming a framework where contemporary female voices will have the opportunity to be heard, and contribute to the investigation on the women’s role as it is identified on the present day.
5. Mosaic,
Matina Solomakou, Chios
The mosaic project aims to raise the awareness of the local youth of Nenita, a Chian village, regarding the theme of immigration and refugees. For this reason, a short documentary film was produced by youngsters through the tool kit of oral history. A workshop was held in order to provide to all young participants with the essential technical skills for their production. The documentary represented through different narratives the timeless profile of refugees and was framed by a photo exhibition on the refugees of the past and the present in Chios.
6. Tópio,
Vivian Doumpa, Thessaloniki
Tópio is a programme seeking to function as a catalyst for urban change on a neighbourhood level with a city-wide effect. It develops active citizenship empowerment and training programmes and projects for all ages, prompting the participants to become the placemakers of their own community. The aim is to re-imagine the neighbourhood as an open platform of discussion and interaction for the whole city, where the school and the students are the core and leading actors of the transformation both inside and outside the school doors, having culture and creativity as our compass. Besides that, the programme is based using creativity, using placemaking and non-formal education methods and tools in order to engage local communities, city administrations and other stakeholders into the city-making movement and process. Tópio envisions a sustainable, inclusive city, consisting of active communities and neighbourhoods, where self- organization meets government facilitation.
7. Smallville,
Elias Adam, Xylokastro
SMALLVILLE is a rural artivism initiative. Artivism derives from the words art and activism; our goal is to empower the social nexus of small geographical communities and raise public discussions on social issues such as democracy, diversity, gender equality etc. Smallville implements open talks with citizens where they interact and discuss on local or non-local social issues, aiming to build sustainable bonds and empower the citizens to become actors and actresses of social change. Furthermore, it uses non-fiction theater with non-professional performers, where the stories and ideas produced during the informal social councils become the material of a documentary theater performance played by the citizens themselves.
8. Mind the fact: true stories with protagonists those who experienced them
Mind the fact is an artistic network that brings together artists and non-artists, with the goal of establishing a creative coexistence. Producing works of high artistic standards, the different groups of mind the fact focus on the emergence of social issues and true stories from the everyday lives of the city’s inhabitants. Through projects dealing with the diversity, inclusiveness and balance (and imbalance) of local communities, mind the fact participants propose a world that is—if not better— more honest. The network’s most recent project, the site-specific theatrical performance E_FYGA by the Station Athens group, was presented at the Synikismos Festival in Upper Eleusis, in June 2018, as part of the network’s collaboration with Eleusis 2021 European Capital of Culture. Mind the fact presents audiovisual material from previous productions and discusses with attendees, proposing a new model for creating performances, exhibitions and artistic actions.
9.The “Steki” of EUphoria
Anapsyktirio, as a fixed venue for activities, workshops and events of Eleusis 2021 European Capital of Culture, hosts audiovisual material from the activities that took place during the second year since Eleusis was declared a European Capital of Culture. These include programmes such as: “Un elu, un artiste-artisan”, the Synikismos Festival, “365 days after, 1147 days to go!”, ECoC’s Neighbours’ Day and 100 First Times | International Youth Summer Camp. From November 7 to November 11, Anapsyktirio becomes a hangout/ information point, where residents and visitors of the city can learn about the philosophy of Eleusis 2021, as well as the artistic programme that is implemented in parallel to the “Culture 2030” meeting.
9a. Connecting the residents of the European Capitals of Culture
Five young Eleusinians traveled and participated in residents’ exchange and hospitality programmes between European Capitals of Culture. Specifically, Noni, Rea and Seraphim traveled, for three days (May 25-27 2018) to Leeuwarden, Holland (European Capital of Culture 2018) to participate in ECoC’s Neighbours’ Day, a celebration that encourages people to connect with their neighbours through local participatory activities, aimed at strengthening local ties. Sandra and Andreas traveled to Kaunas, Lithuania (European Capital of Culture 2022). They participated in the 100 First Times | International Youth Summer Camp, the aim of which was to develop sustainable collaboration practices between urban and suburban local communities.
9b. “Un élu, un artiste-artisan”
As part of the program titled “Un élu, un artiste-artisan”, French artist and Director of the organization “Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde,” Eleftherios Kehagioglou, visited Eleusis for five days, meeting with the Mayor, George Tsoukalas, as well as with local cultural organizations. The duo (Mayor-Artist) deciphered the new conditions of life in the city, as well as the challenges it faces today, in an open discussion/ workshop, coordinated by journalist, Jenny Tsiropoulou. The programme titled “Un élu, un artiste-artisan”, in collaboration with the French Institute in Greece, is part of the Culture 2030 programme and, specifically, part of the Citizens’ Capacity Building. So far, the programme has been implemented in 14 cities in France and 7 cities in Canada while, this year, it will be launched as a pilot programme in 3 Greek cities, Eleusis, Rhodes and Chania.
