One by one, municipalities in Greece are announcing the reopening of playgrounds, as the Hellenic Interior Ministry has granted them to reopen.

 

Playgrounds were closed for the public at the beginning of lockdown restriction measures. The circular issued by the Interior Ministry states that for the reopening of playgrounds, all playgrounds should "meet all safety requirements," "in full accordance with the existing health conditions per region and the observance of the outlined and enforced protection measures."

 

According to a statement, the Culture, Sports & Youth Organization of the City of Athens (OPANDA) will proceed with the reopening of all playgrounds in Athens. "OPANDA has taken all necessary measures to meet hygiene requirements and follow the operating rules of the premises, following the Joint Ministerial Decision and the instructions of the Health Scientific Committee," it is emphasized in the announcement. Playgrounds will be open from Monday to Sunday from 08:00 to 22:00.

 

Meanwhile, the Municipality of Athens continues to plan the reconstruction of 19 playgrounds, which will be delivered by the end of July–remodeled according to the latest safety standards, suitable and accessible to children with mobility difficulties.

Originally posted in Greek on ethnos.gr 

Translated by Codico Lab

The SNF Run returns, this year in virtual form!

This summer, get ready for a powerful comeback from the SNF Run. Adapting to virtually unprecedented times, the popular race is going virtual for the first time, inviting us to run wherever we are to support our local hospitals. We’ll keep our distance, but cover greater ones all over Greece, always together and always for a good cause!

To experience the Virtual SNF Run, pick a day between Monday, June 15, and Sunday, June 21 to run your own 5-km route, then upload your results. You decide where to run: in a park, on city streets, on your favorite beach, on the treadmill, in your garden, or on the stairs at home.

Like every year, this year’s race has a charitable mission. When registering, those who wish can choose to support their local hospital. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) will add double the amount contributed by runners, tripling the overall size of the donation.

Whether you run by yourself, with your family, or with your friends, take a selfie on your run and share it with the hashtag #SNFRun. 

On the evening of International Olympic Day, June 23, at 21:00 (GMT+3), the announcement of the Virtual SNF Run results will be streamed as part of the Summer Nostos Festival RetroFuture Edition in an event featuring your best snapshots from the race. The event will be presented by iMEdD Managing Director, SNF DIALOGUES Executive Director, and journalist Anna-Kynthia Bousdoukou.

More information on how to register will be announced soon at SNFestival.org.

Stay tuned, stay connected.

Hundreds of Greeks danced and sang from inside their cars at a drive-in concert, the first concert since the ban of mass gatherings in Greece. The show took place in a football court at the seaside suburb of Glyfada on Tuesday night.

 

Cars were parked on designated spots to safeguard the health of the concertgoers who came to enjoy a free performance by famous Greek singer Natasa Theodoridou. The 300 car spaces were raffled in a lottery of more than 7,000 applications.

I have never done something like this before, it's a nice experience, a new experience,' affirmed a spectator.

'This is an example to all of us that nothing stops, we can do everything if we have patience and positive thoughts,' said the performer on stage.

Live concerts in Greece are expected to resume on July 15.

To read this article in full, please visit: reuters.com

FokiaNou Art Space is pleased to present “Interstitial Places”, a two-person exhibition by Jane Grover and Dimitra Maltabe. In order to allow for social distancing, the opening will take place over two evenings, the 11th and 12th of June, with the rooftop terrace open for added space. The two artists create photographic fictions, starting with the randomness of the world and imposing order, to paraphrase the photographer Stephan Shore. Jane Grover's photographs of walls and surfaces were taken on trips from as far afield as Mexico and as nearby as Anavyssos. She seeks accidental and serendipitous compositions that have been fashioned by entropic forces on manmade surfaces. Dimitra Maltabe juxtaposes and collages urban residential windows to evoke thoughts about architectural features that function both as openings and as boundaries or borders while hiding different worlds within.

Born in England, Jane Grover studied History of Art at Leeds University before moving to the United States in 1980. She worked in theater and set design all over the U.S. and was a member of the union United Scenic Artists Local 829 in New York City. In 2002 she moved to Taos, New Mexico, to concentrate on painting, where she was represented by a Sage Fine Art as well as two galleries in Colorado. She is happy to have made Greece her home for the past seven years.

Dimitra Maltabe is an Athens-based visual artist. She holds a degree in Painting and Stage Design from the Athens School of Fine Arts and a Master’s in Fine Arts from Kent Institute of Art and Design, University of Kent, Canterbury, U.K. Her work focuses on human and environmental interaction. She has shown her work in many solo and group shows in Greece and abroad, including the 6th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art, “Imagined Homes”, as well as a 2018 residency at Kinono Tinos Art Gathering, and at artAmari Residency, Crete in 2016.

About FokiaNou Art Space

FokiaNou Art Space is an artist-run project space in the intimacy of a small apartment in an old building in the center of Athens. The space encourages collaborative creative efforts between Greek and foreign artists, thereby promoting and supporting the local art community. The space hosts exhibitions, workshops, and projects under the direction of two artists, Mary Cox and Panagiotis Voulgaris.

Young Executives Shipping (YES) FORUM (Greece) in partnership with YoungShip Cyprus, YoungShip Turkey, YoungShip Panama, YoungShip Venezuela, YoungShip Singapore, YoungShip Texas, Young Professionals In Shipping Network Hong Kong, Young Shipping Professionals New York, Young Professionals In Shipping Network Shanghai & Beijing, Maritime SheEO India, Shipping Professionals Network London, It's All About Shipping UK will organize an online event on Friday 5th June 2020 16:00- 18:00 (Greek time).

Representatives of the above organizations will answer the audience's questions about the below topics:

- Presentation and best practices of each organization.
- Onboard and Ashore Career: Opportunities and Challenges in each country
- Tips to follow in your career path (soft skills, social media, CV tips, networking, etc)

Moderator of the discussion will be: Danae Bezantakou, Concept Founder – YES FORUM & CEO – NAVIGATOR SHIPPING CONSULTANTS

The e-dialogue will be live via FACEBOOK in this event page so that everyone can have access from different countries and ask questions live.

The discussion will take place in English.

The participation is free of charge. 

To register please click here. 

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XpatAthens is proud to be a Media Sponsor Of YES FORUM

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Greece is aiming to end the use of single-use plastics by July 2021, according to Kostis Hatzidakis, the Greek Minister of Environment and Energy. Single-use plastics include plastic bags, straws, coffee cups and stirrers, soda and water bottles, and most food packaging.

 

The Ministry has announced its partnership with the AC Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, entitled, "Greece, Free of Single-Use Plastics."

 

Angeliki Kosmopoulou of the AC Laskaridis Charitable Foundation noted that "Greece is taking a great leap forward" to ban single-use plastics and called for new regulating laws as well as a public awareness campaign.

 

"Every day, we use a million plastic coffee cups in Greece," Hatzidakis said. "This cannot continue, so we are moving ahead with this initiative, which the prime minister himself has strongly supported, and which must be done in tandem with citizens," the minister added during the event.


To read this article in full, plese visit: greekreporter.com

Although the measures for COVID-19 have eased, we are still very cautious. We avoid social contact and do not visit friends yet. That's because we adults can keep the necessary, safe distance, but children cannot. Last week we planned a "date" with one of my daughter's friends and her mom in the park. We would all walk together, two moms and two kids, keeping a safe distance between us.

 

We discussed with the children in advance and set the rules upfront about what is and what's not allowed. Of course, we had to remind them several times: "Don't get too close, come closer to me, don't touch this." It was going well until the children decided they wanted to hug, but that was out of the question. My daughter started to cry long and loud! That's certainly not what I would call a relaxing walk.

 

The same thing happened when she met her grandmother; she wanted to run into her arms. And I, the "bad" mom apparently, did not let her. My daughter could not understand why since we've been in the house for so long without meeting anyone and since the measures have started being less strict. "I'm heartbroken that I can't hug my grandmother," she told me and burst into tears. In our family, we have people belonging to the high-risk group, so we are more than careful.

 

Several worrying thoughts came to my mind: "Have we perhaps become hypochondriacs?" "Is it possible we are more afraid than we allow ourselves to feel?" "And how much has all this fear affected us?" I took my daughter in my arms and let her cry as much as she wanted. I wasn't talking to her; I was simply holding her in my arms. When she stopped, she wiped her tears and said: "I know, mom, that this coronavirus won't let us do what we want. Fortunately, I can at least see my grandmother even if it's from a distance."

 

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Development & Investments Nikos Papathanassis stated that indoor seating is not allowed before the first half of June.

To read this article in full, please visit: amna.gr

Are you interested in youth exchange programs? Do you want to know more about exciting opportunities to meet and collaborate with peers from other countries in the EU?

Join the webinar ‘European Youth Mobilities explained: Get memorable experiences abroad’ on 28th May, 16.00-17.00, to learn more about Youth Mobilities, financed by Erasmus+ program.

The options are many – for choosing the right one, it depends on your areas of interest!

In the webinar, you will get information about:

• Topics/thematic areas of Youth Exchanges
• Typical activities in youth mobilities and learning outcomes
• What are the expenses covered for you to participate in the mobility
• Application process: How to write an engaging motivation letter
• Where to spot youth exchange opportunities
• How COVID-19 pandemic affects youth mobilities

Mobility projects for young people offer many opportunities to acquire competences and grow as an individual, through non-formal learning. Learn how to prepare yourself and get ready to participate in the near future!

Participation is free of charge. 

For most people, the act of reading is a reward in itself. When reading a book, we stay mentally stimulated and improve our memory, but research has shown that a good book helps to let stress drain away. Immersing yourself in a great book has numerous benefits that range from longevity to career success, including helping with depression and reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life.

If you're looking for reasons to pick up a book, this list of page-turners will get you reading in no time!

5 Non-Fiction Books:

1. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

This non-fiction book covers the rise and fall of the firm Theranos, the multibillion-dollar biotech startup headed by Elizabeth Holmes.

2. Educated by Tara Westover

This is the real story of Tara Westover who was 17 the first time she set foot in a classroom. It is an account of the struggle for self-invention, a tale of fierce family loyalty that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers.

3. Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Tom Wright & Bradley Hope

Twisty and powerful, ingenious and moving, this is a smart, sophisticated psychological thriller novel brimming with Hitchcockian suspense. 

One of the internet's most talked-about books, now a major motion picture, this story follows Tessa's life and how it changed completely after meeting Hardin. 


All of the recommendations have been ‘tried and tested’ by our friend and contributor Eleni Maria Georgiou. Thank you, Eleni!

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About Eleni Maria Georgiou

Eleni Maria Georgiou is an independent writer and publishing professional devoted to creating books that are creative, original, and modern.  

Passionate about Athens and all the city has to offer, for four exciting years, I co-managed XpatAthens. This experience inspired me to write my first book, Eleni’s GREEK PHRASE BOOK: A Beginner's Guide to Greek Culture and the Greek Language in 2018, sparking the birth of Lenacke Press. I continue to write, think about, and publish creative and original books, adding to the Lenacke Press collection. 

In addition, since 2004, I have been running fixyourenglish.com, a business that provides Editing, Proofreading, and Translation services.

I currently live in Athens, Greece with my husband and two kids. I am fluent in both English and Greek and interested in learning more languages. I like organizing and attending community group events, reading, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, writing, lifting weights, and going hiking.