06 Jun Mobilities’ experiences in Greece
Between the 17th and the 19th of May, 2o Gymnasio Geraka (Greece) received the teachers and students from Escola Secundária de Paços de Ferreira (Portugal). Read their testimonials…
On Tuesday, May 17 2022, we welcomed the team from Portugal and specifically Carla, Ines, Sara, Duarte, Antonio, from the Escola Secundária de Paços de Ferreira to our school. Our students were waiting for them with a buffet, representative of the Greek breakfast. Marilena, Thenia, Elena and Fanis, our students who participated in the mobility of Portugal, ran to hug them with great joy.
After a tour to our school premises and an experiential workshop in the courtyard by the yMind Model of Youth Participation in order to perceive / accept and respect the other’s boundaries, the Greek and Portuguese teams gathered in the computer room of the school. After a brief presentation of our school and its activities, by the Principal, Ms. Pertsinidou, we conducted the experiential workshop of yMind, the crumpled onion from to get to know each other better and to identify our commonalities and differences. The purpose of the emotion workshop that followed was to recognize how the other person feels through body language.
Next was the Greek course entitled “You speak Greek after all”, where we found many Greek words in the Portuguese language. At noon, our dance group presented the sirtaki, the Greek traditional dance, and then lunch with traditional dishes followed prepared by the Greek families. The day ended with the meeting of our students with the Portuguese team at the hotel in the evening, where they were given the opportunity to play, talk and socialize more.
The second day, Wednesday 18 May 2022, included, after the Greek breakfast at school, a video creation workshop on the effect of the ERASMUS + KA3 program “BePart” on our students and their views on issues of diversity, gender equality and school violence as well as the creation of a poster with the above themes on the Canvas digital platform. Afterwards, both groups visited the City Hall of Pallini, where they were welcomed by the Mayor of Pallini, Mr. Zoutsos, the Deputy Mayor of Education, Mr. Sotiropoulos and the President of the School Committee, Mr. Liakopoulos. The Greek team presented the Youth Participation Models implemented last year and this school year, EAR, yMIND and the 5-Stage Model for the online participation of Gilly Salmon. The Portuguese team presented the 5-stage and 6-stage Model for online participat
ion as well as the CLEAR model. The Mayor of Pallini, Mr. Zoutsos in his speech, after welcoming and congratulating the two schools for their involvement in such programs, stressed the need and value of European educational meetings as they give the opportunity to exchange good practices. He underlined his admiration for Portugal, its practices at the local government level have also influenced our Municipality.
After the presentations, which were also attended by representatives of the Parents’ Association, the certificates of participation were given to students and teachers by Mr. Liakopoulos and Mr. Sotiropoulos as well as souvenirs.
The third day, Thursday 19 May 2022, was dedicated to the cultural wealth of Athens, with a visit to the ancient theater of Dionysus, the most important well-known open-air theater in ancient Athens which is considered the first theater in the world. This was followed by a visit to the Holy Rock of the Acropolis, with the Parthenon, the largest and the most official building of the Acropolis, gathering the admiration of the whole world for centuries now being the symbol of democracy. Despite the strong winds that day, we managed to enjoy the architecture of the monuments, the clear blue Attic sky and the panoramic view of Athens. Walking in the narrow streets of Plaka, the Portuguese team seized the opportunity to buy souvenirs. We walked from Monastiraki to Syntagma and we reached the Greek Parliament, where we felt very lucky to attend the whole ritual of the change of guard. The day ended for the Portuguese team, with a visit to the beach of Artemis, where they enjoyed the sunset.
Farewell was difficult for both teams because in these few but essential days strong friendships were built, views were exchanged and they acknowledged their commonalities. We warmly thank all the Geek students and parents who contributed to this warm and at the same time constructive hospitality. We thank our Portuguese friends for their strong friendship.
2o Gymnasio Geraka
Between the 16th and the 20th of May, 4 students (António Barbosa, Duarte Leal, Inês Garcia and Sara Gonçalves) and 1 teacher (Carla Gabriela Sousa) visited Athens, Greece, under the Erasmus #BePart project. It was a very enriching school and cultural exchange!
Day 1
The day started with the warm reception at the 2nd Gymnasio Geraka, Anakreontos.
Καλημέρα! Καλλώς ήλθατε στην Ελλάδα.
Presentations of rallies and work done and a typical Greek breakfast prepared by the students’ mothers, which was followed by participation in a Greek and traditional Greek dance (Zorba) class and other activities that filled our morning.
In the afternoon it was the MIND MYP workshop which ended with lunch prepared and offered by the Greek students’ mothers.
At the end of the day there was time to explore the city of Athens and for a typical Greek dinner.
Τα λέμε αύριο
Day 2
Our working day started with a typical Greek breakfast prepared by the students’ mothers, which was followed by the participation in the MIND MYP workshop of the project where we created videos and posters in the digital tool Canva which filled our morning.
In the afternoon we were received by the Mayor and visited the Town Hall of Pallini and it was there that we had our Small Scale Event of the project. The magnificent Greek lunch was offered by the 2nd Gymnasio Geraka.
There was still time to visit some touristic points of interest of the city of Athens and for a typical Greek dinner.
Day 3
And suddenly we arrived at the end! Today was a very special day as we took a tour in time, history and culture of the city of Athens (Αθήνα).
We started our visit at the Acropolis, passing by the Theatre of Dionysus, the Ancient Agora and Monastiraki- Plaka.
We end our day with a walk and dinner by the sea.
Αντίο Ελλλάδα!
Day 4
Καλημέρα! Good morning!
And suddenly we returned to our country, school and home! It was an extraordinary experience that we will never forget! We have become much more empowered! Thank you ESPF and ERASMUS+ BePart!
Escola Secundária de Paços de Ferreira