Wednesday, 16 May to Saturday, 26 May 2007 Centro di Educazione Ambientale "Serra Guarneri" / Sicily

Youth Exchange: “Connections” (EC Youth Programme, Action 1 - Youth for Europe),

Host group:
Italy: Centro Studi ed Iniziative Europeo (info: http://www.cesie.org/)

Sending groups:
Bulgaria: Opportunity and Protection Association
Estonia: Generating ideas
Greece: Mediterranean SOS Network (info: http://www.medsos.gr/)
Portugal: Blá, Blá, Blá – Teatro Jovem de Campo Maior (info: http://www.blablablateatro.com/)
Spain: INTRAS (info: http://www.intras.es/)
Turkey: Kasif Youth and Sport Club Association (info: http://www.kasifiz.biz/)
United Kingdom: Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (info: http://www.cemvo.org.uk/)

THE FIVE PRINCIPLES OF THE “CONNECTIONS” COMMUNITY
Respect
Participation
Tolerance
Communication
Tronesty (Truth & Honesty!)

Thematic Areas covered:
Community Building - Prejudices - Interpersonal Skills - Conflict Resolution - European Citizenship & Network Activity

Visits to the host country:
Centro di Educazione Ambientale "Serra Guarneri" http://www.educazioneambientale.com/id.php?tid=12
Parco delle Madonie http://www.parcodellemadonie.it/
Madonie GeoPark http://www.madoniegal.it/
Cefalu http://www.cefalu.it/
Palermo http://www.palermotourism.com



Impressions from the programme at MedSOS site (in Greek):
http://www.medsos.gr/medsos/2008-08-12-07-23-34/2009-06-17-15-24-59/2009-06-17-15-28-59/503--lr.html

Monday, 21 May 2007 Centro di Educazione Ambientale "Serra Guarneri" / Sicily - Empathy

During the exchange, an activity on Interpersonal Skills and Active listening was organized. In particular «Empathy» was the main topic of the activity!
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Create Empathy

(Handout session - link: http://www.crnhq.org/cr_trainers_manual.htm#Empathy / Conflict Resolution Trainers Manual - 12 Skills)

Listen with your head and your heart.

Empathy is sensing another's feelings and attitudes as if we had experienced them ourselves. It is our willingness to enter another's world, and being able to communicate to that person our sensitivity to them. It is not blind sentimentality; it always retains some objectivity and distance. We do not lose our own identity, though we discover our common humanity.

Create empathy by:
• taking seriously others' needs and concerns
• valuing feelings and attitudes
• respecting others' privacy, experience and values
• listening actively
• encouraging further elaboration and clarification using open body language and a warm vocal tone
• reserving judgement and blame
• displaying interest in what others communicate
• withholding unsought advice
• supporting others' attempts to find a solution
• making affirming statements and gestures.

Empathy
uncovers complex needs and concerns
encourages blossoming and growth
improves relationships
supports confidence and self-knowledge

Copyright: The conflict resolution network, http://www.crnhq.org/
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Where that word comes from???
Empathy (Em + pathy, eg: someone that is on condition of pathos [strong desire, feeling])

So, whoever is experiencing a strong condition of pathos, he is in a situation of empathy. The original meaning of the word doesn’t have a positive or negative meaning!!!
Furthermore, originally the word was used to describe a person’s condition. Later on, in the Hellenistic period the word empathy was used to describe someone that is taking part in the condition [pathos] of another person.
In Greek, nowadays the word is being used for its negative meaning. The exactly opposite meaning is used in English!!!

Do you want to know more?
Check the word in English, English – Greek & Greek – English dictionary. I did! Check this out:
~ Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary – Oxford University Press
Empathy, 1. Ability to imagine and share another person’s feelings, experience, etc: ‘There is a strange empathy between the old lady and her grandson’ 2. Ability to identify oneself mentally with eg a work of art that one is looking at, and so to understand its meaning
~ Oxford English – Greek Learner’s Dictionary D.N. Stavropoulos & A.S. Hornby – Oxford University Press
Empathy, word doesn’t exist!
~ Oxford Greek – English Learner’s Dictionary D.N. Stavropoulos – Oxford University Press
Empathy, Passion, hatred, bitterness

Saturday, 28 April to Monday, 1 May 2007 Lebanon

1st Encounter of Euro-Mediterranean Youth, Beirut – Lebanon “Conflict Prevention & Peace building”
The Encounter was organized by the Euro-Mediterranean Platform – Lebanon (info: www.euromedplatform.org) in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung – Lebanon (info: http://www.feslb.org/).

- - - Saturday, 28 April 2007
Mr. Georges Abi Saleh, Representative of Euro-Med Platform – Lebanon
Mr. Samir Farah, Representative of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung – Lebanon
Ms. Rana Fatfat, Representative of Lebanese Minister of Youth
Ms. Irene Plank, Representative of the German Embassy – Lebanon

Keynote Presentations
Ms. Annette Lohmann, Transforming Conflicts – Building Peace. The International Work of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung FES – Germany-Department for Development Policy
Dr. Sari Hanafi, Civil Society between Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and Neighbourhood Policies: A view from the South. American University – Lebanon


1st Workshop: The Culture of War and the Culture of Peace. Case Studies:
Transitional Justice
Ms. Marieke Wierda - International Centre for Transitional Justice
Dr. Ziad Baroud, Lawyer, Saint Joseph University – Lebanon

- - - Sunday, 29 April 2007
Open Discussion: “Responsibility to Protect”, Ms. Annette Lohman, FES – Germany – Department for Development Policy

- - - Monday, 30 April 2007
2nd Workshop: The Structural Aspect of Conflict Prevention
Mr. Fadi Abou Allam, Permanent Peace Movement – Lebanon
3rd Workshop: Interpersonal Skills for Conflict Resolution
Dr. Ossama Safa, Lebanese Centre for Policy Studies – Lebanon

47 youth from 10 Mediterranean countries and 27 organizations, NGO’s etc. participated,
1. Lebanese Association for Human Rights, Lebanon (info: http://www.aldhom.org/)
2. Lebanese Family Planning Association, Lebanon (info: http://www.lfpa.org.lb/)
3. Lebyouth, Lebanon (info: http://www.lebyouth.net/)
4. Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering, Lebanon
5. Amel Association, Lebanon (info: http://www.amel.org.lb/)
6. Association de justice et misericorde, Lebanon
7. OffreJoie, Lebanon (info: http://www.offrejoie.com/)
8. Civic Responsibility Association, Lebanon
9. Cultural Movement Antelias, Lebanon (info: http://www.mcaleb.org/)
10. Coordination Committee for Palestinian NGOs working in Lebanon, Lebanon
11. Lebanese Committee for Environment and Development, Lebanon
12. Al-Hares Center for Studies and Media, Palestine (info: http://www.alhares.org/)
13. International Peace and cooperation center, Palestine (info: http://www.ipcc-jerusalem.org/)
14. Nahdet El-Mahrousa Association, Egypt (info: http://www.nahdetmasr.org/)
15. Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement, Egypt (info: (info: http://www.mosharka.org/)
16. Groupe des jeunes chercheurs en sciences sociales et development, Maroc
17. Forum des jeunes Marocains du 3eme milloinaine, Maroc
18. National Forum for Youth and Culture, Jordan (info: http://www.jordanyouth.org/)
19. Jordaninan Women's Union, Jordan
20. Coupole d'une centaine d'associations et mouvements de la Société civile impliqués dans la solidarité Nord Sud en Belgique francophone (CNCD), Belgium (info: www.cncd.be)
21. Eurostep, France (info: www.eurostep.org)
22. Centre Regional d'Actions Socialesinterculturelles et de Communication, France
23. Reseau euromediterreaneen universitaires, France
24. Babelmed Journalist, Italy (info: http://www.babelmed.net/)
25. Young Socialists, Germany (Young Socialists in the SPD, info: http://www.jusos.de/)
26. Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and sustainable Development, Greece (info: http://www.mio-ecsde.org/)

Join us on Broumana Peace: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Broumanapeace/

Read also Sustainable Mediterranean - issue no 47 - 2/2007 - Quar­ter­ly newsletter produced by the Me­di­ter­ra­ne­an Infor­mation Offi­ce for the Envi­ronment, Culture and Sustai­na­ble Develop­ment, in collaboration with the Europe­an Envi­ronme­ntal Bure­au and the Arab NGO Network for Envi­ronmentand Deve­lop­ment @ www.mio-ecsde.org/filemgmt/visit.php?lid=297

Tuesday, 24 April 2007 Athens / Greece

Robert Swan lecture: «Leadership on the edge», in the framework of ECOWEEK

(info: http://www.ecoweek.gr/)

Explorer & Adventurer, Robert Swan, is the first person to walk to both the North and South poles.

What did Robert Swan pointed out?

- Everything concerning the environment has a negative meaning.

- Try and feed people positive news so as in order to inspire them.
- It’s never too early or too late to try and make the difference.
- Think what is possible to achieve and no what is not possible to achieve.
- Refresh / Recycle / Renew
- Last exploration: survive on earth. Possibly on 2041 no Arctic pole will exist!

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 by 12 states, and entered into force for those states on 23 June 1961. Greece as an ‘Acceding State’ joined the treaty on 8 Jan 1987, being the 34th member. On 2041 Greece and the rest 42 countries are going to decide the review of the Treaty. Antarctica is the only place in earth we all own! That is why Swan’s webpage is: http://www.2041.com/

Figures
a) Parties to the Treaty now represent 70% of the world's population.
b) 70% of world’s fresh water is in Antarctica.

Let's don’t forget that 2007 is the International Polar Year & is focused on global warming and climate change.

Sunday, 21 April 2007 Karystos / Greece

Castello Rosso (Red Castle)

Castello Rosso, the red castle, is situated in the mountain Ochi (at a height approx. 450m), overlooking the modern town of Karystos, the southernmost town of Evia island. Castello Rosso is one of the remarkable castles built in Greece at the 13th century. Some say that a fortress was built around 1030 for the first time in the place where the Castle is sited today [3].

___________________________________________________________________
History (mainly review of [1]):

Evia or Euboea, in the Middle Ages, was known to the Latins under the name "Ne(i)groponte". According to the Partitio terrarum imperii Romanie (treaty for the partition of the territories of the Byzantine Empire – fall of the Byzantine Empire during the 4th crusade in 1204), a part of Euboea was awarded to the Latin king of Thessalonika Boniface of Montferrat (1204-1207) who in 1205 ceded the island to three barons from Verona, Italy. The three barons were given the name triarchs (terzieri or terciers), since each one of them got one third of the island, namely one of the three baronies into which Euboea was divided. The southern section with Karystos as its capital (terzero di Caristo) was given to the baron named Ravano dalle Carceri. Towards the end of 1208, he became the lord of the entire island.

Ravano ranged himself with the Lombard lords of Thessalonika in his struggle against the Latin emperor of Constantinople (1207-1209). In March of 1209 Ravano contracted a treaty of alliance with Venice, by which he acknowledged the Venetian dominion in Euboea. On 20 May 1209, Ravano also acknowledged the dominance of the Latin emperor of Constantinople and became his liege. Ravano died in 1216 and the Venetian bailus Pietro Barbo intervened in the feud of the six relatives of Ravano, who claimed his inheritance dividing the island into six districts (sestieri). The Venetian bailus gradually became the real governor of the whole island. The following years the dependence of parts of the island came upon the prince of Achaia William II de Villehardouin (1246-1278), the Latin emperor of Constantinople and the Venetians.

The contribution of the Venetian baili to the defence of the island had been significant in periods of external enemy attacks, although Venice had not always been in the position to offer important military assistance to the triarchs. Some of the attacks were that of the prince of Achaia in 1258, the operations of the Latin knight of Karystos Licario (who fought in the service of Michael VIII Palaiologos), during which (1264-1280) he conquered Karystos with the support of the Byzantines from 1271 onwards, and the Turkish naval attacks of the 14th century. The Lombard sestieri and the Greek nobles took an oath of fidelity to the Venetian bailus, thus acknowledging Venice as the prevailing power on the island.

Towards the end of 1317 and beginning of 1318, Karystos was conquered by the Catalan Don Alfonso Fadrique, vicar-general of the duchy of Athens and illegitimate son of Frederic II, king of Sicily (1295-1337). In 1319, the Catalans entered into a treaty with the Venetians, which was renewed in 1321, according to which Don Alfonso maintained Karystos under his jurisdiction. Venice bought Karystos in 1365/6. The official dominion of Venice spread gradually throughout Euboea.

Many years later, during the Ottoman period (1470 – 1830) the Turks fortified the castle even more impressively [2]. During the period of 1821 War of Independence, Omer Bei of Karystos repaired the castle and constructed a new wall on the south part and a yard on the west side [2]. It was only after the liberation, in 1833, that the castle gates were opened to the Greeks [3].

Bibliography
[1] Foundation of the Hellenic World, ‘Latin occupation in Greek Islands’ (info, in English: http://www.fhw.gr/)
[2] Institute of Regional Development – Centre of Cultural Development, 2003 (info, in Greek: http://mimerhellas.ath.cx/rise/meleti_7.3.pdf)
[3] Vlami V.– OIKOS (info: http://www.oikos-nature.gr/) – Nature Management Ltd, Evia Prefecture Local Authority, 2006. The Region of Ochi

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What is happening nowadays?

Tourism is a serious threat to the castle. Today, no definition of the outer / broader archaeological area exists. In 2004 the subject was a major issue for the people of Karystos. Today, a villa is built just around the next corner on the road from the castle to Mili village!

Monday, 2 April 2007 Padova / Italy

Driving outside Padova I stopped in a station for diesel. There, there are two options: feel on your own (fai da te) or to be served (servizio). The difference in price reaches 0,031 euro/lt, nearly 1 euro just to fill up a small car each time! Does it really matters? For Italians YES!

Just to mention:
1. Cars are filled with diesel and not with unleaded or super as in Greece
2. Would it be possible gas stations in Greece work in a similar way? What happened with the people that lost their jobs because of the ‘fai da te’ machines?
3. In Italy you can also find stations where you can wash your car on your own.
4. Are we all in the same union, EU?

Wednesday, 28 March 2007 Bremen / Germany

Tetrapods (concrete armor units) used in breakwaters and marine defence works – common features of landscape in coastal waters of urbanised areas.

A very good alternative use of Tetrapods (in front of the Hauptbahnhof in Bremen)