Sunday, June 21, 2009

Intercultural Music Experience

Tonight in the Youth Center of Kalamata we will have a party to celebrate the World Music Day! After some celebrations in the city we will pass music from all the countries of the volunteers here together with some pictures of them.
Intercultural Music Experience!!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Action 2 - Newsletter of the Youth Center of Kalamata

The second edition of the newsletter of our Youth Center is out! Covering 15-30 of June '09, it approaches the following subjects:
- Sign Language Workshop;
- Interviewing Athina Giannopoulou;
- Blood Donor Day;
- 3R;
- Free Library;
- Chess is not a mess (Workshop);
- Exposition from the Photography Club of Kalamata;
- Other Projects of K.A.NE.;
- Coming Next...;
- Annex: A Quick Look on Green Roofs

Here follows the link to the PDF file (3,84MB):
Action 2 - 15-30 June 2009 (English)

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Action 1 - Newsletter of the Youth Center of Kalamata

The first newsletter of our Youth Center went out for the first 15 days of June.
Here follows the link to the PDF file (3,86MB):

Action 1 - 1-15 June 2009 (English)
Action 1 - 1-15 June 2009 (Greek)

What do you think? - Interview with an EVS volunteer

YC (Youth Center): Please intorduce yourself in a few words.
Ece Basçi (EB): Με λενε Ece Basçi (ΕΤΖΕ ΜΠΑΣΤΖΙ). Ειμαι απο την Τουρκια. Ειμαι 24 χρονων :) I've just finished my study (economics) last year. I want to take the year of before I get a job. I wanted to improve my skills and english. And I decided to go abroad because I’ve never. I chosed to make my EVS. I am in volunteer in K.E.K.Y.K.Ame.A for 6 months (1 March-1 September).


YC: Do you like the voluntary service?
EB: I like the voluntary service. For me, it is the best choice I have ever decided. I meet lots of people all over Europe and there are lots of things to learn about life during the EVS. First of all you start to be more tolerant. And there are lots of ways to improve personality. I learn how to live without help from the family and to stay alone in the life. Last years I studied economics but I didnt want to start a job in this area. Now I know what to do after EVS. I want to work with children or disabled people when I get back to my country and I will continue to improve myself in this area. Moreover, EVS is a chance to learn new languges with intensive classes and local people. I love to learn Greek language. I know I did the best when I choosed Greece to make my EVS. I dont have any difficulties because I am from Izmir. We have lots of similarities... Climate,food, people... It is amazing to live similar things without family but feel like at home! :) I have to thank you everbody who makes me feel like at home, especialy our mentor Filaretos! :)

YC: What kinds of work are you participating in the Youth Center ?
EB: If I dont work and I dont have anything else to do, I am always in the YC. Because I love the atmosphere of our center. There are lots of people coming and we have different workshops. Firstly, in language exchange workshop I teach turkish to two greek people who wanted to learn it two times in a week. In the beginning it was so hard to teach my mother language. But now it is ok and it is so funny! And at eh same time they try to teach me greek. I also participate in Laszlo's "hand-made" workshop (bracelets,napkins technique,batik and candle) who is from Hungary. I love to create something and this workshop is the best for me. And I participate in the chess workshop with Jeronimo who is from Portugal. I have German language exchange with Marie too :)

YC: What four messages would you like to say to the greek youngsters?
EB: I think every young people should make EVS! It is a great chance to improve their personality. It is the best experience in the life. You have lots of friends all over the europe and that is good if you want to visit another country. :) There is no need to be shy because everbody knows you are in the different country so everbody tries to help if you have some difficulties or tries to make you happy if you are homesick. And it works!... :)

Thanks... ευχαριστω πολυ!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Weekly Workshops

Handcraft Workshop
This workshop is given by one of the volunteers of the Center, Totya (also known as Lászlo), and until now had two different themes. The first weeks were to learn how to make bracelets, and the last two weeks a workshop of glass painting has taken place.
This workshop is open to everyone, as everything in our Center, and takes place every Wednesday from 19:30 until 20:30.

Music Workshop
Every Thursday from 19:00 to 20:00 Agelos is giving a music workshop. With some games everyone can learn a bit of how to play the instruments that we have in our center. Together we played guitar, flute, melodica, piano, percussion and more in some funny interactions with each other and games. We also had once a lady who was singing greek songs while we were playing the instruments.

Language Exchanges
One of the first activities we started to have in the Youth Center were the language exchange sessions.
The main idea is the exchange of different languages in a relaxed and informal way. You know Greek, one of the EVS volunteers know his/her mother language but does not know so well Greek, maybe you could teach a bit of Greek and learn a bit of the volunteer's mother language.
Every volunteer here is free to give non-formal and non-professional "lessons" about his/her mother language and not only that one. Agelos is giving English lessons, Jeronimo is giving French, Tota is giving Hungarian, Gianluca is giving Italian, Ece is giving Turkish, Marie is giving German and Daniel is giving Portuguese.
Most of us have already a specific timetable for those lessons, although everything can be arranged. If you are interested just come here and ask us more informations!

Italian lessons:
Beginners - Wednesday 20:00-21:00

Intermediate - Monday 21:15-22:15

French lessons:
Beginners - Thursday 15:00-16:00

Intermediate - Wednesday 17:00-18:00
Friday 18:00-19:00

Turkish lessons:
Thursday 14:00-15:00

English lessons:
Wednesday 16:00-17:00

Portuguese lessons:
Thursday 11:30-12:30


Hungarian lessons:
Tuesday 18:30-19:30

German lessons:
Wednesday 20:30-21:30

Stop Motion Video Workshop
For those who do not know at the first glance what "stop motion video" means, it is simply the creation of a video without video devices. Instead, you use a photo camera to take several shots of something moving very slowly. When those pictures are puted together and seen one after the other it will look like a normal video!
In the first session Filaretos started to explain the basis, and in the next sessions we started to make experiences with clay, to learn from our mistakes, and we had another chance to make one more animation. The results were funny, even with some errors from us, beginners!
Filaretos gives this workshop every Tuesday from 19:30 to 20:30.

Sign Language Workshop
Our most recent workshop is about Sign Language. It is being given by Maria from the KEKYKAmeA Center and yesterday was the first lesson with 10 participants. We learned the Greek alphabet, to say hello, and to say our names! Waiting for the next one!
It happens every Monday from 20:00 to 21:00.

Pictures will be uploaded in the next, and shorter, posts! ;)

Short history of the Youth Center of Kalamata

Since its opening in the middle of May, the Youth Center of Kalamata has hosted many diferent activities. Before the public opening we had an Intercultural Night with things the volunteers brought from their countries, 5 in total.

At the 4th of April we had our oficial opening night to the public, presenting the projected activities. Two days later we started our work with workshops of music, handcraft and stop motion video, together with Language Exchange sessions as the first activities.

We had a Latin Night in which students and teachers from a Latin Dances School presented some joyful steps; the establishment of a free wireless internet connection for everybody; a Volunteers' Party with about 15 EVS volunteers in total; and a visit from the Second Chance School of Kalamata wich ended with a smal balloon making workshop.

The Center was also the place of an exposition of wall and rock paintings from Kátia Badaná, an artist from Nauplio.