Volunteers news

Awards ceremony

Publ. June 25 2016

We prepared the awards for volunteers in quantity of 24 kits. One kit included a book, a frame, a painting and a certificate.  The price of one kit was app. 50 Euro, including design and printing.

All kits were delivered to Istanbul and 14 volunteers were awarded with them during the conference "Caring and Sharing. The Heritage Environment as an Agent for Change", which took place on 31st of May - 2nd of June 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey.

(See annex 3 – pictures from the awarding ceremony)

Rest of certificates and awards (10 kits) were given to partner organizations to award their volunteers, who could not come to Istanbul

LIST OF VOLUNTEERS

ALECTOR - Collaborative Networks of Multilevel Actors to Advance Quality Standards for Heritage Tourism at Cross Border Level

GREECE - Lead Partner (Drama Development S.A., Greece)

Dr Anastasia Rigopoulou

Teacher of Ancient Greek Language, Modern Greek Language and Greek Literature (1992- today). Teaching Modern Greek -as a Native and Foreign Language- and Greek Literature at Campion School Athens (2000-today) and also CAS Advisor for the IB Programme at Campion School Athens (2016-today).

I graduated from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens with a degree of Classical Philology (1992). I gained my PhD degree with distinction from the Department of Classical Studies of the same University (2012).

I am particularly interested in the Protection and Interpretation of the Cultural Heritage of Greece and I have attended several conferences and courses on the above subject. Two of these courses were incorporated in European Projects. The first one was a 33-month Learning E-course on Heritage Interpretation funded by the Transnational Project SAGITTARIUS (2010-2013) and the second was the E-course HERISCOUT of the ALECTOR Project funded by the European Commission (2016). In order to share my knowledge and love for the Greek Civilisation with people coming from all over the world, I run a club called Journey into Greek Civilisation which is open to all CAMPION pupils.

I am a great believer in the ethic of volunteerism. Therefore, I do my very best to support as many NGOs operating in Greece as possible encouraging young people to contribute to these. I have volunteered in the ALECTOR Project (2015-2016) proofreading and editing the Greek texts for the Pilot Project TOBACCO PERFUMES: Drama 1840-1940.

GEORGIA – ENPI Partner No. 5 (The Batumi Archaeological Museum, Georgia)

Maka Lomadze

Invited specialist in PR of Republican Faction in the Supreme Council of Ajara and Supervisor in Ajara Education Fund.

Graduated Bachelor degree in Journalism at the Shota Rustaveli Batumi State University and Master degree in Journalism at the Georgian Technical University. She actively was involved in social and political life of Autonomous Republic of Ajara. She took position of operative manager of the “Fair Elections” Batumi branch during the general elections in Georgia in 2008 and 2009; Also was trainer of Press PR technologies at the Shota Rustaveli Batumi State University in 2005-2008; Executive assistant of “Center of Human Rights” in Batumi branch and marketing manager of Advertising Company of “Geopixel”.

Maka Lomadze as a active journalist periodically publish articles on cultural heritage problems in newspapers of “Batumelebi” and “Ajara”, also has TV reports in local 25^th channel. 

Zaur Akhvlediani

The head of Permits and Monitoring Department of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency of Ajara.

Graduated Law at the Shota Rustaveli Batumi State University, where he also taught Intellectual Property in 2004-2008. He actively was involved in social and political life of Autonomous Republic of Ajara: as a coordinator of the “Fair Elections” he monitored general elections in Georgia in 2008 and 2009; was elected as a chairman of the Georgian Republican Party Batumi branch and Batumi City Council in 2014.  

He managed monitoring of the cultural heritage objects in Ajara. Hundreds of monuments were  preserved due of his efforts in the city of Batumi and surroundings. Also bridges, forts, etc. were reconstructed after the his recommendations in highland Ajara.

MOLDOVA – ENPI Partner No. 3 (National Association of Rural, Ecological end Cultural Tourism, Moldova)

Gutiera Prodan

Gutiera Prodan is editor coordinator of the morning TV show airing on Moldova1, the president of the Chisinau branch of Professional Journalists Union of Romania, holds the honorary title "Master of Arts" and is designated as Peace Ambassador, medalist of Moldovan Metropolis for promoting spirituality and arts.

Gutiera Prodan is a journalist with the refresher courses at BBC, England, Romania, Turkey and China. She activates in NPBI "Teleradio Moldova" for 28 years and has conducted programs that were always in the top positions, the winner of various national and international competitions, winner of the profile Contest "Golden Antenna". "Telematinal," "The screen of a lost movie," "Test under microscope," "Good morning" are just some of the shows that has conducted and who wrote the history of this country.

She carried live broadcasts, both in the country and at international festivals "Eurovision", "Slaveanschii Bazaar", World championships for modern and pop dance, which were held in Croatia, Spain, Italy. She participated in various International Art Symposium in Gulbarga, India; International Art Symposium “Heviz-Eden” from Hungary; International Festival "Art and Tradition" from Moldova; International Art Festival from Szydlow, Poland; International Festival "Traditions and Innovations” from Montreal, Canada.

She has personal exhibitions of paintings in the Art Galleries of Chisinau (Moldova), Venice (Italy), Мaikop (Russian Federation), Brusel (Belgium) entitled: “Moments in Eternity”; "Mărţişor"; «Symphony of Flowers"; "Summer Rhapsodies"

Within her programs she has promoted the distinct elements of our cultural heritage and touristic attractions included in ALECTOR project. Harnessing national traditions, including the ritual bread, were the leitmotif of several televised sequences.

Varvara Buzila

Varvara Buzila is deputy director for scientific activities at the National Museum of Ethnography and Natural History, associate professor in visual arts (history of culture and civilization), Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts.

In recent years Ms. Varvara Buzila worked as a scientific coordinator and consultant in several important projects such as: “Place and role of museum-reserves in the system of preservation and use of cultural heritage”, supported by UNESCO Office in Moscow; "UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage", supported by UNESCO Office in Moscow; "Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage", supported by the US government; Project Forwarding Cultural Landscape Old Orhei into UNESCO World Heritage List; "Mark the history by offering an object to museum" with the logistical support of Teleradio Moldova;  Varvara Buzila  was responsible for Orhei city in "The development of artistic popular crafts " project supported by UNDP; "The study of prospects in tourism development for Old Orhei region" supported by PNUD - Moldova; Student Summer Camp "Artistic rediscovery of rural areas (Mateuţi, Rezina district)" supported by Soros Foundation Moldova.

Buzila Varvara, was actively involved in the implementation of this project from the beginning until now. She performed some researches in the field, explained to residents the importance of promoting traditions of national value and resulting opportunities of the ALECTOR project.

ROMANIA - ENPI Partner No. 1 (National Authority for Tourism, Romania)

Dr. Sorin Marcel Colesniuc

PhD Sorin Marcel COLESNIUC, scientific researcher, head of Callatis Archaeology Museum

Graduated history at Ovidius University in Constanta  and the PhD courses in history at Lucian Blaga University from Sibiu. He worked several years in mass-media and in 1998 he started his work at Callatis Archaeology Museum, being the director of the institution between 2009-2013.  

He initiated and coordinated hundreds of cultural projects, over 70 studies published in professional journals and over 300 articles on history and culture, in various magazines and newspapers. He published 7 books, for 5 of them being scientific coordinator and co-author. At present he collaborates with ENPI 1 NAT- The National Authority for Tourism in Romania, for developing The Route of the Romania ancient history at the Black Sea Coast, regarding the 2 assets located in the area administered by Callatis Archaeology Museum: Callatis Archaeology Museum and Callatis Fortress.

Andreea Andrei

Curator at the Museum of National History and Archaeology Constanta, graduated history at Ovidius University  in Constanta and the Master courses in Anthropology and European History at the same university.

The activity carried out in the museum includes organizing exhibitions and cultural events, scientific sessions and participating in various cultural projects, both with national and European financing. Among these projects, there is ALECTOR Project, which involved collaboration with ENPI 1 NAT – the National Authority for Tourism in Romania, for developing The Route of the Romania ancient history at the Black Sea Coast, regarding the 8 assets located in the area  administered by the Museum of National History and Archaelogy Constanta: the Museum of National History and Archaelogy – Constanta, the Roman Edifice with Mosaic – Constanta, the Archaelogy Park – Constanta, Histria Fortress – Istria, Capidava Fortress – Capidava, Tropaeum Traiani Monument – Adamclisi, Tropaeum Traiani Fortress – Adamclisi, Tropaeum Traiani Museum – Adamclisi.

TURKEY

Özkan Kart

He was born in Kırıkkale in 1979. He started school in Kuşadası, took 'Travel Agency and Tourist Guidance Department' at high school. He studied English Language and Literature at university. He has been an English Teacher in Trabzon since 2002. He is married and has two kids.

He contributed in the project during the expeditions in and around Trabzon. He helped about the history and the stories in Eastern Blacsea region. He also did some translations and spellchecs of the project outcomes.

Ümit Orhan

He was burn in Corul / Gumushane in 1974. He studied Faculty of Science and Letters department of Statiatics.

He is General Coordinator  of Trabzon chamber of commerce and industry. He contributed in the creation of DOKA Pilot Project destinations . Also he provides information about Pilot Project destinations.

VEYSEL BAŞER

He was burn in Gumushane in 1962. He studied Faculty of Management in Anadolu University.

He is Provincial Director of Planning of Trabzon. He contributed in the project during the determine to route of DOKA pilot Project.

UKRAINE – ENPI Partner No. 4 (Donetsk Civic Organization “Alliance”, Ukraine) 

Alla Zakrevska

Financial Manager in Regional Union of Youth, Financial officer in Alliance on voluntary basis

Graduated specialist in Economics of Enterprises at Donetsk Institute of Railway Transportation, also finished courses for accountants in KARNEOL Training Centre, where she learned financial law. She is actively involved in civic work, providing financial assistance to several organizations in their project implementation.

In ALECTOR project, she assisted in preparation of documents, financial reports and payments. During Alliance’s displacement in 2014, she was helping project team to gather all documents and transport them to Kiev.

Now her main responsibilities in the project are: preparation of documents for financial auditors, collection of bank certificates, meetings with service providers, etc.

Наnna Shchetinina

Graduated from Donetsk Institute of Business and has a qualification as an economist-legal adviser. Works as a coordinator of tourism development in Donbass in the associated partner DСO “Alliance” Ukrainian Network for Adults of Education and Development of Innovation. Activity includes organization of a cultural events, learning and creation tourist routes in the Donetsk region.

Volunteer DCO "Alliance". Advises financial manager on the question which are connect with processing of legal and financial documents by ALECTOR project. Assists in the organization and carrying out the project activities.

BULGARIA – ENPI Partner No. 2 (Union of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities, Bulgaria)

Violeta Petkova

Graduated Varna Technical University as MA in Business Administration. Mrs. Petkova has also obtained diplomas and accordingly worked in public administration as expert of environment monitoring and prevention and civil administration. At present she manages rural tourism operation and deals with offering services in the tourism promotion. Mrs. Petkova has extensive experience in working on projects development and implementation in particular as a training coordinator and event manager of meetings and events, round tables and seminars for public servants, regional actors and stakeholders in the Northeastern region. She is interested in culture heritage promotion and enhancing tourism ventures and accordingly was involved in the ALECTOR project implementation and event management since its beginning in 2014. Her main attributes for follow up are related with pilot project promotion, dissemination of achievements e.g. specific information and resource operation for the pilot project “100 years in 60 minutes”.

Svetlana Markova

Graduated Business Administration in Varna Free University and has a qualification in working on youth projects and initiatives. Mrs. Markova is a senior expert in projects of energy efficiency and environment protection and currently she works as a project expert for local planning and development. She has been actively working for promoting youth involvement in public life and has participated in many initiatives on the place. Currently Mrs. Markova is a member of the Partnership Youth Forum of Varna municipality. She has been involved in ALECTOR project to contribute to project promotion and dissemination among the young people in Varna and the region and has supported the process of initializing the state of the art, pilot cases practical development and initialization.          

In quest of ourselves: 

turning to historical heritage in Mariupol

Publ. June 23 2015

Tourism based on the historical heritage is a relatively new concept for Ukraine and the eastern part of the country in particular. For a long time in the region it has not been paid due attention to the history of the region. For instance, there is no historical Museums in the Donetsk region.

 Glean information how Azov steppes were inhabited or how industrial areas of Donbass held mastering is possible only in regional museums. They work more or less in each major city or town. However, it is almost impossible to compose the overall picture – there is no common centre, which would be classified information and was able to give a complete picture of what was happening on the territory of the region since ancient times and ending our days.

 One of the first attempts to explore the important historical stratum has become the project “Alektor” whose goal is the formation of standards in the field of tourism to preserve cultural and historical heritage, discover and develop new routes.

 “Alektor” start coincided with the beginning of the armed conflict and the occupation of part of the territory of Donbass, which jeopardized the implementation of the project by the Ukrainian party-public organization “Alliance”. Only seven countries of the Black Sea basin take part in the “Alektor” project.

 Despite the force-majeure circumstances, “Alliance” has not renounced participation and it is working on creating a unique route. The contours of the future Guide for tourists were presented to the press at a press conference in Mariupol, May 22, 2015.

 … Tourism and war is a strange combination, isn’t it? A few kilometres away from the administrative border of Mariupol, the front line passes and some areas came under fire repeatedly. Including the settlement Sartana that is a small town within the city limits. This is where the route begins to be developed within the framework of the project.

 “We have decided to request a special page in the history of the Priazovye – colonization of these lands by the Greeks. Now they are called priazovski, but they are actually internally displaced persons from the Crimea. Enterprising and persistent Greeks not only mastered the unseemly swampy steppe, they tamed the Sea of Azov. Settlers brought and preserved their culture-one of the oldest and richest ones in Europe”, Svetlana Zakrevska the President of Donetsk city public organization “Alliance” noted during the press conference.

 The route includes the most important and iconic Greek objects from ancient farmsteads and churches to museums and memorial sites on the Azov Sea coast. An important role in the project belongs to the volunteers – they have made great contribution to the development of the route and the project implementation in the difficult conditions of the frontal zone.

 “The project consists of several stages, each of which we have carried out some work on. Before developing the route, a system of interaction with volunteers was built. Without their help, the implementation of the project would be hardly possible at that level, which “Alektor” implies. High demands are placed on the organizations-members of the project,” stated Svetlana Zakrevska.

 In the project, “Alliance” generally oversees the work with volunteers and has developed a strategy for all partners. “Our strategy is consistent with the standards applicable to such documents. Ukraine has already had the idea of volunteers as a young cheerful guys and girls, mostly students, who help during various events. Volunteer movement was vividly evident during Euro 2012. After two years in connection with the Maidan and the beginning of hostilities, the word “volunteer” has acquired a completely different meaning – giving, assistance in critical situations, the salvation of the country. We have invested in Strategy the new thought meaning of volunteer work as the love to the own land, to the history, cultural heritage, which encourages the search for new, previously unknown facts, find important artefacts in simple and often mundane subjects, by some miracle, extant through revolution and war. Eventually, the involvement in such activities contributes to the enhancement of civic activism and more sensitive treatment to the history of native land,” Zakrevska highlighted.

 For Donetsk region, it is really a completely new experience. Firstly, the region has never been regarded as interesting for tourists. The exception was perhaps Holy Mountains where pilgrims come regularly to the Holy Mountains Lavra. Residents of the region in their turn often visited the natural landscape parks and reserves such as Kleban-Byk, Chalky Mountain, Khomutovsky Steppe, Stone Graves. Azov was considered only in terms of beach holiday.

 Secondly, as noted above, in the East of Ukraine a lack of attention to the history of the region has always been that led to disastrous consequences and indirectly led to the armed conflict. Many residents of the region had no time to take root and those whose ancestry dates back several generations was not particularly interested in history taking the official Soviet point of view on the settlement of Donbass, Azov and other districts of the Donetsk region.

 Thirdly, the armed conflict has contributed to an increase in the number of visitors in the previously closed enough and isolated region. Representatives of international organizations and humanitarian missions, diplomats, journalists, soldiers, volunteers... the same Mariupol has never known such an influx of visitors. They are interested not only in war. According to volunteers, many people involved in the project “Alektor” want to know more about the history of Azov and show a genuine interest in Mariupol and adjoining places, villages.

 Moreover, the inhabitants of Donetsk region, displaced persons from the occupied territories, and residents of the near-front zone have seen in Mariupol not only industrial city of metallurgical Giants. Mariupol has appeared as a city with a rich history, beautiful but rundown architecture of the 19^th century, vibrant cultural traditions associated with Greek influence. Actually, the Greeks breathed life into a tiny Pavlopil where at the end of the 18^th century there were only 57 inhabitants...

 “The project is important for the community of Mariupol in several aspects. First of all, a new look at the history of the city, the history of forced resettlement of Greeks from Crimea to steppe unsuitable for the life. Mariupol inhabitants saw real story of success: for just a few decades, their “polis” turned into a thriving merchant city having extensive communications. Secondly, in the long term, the region has become attractive for tourists; the tragic events have contributed to the Donetsk region to be learnt in all corners of the world. Moreover, the modern tourist does not look for breath-taking scenery and disseminated artefacts. Travellers overcome thousands of miles away to touch something really exotic. In addition, this exotic increasingly lies in the previously forgotten unjustly history pages. Finally, the involvement of local volunteer creates a feeling of involvement of the entire community to development of route; in fact, anyone can make own suggestions and become a member of the project,” summarized Svetlana Zakrevska.

 Now the project team in association with volunteers are working to develop the route. Cue points have already been defined, but the object list is constantly updated – Mariupol inhabitants actively involved in work to rebuild the history of his native city and Azov.