in association with Associazione Attiva-Mente

Τίτλος : «On the Footsteps of Ulysses»

Τόπος : Modica, Sicily

Ημερομηνίες : 25 Σεπτεμβρίου εώς 04 Οκτωβρίου 2019

Συμμετέχοντες : 10 άτομα 18 εώς 30 ετών και 2 άτομα (leaders) εώς 35 ετών

Καλύπτεται το 100% των εξόδων μετακίνησης εώς 275 ευρώ! και το 100% διαμονής διατροφής.

Συμμετοχή : 40 € (εφόσον επιλεγείτε)

Δηλώσεις συμμετοχής έως την ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ 14 ΙΟΥΛΙΟΥ

Συμπληρώστε την φόρμα συμμετοχής εδώ

ΠΕΡΙΓΡΑΦΗ ΠΡΟΓΡΑΜΜΑΤΟΣ

“On the Footsteps of Ulysses” is a bilateral youth exchange in which 10 young people from Greece and 10 young people from Italy – helped by two group leaders each Countries – will discover more about their common history, values and the contribution on western civilization that these Peoples brought to modern times. The project will take place in Modica, from September 25th-4th October, 2019

From the evocative title, this project took inspiration from the “Odyssey” in which Homer told about the journey home of the King of Ithaca Odysseus (known better in Italy as “Ulysses”) after the Troy war. Following the description of this journey – time of navigation, morphology and known coast at the time in which Homer wrote the Odyssey – experts identified in the Coast of Catania Gulf, the place in which Poliphemus and Laestrygonians met Ulysses, his son Telemachus and their fellows. Nowadays, in these identified places, the myth of Ulysses is still present and evident. In Aci Trezza, Poliphemus while Ulysses and his fellows escape for his prisons call the Riviera of Cyclops because in front of the coast there are sea stacks launched, according with the scenes of Odyssey. However, in Sicily it is not the only example in which Greek myth have an importance in order to describe places: for example, the harbor of Messina was called “the sickle of Kronos”. This harbor is sickle-shaped and a myth, survived along the centuries, tell that this sickle belonged to the God of Time (Kronos) and fell down from Olympus. Many other witnesses from Greek domination are evident in Sicily, like the city of Syracuse, the Valley of Temple in Agrigento and the Temples in Segesta. We can mention some evidences of Greek heritage also in toponymy, like Siracusa or Giardini Naxos and a small minority of 500 Siculo-Greek, came in the city in XII century and almost decimate by the Earthquakes in 1908, lives in the city of Messina, which is also Eparchia (parish) for the Orthodox Greek Church. Academics like Paolo Orsi, poets like Salvatore Quasimodo (born in Modica) and anthropologists like Antonino Buttitta, linked the Sicilian identity permanently to the Greek Myth, as the Greek culture had a great role in the process of Identity building, since the VII century B.C (birth of Siracusa, Messina, Giardini Naxos, Megara Iblea, Lentini).

Nevertheless, there are not just common roots that made Italian (especially Southern Italians) and Greek similar. [please verify that]. There is a common proverb that said that Italians and Greeks are “one face, one race” and the Italian vocabulary have many words that descend from Greek.  Lot of words descending from Greek, such as “Accademia”, “Camera”, “Crisi”. Moreover, there are lot of examples similar assets in both cultures, such as celebrate many religious festivals yearly, the important role of Church in both Country, the role of the Family and a similar relation with food (especially connected with celebration and holidays), a similar perception of their political class.

About last issues, both countries are sometimes mentioned in the PIGS group (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain). PIGS are called that European Countries with did not match the objectives and the expected results of European Monetary Union and Maastricht Treaty Goals. Called a member of EU “pig” isn’t fair, as far the European Union Treaty reveal that all the Country are equals, moreover EU wouldn’t be just focused on Economy but also in Social Issues and in quest for Social Justice. Furthermore, Italian and Greek peoples are sometimes treated as pariahs in the European scene because of budget issues, forgetting the great contribution that Greek and Italian cultures had and still have in western civilization, such as the idea of Democracy and Rule of Law that descended respectively from Greek Polis and Roman law.

This project aims to discover cultural bridges across Ionian Sea and re-affirm the idea that no one in Europe can’t stand behind. For this reason this project give the opportunities to young people to discover common roots and history, having the opportunity to become ambassador of his/her own Country and together with their fellow Italians and Greeks, dream a different Europe more closer to them.

In order to achieve these results, the project will provide several activities like cineforum, theatre piecés, production of videos, simulation of democracy process, study visit and excursion to the Siracusa (as example of Great Greek in Sicily).

The chosen methods are inspired to the non-formal education  and peer education.

Participating countries: Greece, Italy

Venue: "I Tetti di Siciliando"