Orfeas A.M.K.E. ( OID E10073840) submitted an application form that has been approved by INEDIBIM, Greece with the project number of 2022-1-EL02-KA152-YOU-000065902 with the title “Build ecotopia!”.
Objective and aim:
Environmental awareness is an incredibly important part of our lives. In order to protect the sustainability of the planet, everyone needs to commit to becoming more environmentally aware. People believe that environmental issues are not their problem, that they cannot do as much as it would need to make the change in the environmental destruction. Our goal is to make them understand that we can make the change with small but very important steps, to motivate young people toward environmental sustainability.
This exchange is a great opportunity to bring together youngsters from 7 European countries and to raise our issue on European level in order to make bigger and wider impact of this very important topic.
We give highly importance to the three keywords that represent our general objectives:
With their participation we would like to ENGAGE young people toward this very important topic in order to have a meaningful continuation of this project by returning to their home towns.
With their participation we would like to CONNECT young people to work together on one of the most important topics that effects our everyday life. Through this project we would like to encourage them for active participation, for taking our ideas into action and to strengthen the idea of “thinking globally, acting locally”
With their participation we would like to EMPOWER them to become active citizens of Europe and with experience, knowledge, ideas, good practices, self-esteem…etc in order to going back with confidence and willingness to spread the environment awareness in their community.
Our main themes:
– Analyze and explore the meaning of the 3R – reduce/reuse/recycle
– Creating our ideal eco-island
– Workshop and research about food waste
– Introduction and discussion about fast-fashion
– Create our handmade bag from old T-shirts
– Excursion to the lake Stymfalia and visit the environmental museum
– Survey about topics: saving energy, saving water, recycling, food waste, littering, green transport
– We will be environmental investigators observing locals and the environment
– Cleaning the forest and beach from plastics in cooperation with students of the high school
– Build a figure from plastics that will keep a board with a strong message
This activity is a mobility project for young people, an international youth exchange program, that takes place in Xylokastro town, Corinth region and involves 7 partners from the Programme Countries.
Each partner organization will delegate 5 youngsters and 1 group leader.
We will host groups from Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and the applicant group, Greece.
The activity dates are 16/09/2022 – 23 / 09/ 2022 (8 days) – including travel days.
As in the preparation phase we will:
- You will receive an info-pack with practical arrangements, project environment
- As soon as you have ready your team, we arrange the travel.
- We will share the tasks, discuss how you can contribute to the project / you will receive the timetable of the exchange
As for the task- related preparation:
– We would like to involve you and ask you to prepare some workshops, team building games, energizers.
– to prepare short presentation about your country, region that will be shown and
presented in the intercultural evenings.
– to make research about some topics that will be defined in the preparation phase in order to acquaint each other about this issue and to bring an international dimension to the project.
– We will create a WhatsApp group with the leaders and contact person from the partner organizations
– We will create a Facebook group for the project
Contacts: Please send me the contact details of the contact person from the organization as well as the group leader.
Name / Surname – cell phone number – email (and whatever contact details you believe that you want to send us)
My contact:
Eva Namor, exchangeorfeas@gmail.com
Tel. 0030 6934293193 (Whatsapp, viber)
Participants: Each partner organization will delegate 5 youngsters and 1 group leader. Youngsters should be aged between 18 – 25. The leader doesn’t have age limit.
The working language will be in English. So, at least moderate English knowledge we expect from the participants in order to follow a smooth communication, but in case lack of language knowledge the group leader or other participants should support the participant.
Role of the group leader
Preparation
– Participates in the selection of participants (participants profile established based on the themes and objectives of the project)
– Knows the level of knowledge / skills / abilities of each participant in connection with the profile established
– Holds frequent meetings with the young participants
– Establishes the final program of activities with partners and young participants
– Establishes along with other leaders the safety & security measures adapted to the group needs.
– Engages in continuous communication with partners
– Ensures that any cultural differences are known to participants in the group
– Assess the potential risks that may arise in the project and what measures might be taken to prevent / solve them
Implementation
-Reminds participants the protection and safety measures, practical and organizational issues, program activities, group rules, taking into account the identification of concerns and expectations
– Ensures that participants have all travel documents
– Ensures that participants are equally involved, active, flexible and voluntary, that there aren’t situations of exclusion and do not encourage working on national groups.
– Prevents and mediates conflicts arising
– Identifies their concerns and problems and discuss / settle in the coming days
– Ensures the proper implementation of program activities with other group leaders
– Ensures that language barriers are overcome and the communication is carried out efficiently
– Encourages participants to reflect on the learning process when issuing Youthpass certificates.
– Consults and continually monitors its participants
– Assess daily activities together with other leaders and / or participants
– Adapts the daily program of activities taking into consideration unforeseen circumstances
-Organize the travel documents of the participants, remind them keeping all the documents and provide to the organization
Profile of the group leader
-Interpersonal and communication skills
– Positive attitude and support
– Team spirit
– Attention to detail and promote a positive attitude
– Coordination, planning and organization Skills
– Multicultural communication skills
– Knows the international language used in the project
– Promoting active involvement, teamwork and discipline
– Promote team effectiveness
Practical arrangements
Before getting to the practicalities of the event, we’d like to remind you that attending all of the activities/sessions during the youth exchange is mandatory and active participation is expected from all the participants.
Program
We will follow the everyday routine timetable as:
10:00 starting the daily program
14:00 lunch time and siesta
16:30 afternoon workshops
20:00 dinner time
Please find here the daily program
We have to respect the timetable of the program!
Forecast
Temperature-wise, September is almost as warm as August. The daytime averages temperature is around 24°C which is about six degrees cooler but certainly still warm enough to be outside. Evenings/ nights can be cooler, a bit more chilly. Toward the end of September, moderate rains begin but they’re still light and not every day by any means.
By approaching the starting day of the youth exchange, I will come again with updated, more exact information about the weather in Xylokastro.
About Xylokastro
What to bring
Bring some information about your organization/ town / region / country.
In the frame of the intercultural evenings we will ask you to prepare a ‘country -kiosk’ with gastronomic specialties (cold food, snacks..etc), and décor your table with posters, maps, postcards you could bring some printed materials from your region and town.
You can prepare presentation or short movie that can be displayed during the workshops or the intercultural evening.
You can bring music
… and you could bring a typical folk dress.
As about the gastronomic specialties (food and/or drinks) for the International Evening: Please note that it’s not possible to cook or heat up any food.
Furthermore, pay attention that we don’t want to focus only on presenting the different kind of spirits, alcohol products of each country, it’s not the point, so please DON’T bring big quantity of them.. only to show us and present the product.
Shampoo, gel, toothpaste, etc. but you don’t need to bring towels to the hotel
Laptops: We encourage you to bring laptops, at least one per each country, as we will need several ones to work on different topics. We will bring ours, of course, but those might not be enough
Comfortable shoes and clothes, mainly summer wears, but you should have a sweater with you for the evenings. In the free time but ONLY in the free time! there is possibility for beach and swimming, so you can bring swimsuit and towel for the beach.
We haven’t planned any rainy days, so it’s ok! 😊
Travel
Important!
No tickets are allowed to be bought before confirming the itinerary with the organizers.
These approved amounts below are from your city till Xylokastro, so including local transport in your country, the flight tickets and the bus tickets from the Athens airport to Xylokastro.
The costs from Athens- Xylokastro – Athens are: 38, 00 euro
| Socialinis veiksmas, Lithuania | 360 Euro |
| Fundacja Rowzoju Społeczeństwa Przedsiębiorczego, Poland | 275 Euro |
| GEAI, Ireland | 360 Euro |
| ProAtlântico – Associação Juvenil, Portugal | 360 Euro |
| SIW, Netherlands | 360 Euro |
| Mladiinfo ČR, z.s, Czech Republic | 275 Euro |
How to get to Xylokastro from the airport
Travel documents and insurance:
Make sure you have a valid (not expired) ID card or a valid passport. Also, make sure to have your European Health Card or private health insurance for the time span of your stay in Greece. It is mandatory that the participants get insured for the travel to Greece.
Keep all your boarding passes and traveling tickets, otherwise we will not be able to make any reimbursement in their absence!
Only public transportation will be reimbursed (for instance taxi or car is at your own expense).
REIMBURSEMENT
For the reimbursement you will have to provide us with the following documents/tickets:
– An invoice for the tickets (you get it once you have purchased the ticket)
– Flight ticket/electronic ticket (with the name of the passenger, flight details and the price on it)
– Confirmation of reservation (if it’s separate from the electronic ticket)
– All boarding passes (do screenshots if they are online, to make sure they are saved on your smart device)
– Non-online purchases: a receipt (showing that you have paid the money) – for example for train and bus tickets
Please, make sure that you have all these documents when you come to Xylokastro. The return boarding passes might be sent by regular post after the project, if they are printed. Or you can also check in on the last day of the project and we will print them out for you.
Please DO NOT lose your boarding passes, train tickets and/or bus tickets. We will not be able to make the reimbursement anymore if you lose them.
Reimbursement will be done by bank transfer in the account of your sending organization, according to the rules of Erasmus+
Let’s see the rules…. Serious section
In the town:
We should respect the ‘siesta-time’, so we cannot make noise between 14:30 – 17:30 and after 23:00.
Shops open at 09:00 and close at 14:00, and for the afternoon they open at 17:30 till 21:00. Monday and Wednesday afternoons shops are closed.
Since Xylokastro is a small town, small community, our goal is not only to have a good time together in the youth exchange, but also to promote this program. With this activity we give ‘live’ example to locals, youngsters inspiring them and open their horizon. So that, walking around the city drunk or without adequate dress/cloths or unacceptable behave is NOT allowed.
Everybody should respect the timetable, be in time in the activities.
Taking care of the place and the environment around us
Only in the free time you are allowed to go to the beach, and you are NOT allowed to take part in the activities wearing swimsuit
In regard to COVID19, there isn’t any budget foreseen for the test-taking. We will keep you updated on the situation development regarding COVID, so you will know the latest news/changes before you come to Greece.
- Here comes some more info about accommodation:
Our youth exchange program will be accommodated in the hotel Ariona. https://www.arion-pefkias.gr/
The participants and leaders will be shared in 4beds, 3beds and 2beds rooms.
We will have breakfast, lunch and dinner in the hotel as well.
IMPORTANT!!! Please send me as soon as possible the special dietary preferences of the participants
In the hotel we:
- take care of the cleanness of the hotel
- pay attention on the other costumers
- don’t make noise and party in the rooms
- don’t use the towels of the hotel for the beach
- don’t bring from outside and drink alcohol in the rooms (in case they want to spend time together, they can do it on the beach)
- don’t throw paper in the toilet
- don’t make noise in ‘siesta time’ 15.00-17.00
- have to respect the place that host us
- we are responsible for damages that we cause
We don’t go to the forest after dark
We don’t swim after consuming alcohol or food
The café-bar closes every day at 23.30
The pool is open from 12.00-14.30 and 17.30-20.00
The breakfast we should finish till 9.45 in order to be ready and arrive in the conference room by 10.00
Lunch will be served at 14.00
Dinner: 1st arrival evening you will have a snack
2nd evening the dinner is at 20.00
3rd evening International Greek evening in the hotel from 20.00
4th evening the dinner is at 21.00 (after our international evening)
5th evening the dinner is at 21.00 (after our international evening)
6th evening the dinner is at 20.00
7th evening the dinner is at 20.00
With the meals if you would like to drink a refreshment, or during the day you would like to take a coffee or anything to drink from the café-bar, you should pay for it, it’s not included in the program’s budget.
- Activities
I am sharing with you a google docs document with blank places, regarding the energizers and the intercultural evenings. I would like to add your team in the blank parts if you want to realize an energizer and any other comment related to that.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VTYxW0-75PRgf2rMErjAB6A3Aio41otqGv5vS1c828E/edit?usp=sharing
IMPORTANT!
- As I mentioned already, we need to have one laptop per country
- For some ‘outside in town and nature’ activities we need internet access, so please ask your participants to have some data on their phone
Excursion to the mountainside of the municipality:
You should wear: athletic shoes, long trousers, suncream, hat
Intercultural evenings: the evening will start at 19.30, the teams will have time to prepare their table. The evening will be organized in a small square very near to the hotel. The evening will end at 21.00 and then we go for dinner to the hotel.
- Travel
We organized a bus on 16th of September, arrival day to take you from Athens and from the airport to Xylokastro.
The meeting point will be at the Syntagma square, we will send the leaders the location and the exact time. The meeting time will be around 19.00 or a bit later, it depends on the afternoon arrivals of the participants.
Very important! The leaders will be responsible for the participants to be in time at the meeting point. Every teams should inform me in advanced how many people will be taken from Syntagma. We don’t have to let anybody there!!!
As for the airport, the meeting point will be sent through google map, but it will be at the exit arrival level, where buses can stop. Exact time will be sent later.
We don’t have to possibility to arrange bus for the departure day from Xylokastro, as your departure time is very different and we cannot force the participants with afternoon flight to leave the hotel at 04.00 am.
We prepared some info and suggestions for spending your day in Athens on the arrival day, 16/ Sept.
Download info-kit
- Covid
Since it’s an international program, 45 people all together, we should pay attention on this issue as well.
So far, there is no measurement about Covid in Greece, but we wouldn’t like to face any difficult situation and to make this very nice experience for someone very difficult.
For this reason we strongly recommend
- Before your departure to Greece to make a rapid test, if there is no possibility of it, make antigen self-test.
- Travel please with mask
- Bring masks with you
- We recommend to wear mask during the inside activities
- If someone feels and have symptoms, don’t come to the activities
Unfortunately there is no possibility to be isolated in case of testing positive, so we have to focus on prevention.