In April and May 2023, the 4 hubs of Schools For All co-created and co-organized 4 festive final events to showcase their work and celebrate their collaboration. The results were inspiring and memorable.
The 25 schools of this year’s network are organized in 2 hubs in Thessaloniki and 2 in Athens, codenamed A through C according to their geographical districts. This year, the hubs implemented the activity “Creation and translation of signs/signposts, rules” from the project’s ‘31 Basic Activities’ handbook. “It was the first time that such joint events took place at our schools. We were happy to see active students, and I think it also improved communication among the schools themselves,” noted Angelos Vallianatos, our head trainer.
At the event organized by the Athens A-hub, which has the largest percentage of refugee and migrant students due to its location, a “beehive” was created with around 200 “bees”. Divided into mixed groups, students visited 4 stations in the schoolyard, where they played together, recited poems, shared myths and fairy tales. They also had the chance to dance and watch multi-ethnic dances. The event ended with a party with music chosen by the students themselves, where they all became one big group again.
The Thessaloniki B-hub’s event was an invitation for each school to answer the question “What is love?”. The result was a collection of ideas, artwork and presentations. The student community took center stage, sharing thoughts and feelings about love in an authentic, collaborative and moving way. They recited poems and presented activities for inclusion implemented in their schools, including graffiti projects, songs, dance, and a theatrical performance about love created by the students themselves. Over 300 students, teachers, directors, parents, and NGO representatives attended this celebration.
The Thessaloniki A-hub opened with various icebreaker games, which took place outdoors by the Thermaikos Bay. The event revolved around questions such as: “Who am I? Where do I stand? What do I dream of?” The students explored these through art. An impressive exhibit with collages, dioramas, paintings and digital art was one outcome of this exploration. At the same time, the students used performing arts to share their ideas, thoughts, and – most importantly – dreams for the future. Theatrical scenes, music and songs in different languages were presented, with over 300 schools representatives following the activities in the theatre, in the exhibition area, and outside.
The last event, by the Athens C-hub, served as a broader celebration of the completion of this cycle. Each school set up a kiosk to share their work on translating school signs, artworks, photos and videos. A treasure hunt game involved leads planted around the exhibition, leading to pieces of a common puzzle.
Out in the school’s yard, in a beautiful olive garden, the students put the pieces together and signed their names on a billboard. On the basketball court, participants spelled the words “Schools for All” with their bodies, guided by the graffiti that was also created by students. The result was captured in a beautiful aerial photo. The day concluded with live music and Greek and Afghan dancing.
“These four events implemented the agreed ideas and methods in four different ways. This created a multifaceted experience that can be used again and again,” said Vallianatos.
