Refugee Week 2023: Kick-off for ‘Word Relay’ towards a collective project
February 9: International Day of Greek Language
On the occasion of the World Day of the Greek Language, which is celebrated today alongside the day of commemoration of the national poet Dionysios Solomos, the ACCMR είναι Athens Coordination Center for Refugee & Migrant issues (ACCMR) together with the Migrant Integration Center of the City of Athens (KEM) in collaboration with volunteer group “Bridges” and the Refugee Week Greece Festival* start a unique “Word Relay” with a terminal station… a collective short story.
An invitation to students, for whom Greek is not their first language and who have successfully attended the Preparatory Seminars for the Certificate of Knowledge Adequacy for Naturalization (PEGP) of the City of Athens*, to share personal and fictional stories, to shape narrative characters and plot and to discover the Greek language “thinking out of the box” through creative writing!
At the end of this “Word Relay”, we will read and enjoy a unique “collective” short story inspired by the theme “Compassion” of this year’s Refugee Week, which will take place from 19 to 25 June 2023.
“We are excited at the prospect of helping to give birth to a Greek literary work written by people whose mother tongue was not Greek. Some of them have already obtained Greek citizenship, and all of them, living for years in Greece, got to know our language in such depth that they can express in it, not only their simple daily needs, but also their dreams, thoughts, desires “, says Μelina Daskalaki, Special Advisor to the Mayor of Athens for Migrants and Refugees.
The workshop will be coordinated by the “Bridges” group of volunteers, drawing on their experience in the use of creative writing in learning the Greek language.
“Within the preparation courses for the Certificate of Knowledge Adequacy for Naturalization (PEGP) exam, we wanted to break away from the narrow core of the subject bank and make the learning process more enjoyable and creative by enhancing teamwork and collaboration. This is how we first started writing a collective work. The purpose of this idea was to practice the production of written words but in a creative way that would give them the freedom to put whatever they dream on paper and create their own imaginary story from scratch. We will follow this approach now as well”, explains Ms. Iliada Diamantoni, volunteer trainer of Greek as a foreign language for adults in the “Bridges” volunteer group.
During the workshop, authors will be invited to accompany the group on their journey and provide useful advice.
Stay tuned!
INFORMATION:
* The Refugee Week event will take place this year for the 2nd time in Greece at the initiative of the Athens Comics Library, on the occasion of World Refugee Day in June 2023, in collaboration with the British organization Counterpoints Arts, with the support of the Comic Relief Across Borders. The initiative is a festival of culture, part of a dynamic global movement, promoting the contribution, creativity and resilience of refugees and asylum seekers. This year it takes place between June 19-25, 2023. More about Refugee Week Greece: https://refugeeweek.gr/
* The Free Preparatory Seminars for the Certificate of Knowledge Adequacy for Naturalization (PEGP), the success of which constitutes the first stage for the acquisition of Greek citizenship through the naturalization process, is an initiative of the City of Athens that began in 2021 and is implemented through the Migrant Integration Center of the City of Athens (KEM). From December 2022 the initiative is supported by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. More about the seminars: https://www.accmr.gr/services/proparaskevastika-seminaria-gia-exetaseis-pistopoiitikou-eparkeias-gnoseon-gia-politografisi/
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