Palimpsest-Metamorphosis Erasmus Project

Project Title

Palimpsest-Metamorphosis

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Post-conflict/post-disaster rehabilitation; Creativity and culture; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

UPDATED VERSION OF THE PROJECT’S SUMMARY:
The core of the project was based on the dynamics of the idea “Palimpsest-Metamorphosis(Transformation)”.The idea of a surface with older emblazonments which becomes again alive and changes with new, fresh inscribed signs (the “palimpsest”) functions as the metaphor for what we intended to happen in the lives of the involved students: the former “inscriptions” and their experiences to be enriched and transformed, dwelling on their different cultural heritage (Greece-Spain) and their common points of reference (geomorphology, intense volcanic-seismic activity, insularity and frontier condition). The key values that penetrated the project’s practice was the energetic participation-cooperation-interaction, equality, empathy and respect of diversity. The educational tools were multi-sensory and derived from different Art fields: music, visual and trash art, up-cycling, theatre, dance, creative writing, photography and video making(multimedia production).

The transformative power of synergy in arts was made possible through group and individual activities at every separate school and during the common time the participants spent when they travelled to each other’s place. indicatively we mention: constructions of anti seismic house models with simple materials (such as plasticine and wood), a mosaic-patchwork out of broken clay pieces of the ruins of Vrisa’s old school, clay constructions, songs with lyric arrangements, dwelling on children’s lives and annual cycle of nature(in Greek and Spanish), original texts and short videos made by the pupils which reflect both realistically as well as in fiction the identity of each child, traditional dances of the two countries – islands, music – theatrical events etc. The educational process bore in mind the present cognitive/emotional children’s level and their group dynamics, directing it towards a certain aim: to develop psychosocial abilities and resilience by deepening into the concepts of identity, loss, moving, solidarity, dignity, high self-esteem and creative problem solving through divergent thinking. Also, an essential assistant for the above direction-aim were games, traditional ones of each country(e.g. petanque,”apples”) as well as international ones(e.g.football, chess).

The project started with 3 involving schools. The coordinator was the primary school of Vrisa. This is located on Lesvos island (Greece), a place that received an excessive amount of immigrants and refugees during the last years’ crisis. Especially Vrisa’s school consists of students who are facing a new reality that has upset completely their lives: the relocation of their families and a prefab school building next to their old, destroyed one, due to the devastating earthquake of June, 2017.

Participant schools were: CEO Antigua and CEIP ALFREDO KRAUS (both located in the Canary islands,Spain). After Christmas of 2018, “Alfredo Kraus” school withdrew the project, appealing to lack of time and availability for proper engagement.
Our Associate Partners were: Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest, Vrisa township, Antigua municipality, Antigua’s Cultural Elders Centre, Mytilene’s Teriade Museum, the Hellenic Theatre/Drama Education Network and the NGOs “Lesvos Solidarity” and “Metadrasi”. Our external fellow partners (individuals) were the multimedia artist and specialist Joaquín O’Ryan, the trash and up-cycling artist Panagoula Koutsoumbou and the environmental engineer Irina Mata.

During the project several articles and children’s works were published at the local press of both islands, assisting the dissemination of the endeavor (e.g. online newspapers “Politika” and “Under the sycamore tree”) and at relevant Erasmus+ platforms.

The duration of the programe was 12 months (01/09/2018 – 31/08/2019). The number of the participants including the children of both schools who didn’t take part in the mobility activities, was 86, 10 adults and 76 children. The number of the active participants who also travelled was 25, 7 adults and 18 children.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 33798 Eur

Project Coordinator

3/thesio Oloimero Dimotiko Sxoleio Vrisas & Country: EL

Project Partners

• CEO ANTIGUA
• CEIP ALFREDO KRAUS